Libraries Lose Passport Acceptance Privileges Due to Nonprofit Status
NORWICH, Conn. (AP) — The U.S. State Department has begun revoking the ability of some public libraries nationwide to process passport applications, a move that librarians say is disrupting a service communities have relied on for years. The agency began issuing cease and desist orders to not-for-profit libraries in late fall, stating they were no longer authorized to participate in the Passport Acceptance Facility program as of Friday.
Cathleen Special, executive director of the Otis Library in Norwich, Connecticut, said her library offered passport services for 18 years before receiving the notice in November. “Our community was so used to us offering this,” she said. “We still get calls daily seeking that service.”
According to a State Department spokesperson, the order stems from a determination that federal law and regulations “clearly prohibit non-governmental organizations” from collecting and retaining fees for a passport application. Government-run libraries are not affected by the change.
The spokesperson declined to provide details on why the issue arose now or the exact number of libraries impacted, but stated that libraries represent “less than one percent of our total network” of over 7,500 acceptance facilities.
The American Library Association estimates that approximately 1,400 mostly non-profit public libraries, roughly 15% of all public libraries, could potentially be affected.
Members of Congress from both parties are responding to the situation. A bipartisan group of lawmakers from Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Maryland sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this month, urging him to extend the existing program while Congress seeks a permanent solution.
“In a time when demand for passports is surging, libraries are among the most accessible passport acceptance facilities, particularly for working families and rural residents,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter. They warned that the change could force people to travel long distances, take unpaid time off work, or forgo obtaining a passport altogether.
The lawmakers also highlighted potential implications for voting access, noting that stricter voting rules could require citizens to present a passport or birth certificate to register. They also pointed to an increase in individuals carrying passports to confirm their citizenship amid concerns about immigration enforcement.
Pennsylvania Representatives Madeleine Dean, a Democrat, and John Joyce, a Republican, have co-sponsored legislation – H.R. 6997, the Community Passport Services Access Act – that would amend the Passport Act of 1920 to allow 501(c)(3) non-profit public libraries to continue serving as passport acceptance facilities. A similar bill is also pending in the Senate.
Dean described the State Department’s interpretation of the law as “nonsense,” noting that a library in her district had provided passport services for 20 years. In Congressman Joyce’s district, the Marysville-Rye Library is one of only two passport facilities serving Perry County, Pennsylvania, a 556-square-mile area. The county courthouse will now be the sole option.
The State Department maintains that 99% of the U.S. Population lives within 20 miles of a designated passport processing location, including post offices, county clerk’s offices, and government-run libraries. The agency spokesperson said they would “work to identify new eligible program partners in the impacted area” if the removal of a library affects passport services.
Special, of the Otis Library, noted that the local post office often referred people to the library for passport services when they needed assistance outside of regular hours or required help with the application process, including language support. “And now the burden falls on them,” she said. “I don’t know how they’re keeping up, to be honest, because it was such a popular service with us.”
