Sponsor
Lauren Underwood
Representative · D-IL
Representative · D-IL
The bill makes passport cards more affordable for applicants by eliminating routine fees but shifts costs to government budgets and risks longer processing times and unequal access to faster service for those who cannot pay expedited fees.
People who apply for passport cards — especially frequent cross‑border travelers, immigrants, and low‑income applicants — will pay less or no issuance/renewal fees, lowering out‑of‑pocket costs for land/sea travel and easing affordability.
Taxpayers and the State Department could face reduced fee revenue from passport cards, which may increase pressure on the State Department budget or require offsets (higher costs elsewhere or cuts to services).
Applicants (including immigrants and low‑income people) may experience longer routine passport‑card processing times if demand rises and staffing/funding are not increased.
Low‑income applicants who cannot pay expedited fees may face slower service relative to those who can, because expedited service still requires payment even after routine fees are waived.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Bars routine issuance and reissuance fees for U.S. passport cards while preserving expedited-processing fees.
Official title: To prohibit the Secretary of State from charging a fee for the issuance or reissuance of a passport card.
Introduced March 4, 2026 by Lauren Underwood · Last progress March 4, 2026
Removes the routine government fee for getting or renewing a U.S. passport card while still allowing fees for expedited processing. It changes federal law so the Secretary of State cannot charge a standard issuance or reissuance fee for passport cards, affecting applicants and the Department of State’s fee schedules and regulations.