Sponsors (2)
The bill improves due process and creates an emergency return passport option for people abroad, but it narrows agency enforcement tools—potentially removing conditional alternatives, risking travel disruptions for those abroad, and increasing administrative and taxpayer costs.
Individuals abroad (U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents) can obtain a short‑duration, return‑only passport that lets them travel home in an emergency.
People facing passport revocation will receive advance notice and an opportunity to respond, improving procedural fairness and agency transparency.
Lawful permanent residents or U.S. citizens abroad whose passports are fully revoked can be stranded or delayed while obtaining a temporary return passport, creating safety and travel‑disruption risks.
People with child‑support arrears (and others previously eligible for limited or conditional passport measures) could lose access to those less‑severe options because agencies would be restricted to full revocation.
Limiting agencies to revocation (instead of a range of sanctions) may increase appeals, administrative actions, and court involvement, raising workloads and costs for agencies and taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Limits passport enforcement for child support arrears to revocation (with required notice) and allows a short‑duration return passport for emergencies abroad.
Changes how federal agencies can act on passports when a person owes past‑due child support: it removes authority to 'restrict' or 'limit' passports and instead allows only passport revocation, requires notice before revocation, and allows the State Department to issue a short‑duration emergency passport to someone abroad solely to return to the U.S. The changes take effect October 1, 2026.
Official title: To require the Secretary of State to revoke any United States passport issued to an individual, on receipt of a certification by the Secretary of Health and Human Services that the individual has a child support arrearage exceeding $2,500.
Introduced December 18, 2025 by Beth Van Duyne · Last progress April 28, 2026