[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 18, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1551]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 PASSPORT BACKLOG REDUCTION ACT OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. GENE GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 16, 2007

  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of 
this legislation. The passport backlog has affected millions of 
people's travel plans, and I know in Houston, our district offices have 
been receiving calls on nearly a daily basis from constituents whose 
travel plans have been affected by the delay.
  I visited the Houston Passport Office last month, and was amazed to 
learn people were arriving there hours before the office opened in 
order to get service. The staff at the Houston office has been working 
nights and weekends to clear the backlog, but there is only so much 
they can do.
  Despite having known this increase would be coming since Congress 
passed the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, 
the Administration did not prepare for this increase and as a result, 
State Department employees and the American public is paying the price.
  This was only the first phase of implementing the Western Hemisphere 
Travel Initiative--the second phase, which will require all individuals 
traveling to or from the United States by land and sea, could see an 
even larger demand for passports, especially in border states like 
Texas where people have friends and family across the border.
  Last week, Maura Harty, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of 
Consular Affairs, testified in front of the House Foreign Affairs 
Committee that her office anticipates the demand for passports will 
continue to grow and will be approximately 23 million in 200, and as 
high as 30 million by 2010.
  The State Department must now do what they should have done over the 
last six months to a year, and hire additional employees to handle what 
appears will be a permanent increase in the number of passport 
applications they will be receiving annually.
  This bill alleviates some of the backlog, but the State Department 
needs to ensure they have the people and systems in place to prevent 
this from happening in the future. I urge my colleagues to join me in 
supporting S. 966.

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