[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 32 (Tuesday, March 14, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H887-H888]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




WAIVING PASSPORT FEES FOR RELATIVES OF DECEASED MEMBERS OF ARMED FORCES

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the Senate bill (S. 1184) to waive the passport fees for a 
relative of a deceased member of the Armed Forces proceeding abroad to 
visit the grave of such member or to attend a funeral or memorial 
service for such member.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                S. 1184

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

     SECTION 1. PASSPORT FEES.

       Section 1 of the Act of June 4, 1920 (41 Stat. 750, chapter 
     223; 22 U.S.C. 214) is amended in the third sentence by 
     striking ``or from a widow, child, parent, brother, or sister 
     of a deceased member of the Armed Forces proceeding abroad to 
     visit the grave of such member'' and inserting ``or from a 
     widow, widower, child, parent, grandparent, brother, or 
     sister of a deceased member of the Armed Forces proceeding 
     abroad to visit the grave of such member or to attend a 
     funeral or memorial service for such member''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.


                             General Leave

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, S. 1184, as passed by the Senate, corrects a minor flaw 
in current passport law. While this flaw is minor in the sense of its 
legal impact, the possible impact it has had and could have on family 
members of our brave servicemen and -women who have made the ultimate 
sacrifice is significant enough that we should move to correct it 
quickly.
  Under current law, the State Department waives passport fees for 
family members traveling abroad to official grave sites of armed 
servicemembers. However, the current law does not make a similar 
exception for family members traveling to attend a funeral or memorial 
service for a servicemember killed in action and then buried or 
memorialized overseas. S. 1184 would rightly extend this fee waiver to 
these families as well.
  The ability to attend a funeral or memorial service for one who has 
paid the ultimate price in the service of our country is just as 
necessary an aspect of paying our final respects as being able to visit 
their grave.
  Mr. Speaker, the logistical and financial burden imposed by these 
fees on grieving families can quickly build up. This small flaw in our 
current law has had large ramifications, and it does a disservice to 
the families of our fallen heroes and creates undue stress and pain 
that could easily be corrected.
  Correcting this flaw would mean a great deal to those families who 
have given most. In this regard, I urge that S. 1184 be passed quickly 
and sent to the President for his signature.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this legislation. This 
legislation, Mr. Speaker, represents a small, but important, change to 
existing law to help ease in one small way the suffering of U.S. 
citizens whose relatives have made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of 
our Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, we are at war. Hundreds of thousands of Americans from 
both our regular forces and from the National Guard and Reserves have 
been deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other countries around the 
globe. Our forces have been subject to more stress than any time since 
the Vietnam War when the United States had the draft.
  The men and women who have performed so magnificently for their 
country deserve all the support we can give them, and their families 
deserve every possible relief we can give them as well.
  The legislation before us today affords those families some relief at 
a time of unimaginable loss.
  Many members of our Armed Forces have developed ties and families 
abroad, and a few of them are being buried at private cemeteries in 
foreign lands after making the ultimate sacrifice. At present, our law 
requires grieving parents, grandparents, and other relatives to pay 
nearly $100 in first-time passport fees when all they want to do is to 
attend their family member's final honor. For a large family these 
costs can add up and for no good reason.
  The legislation before us remedies this problem. It authorizes the 
Department of State to waive the passport fees in this situation, just 
as the Department is currently allowed to do when the family member is 
being buried in a U.S. military cemetery. It also extends the waiver to 
allow grandparents to be eligible for it.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a problem that affects relatively few people. 
Indeed, the Congressional Budget Office has concluded that it would 
have no significant impact on the Federal budget; but when it does 
happen, it can be a godsend to those who have lost so much.
  I commend my dear friend, the Senate sponsor of this legislation, 
Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, for introducing this humanitarian 
measure; and I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting it.
  Mr. GARRETT of New Jersey, Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of 
our men and women bravely serving in the Armed Forces--past, present, 
and future. As they fight the forces of terrorism around the globe we 
must seek to honor their sacrifices made to preserve our freedoms.
  As we remember them on March 26, National Support the Troops Day, it 
is only fitting that we participate in a moment of silence to reflect 
on their service. Those currently serving in our Armed Forces are 
protecting liberty that was established by the Founding Fathers and has 
been preserved by our Nation's veterans. Soldiers, sailors, and airmen 
daily risk their lives fighting those who wish to enslave mankind to 
religious extremism, oppression, and tyranny.
  Today I also rise in support of S. 1184, an effort to properly honor 
those whose loved ones have fallen in combat. It is the least we can do 
to waive passport fees for those who must travel overseas in order to 
visit the resting place of their relatives who have given the full 
measure of service. From the beaches of France to deserts of Africa, 
American soldiers have given their lives and been interred on foreign 
soil.
  We are ever grateful for their sacrifice and this is but a small way 
we can now support their relatives.

[[Page H888]]

  Finally, recognizing that our military is dependent on a robust 
recruiting operation, I give my full support for H. Con. Res. 354. To 
preserve an all volunteer military service, it is essential that 
recruiters be granted access to the best and brightest American 
students. Service in the military is an honorable position and without 
our Armed Services, we would not have the academic freedoms that have 
made our Nation so advanced in culture and science.
  I recently had the pleasure of recognizing New Jersey's Fifth 
District nominees to the U.S. Service Academies. Not all students have 
that honor, but all students should have the option of learning more 
about this noble profession from qualified Armed Forces recruiters.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the Senate bill, S. 1184.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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