Should Passport Fees be Waived for First Responders Traveling to Aid Foreign Countries During Natural Disasters? (H.R. 2229)

What is H.R. 2229?

(Updated October 22, 2019)

This bill — the First Responders Passport Act of 2019 — would allow the Secretary of State to waive passport fees for first responders traveling to provide aid to foreign countries suffering from natural disasters. The fee waiver would apply to first responders, including volunteers, operating under contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements with the U.S. government.

The Secretary of State would be required to report to Congress on the number of waivers and fees issued under this bill on an annual basis.

Argument in favor

American first responders, including unpaid volunteers, often travel long distances to other countries to render aid in the wake of natural disasters. Waiving passport fees for these heroes is a small way for the federal government to express appreciation for their spirit of service. This small, but meaningful, gesture won’t cost the federal government much and is worth it to support first responders.

Argument opposed

While it might be reasonable to provide passport fee waivers to unpaid volunteer first responders, it’s not reasonable to do so for paid first responders. If someone is paid to be a first responder with the understanding that they might travel overseas in the course of their work, they should hold and personally pay for a valid passport as a necessary tool for meeting their job’s responsibilities.

Impact

First responders; passports for first responders; passport fees for first responders; passport fee waivers for first responders; and the Secretary of State.

Cost of H.R. 2229

The CBO estimates that implementing this bill would cost less than $500,000 over the 2019-2024 period.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH) reintroduced this bill from the 115th Congress to waive passport fees for first responders responding to natural disasters overseas. In a letter to his Congressional colleagues seeking cosponsors for this bill, he wrote: 

“[The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)] contracts with elite teams of first responders who can be deployed at a moment’s notice to assist with natural disaster response efforts around the world. For example, organizations such as the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team and the Los Angeles County Search and Rescue Team can be activated during emergencies such as earthquakes in Nepal, Japan, and Mexico. So that they can be deployed immediately, they are required to have current passports. Since these first responders operate on a contract basis, however, they are not eligible for fee-free diplomatic passports. That is why we invite you to become a cosponsor of the First Responders Passport Act, which gives the Secretary of State discretion to waive passport fees for those responding to natural disasters abroad. This legislation aims to reduce the costs incurred by first responders as they assist U.S. government efforts and represent America’s generous spirit to those in need.”

This legislation passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee by voice vote with the support of 21 bipartisan House cosponsors, including 14 Democrats and seven Republicans. In the 115th Congress, then-Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) introduced this legislation with the support of 23 bipartisan House cosponsors, including 14 Republicans and nine Democrats, and didn’t receive a committee vote.

Of Note: Passport renewals for adults are $30 for a passport card, $110 for a passport book, and $140 for both a passport card and passport book. Around a quarter of these fees are recorded as revenues, and the remainder is retained by the State Dept. for consular and border security programs without further appropriation. 

First-time passport applicants pay a $35 execution fee that is retained by either the facility accepting the application (such as a post office, clerk of court, public library, or other local government office) or deposited in the Treasury as revenue when the application is made at a State Dept. facility. 

There are about 430 first responders in the Fairfax County, Virginia and Los Angeles County, California USAID search and rescue teams. The people in these teams are required to hold current passports and be able to deploy within a few hours. Currently, their passport fees aren’t waived — so fees for the issuance of new passports or renewal of existing passports are paid for by these individuals themselves.

USAID’s first response teams have been called to serve abroad many times. In recent years, the Fairfax Team has been deployed to disasters in Nepal, Japan, and Haiti.

Media:

• Sponsoring Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH) Dear Colleague Letter
  
• CBO Cost Estimate