Overview
- Enforcement took effect on Feb. 13, directing nonprofit public libraries to cease accepting in‑person passport applications after years of offering the service.
- The department cites a 1920‑era legal restriction that prohibits non‑governmental entities from collecting and retaining passport execution fees.
- Officials say ineligible libraries account for under 1% of roughly 7,500 acceptance facilities, while the American Library Association estimates about 1,400 libraries could be affected.
- Government‑run libraries are not impacted, and library leaders warn of reduced access for working families and rural communities as well as lost fee revenue for local systems.
- Bipartisan lawmakers, including Sen. John Fetterman and House members Madeleine Dean and John Joyce, have urged Secretary Marco Rubio to delay enforcement and advanced bills to amend the Passport Act, while the department notes 99% of Americans live within 20 miles of another acceptance site and says it will seek alternate partners where needed.