H.R. 5233: To amend the Passport Act of June 4, 1920, to make certain improvements with respect to expenditure and other authorities, and for other purposes.

118th Congress · introduced 2023-08-18 · Immigration · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2023-08-18 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Carter, Earl L. "Buddy" [R-GA-1] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

To amend the Passport Act of June 4, 1920, to make certain improvements with respect to expenditure and other authorities, and for other purposes.

Plain summary

This bill requires various changes to the passport application process and addresses related issues. The bill requires all U.S. regular passports to contain a written notice advising travelers (1) to check travel.state.gov for updated travel warnings, (2) to register with the Department of State prior to overseas travel, (3) that many countries deny entry to travelers whose passport expires within six months, and (4) to renew their passports within at least one year of the expiration date. Further, the bill makes permanent existing State Department authority to assess a surcharge on the passport application fee to cover the costs of increased demand prompted by certain legal requirements. This authority currently expires on September 30, 2026. For three years starting from this bill's enactment, the State Department may use direct hire authority to expedite the hiring of individuals into Passport and Visa Examining positions (Series 0967). Finally, the bill requires the Department of State to report to Congress about passport processing wait times, agency plans for a public outreach campaign, and related information.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

To amend the Passport Act of June 4, 1920, to make certain improvements with respect to expenditure and other authorities, and for other purposes.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Carter, Earl L. "Buddy" [R-GA-1] · 22 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Susie Lee (D-NV), Max L. Miller (R-OH), Cory Mills (R-FL), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Zachary Nunn (R-IA), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Adam B. Schiff (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Daniel Webster (R-FL), Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ), Elise M. Stefanik (R-NY), Gus M. Bilirakis (R-FL), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), John R. Carter (R-TX), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Michael Guest (R-MS), Sharice Davids (D-KS), Rudy Yakym III (R-IN), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Byron Donalds (R-FL)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Carter, Earl L. "Buddy" [R-GA-1] reported raising $7.3 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-118hr5233.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/118/hr>

Record fed-us-cong118-hr5233 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong118 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong118