Bill will help State Department July 17, 2007 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, local Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand voted to pass the bipartisan Passport Backlog Reduction Act [S. 966]. This legislation passed in the Senate last month and will now head to the President for his signature. S.966 allows the State Department to temporarily rehire retired employees who have already been trained to process passport applications. "My office has heard from hundreds of people throughout the district who have been put in a bind by an overwhelmed State Department. This is a common-sense approach to a problem that has burdened upstate families. It is simply unacceptable that personal and work travel has been delayed or ruined because of the tremendous backlog for routine passport applications," said Congresswoman Gillibrand. "Having retired Foreign Service workers process the surplus of passport applications will give flexibility to the State Department, in addition to allowing these retired workers the necessary incentives to temporarily return to work." In 2007, the State Department is expected to issue over 17 million passports, up significantly from 10.1 million passports issues in 2005. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) has caused demand for passports to skyrocket. The WHTI mandated that- as of January 23, 2007- all air travel passengers need to have a passport when flying to Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda. Since the backlog, the State Department has said they will accept proof of passport application until September 30, 2007. In addition, all sea and land passengers will need to have a passport to travel to Canada or Mexico in the future. Congresswoman Gillibrand has opposed the portion of the WHTI that requires a passport to cross the northern border. Currently, it is taking 10-12 weeks to process a passport application. Citizens can apply for a passport, and check the status of their application, at http://travel.state.gov/passport/. Constituents are urged to contact one of Representative Gillibrand’s district offices if they are having difficulty with the State Department in receiving their passport. Below is the necessary contact information: Hudson, NY
446 Warren Street
Hudson, NY 12534
Phone: (518) 828-3109
Fax: (518) 828-3985 Saratoga Springs, NY
487 Broadway
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Phone: 518-581-8247
Fax: (518) 581-8430
Glens Falls, NY
333 Glen Street, Suite 302
Glens Falls, NY 12801
Phone: (518) 743-0964
Fax: (518) 743-1391 # # # |