[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5752 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5752

 To provide for the security of United States passports, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 9, 2008

   Mr. Sali (for himself, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Whitfield of Kentucky, Mr. 
McCotter, Mr. Jones of North Carolina, Mr. Renzi, Mr. Poe, Mr. Deal of 
 Georgia, Mr. Gary G. Miller of California, Mr. Terry, and Ms. Fallin) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                            Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for the security of United States passports, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) A United States passport is the primary document used 
        to denote identity and citizenship for United States citizens 
        for international travel.
            (2) United States citizens have an expectation that United 
        States passports will be manufactured and assembled in a secure 
        manner.
            (3) All United States passports currently incorporate 
        several components manufactured outside the United States.
            (4) All United States passports manufactured and assembled 
        for United States citizens are currently sent to Thailand for 
        the inlaying of the Radio Frequency Identification Device 
        (RFID) antennae.
            (5) According to the Government Printing Office (GPO), the 
        ``GPO contracts with two suppliers (Gemalto and Infineon), who 
        produce the chip in the e-passport and who subcontract with 
        another vendor to do the inlaying. That subcontractor is an 
        overseas company, who does inlaying and is the only company in 
        the world who met standards required under the RFP.''.
            (6) National security is best served when the manufacture 
        and assembly of United States passports occurs within the 
        borders of the United States.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the United States Government must set the highest 
        standards needed to protect the privacy and security of United 
        States passports; and
            (2) the Department of State must safeguard the security of 
        the United States passport.

SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

    The Secretary of State shall--
            (1) when establishing the requirements for physical and 
        security components of United States passports and passport 
        cards, include only such electronic components as are currently 
        manufactured in the United States, or can be manufactured in 
        the United States; and
            (2) ensure that--
                    (A) all assembly of United States passports occurs 
                only within the borders of the United States; and
                    (B) personalization of permanent United States 
                passports occurs only under the direct supervision of 
                United States Government employees.
                                 <all>