Congressman Lamar Smith 21st district of Texas

Contact: Christine McCarty 202-225-4236

Washington, May 31, 2007 - Congressman Lamar Smith (TX-21) today advised Texans in the 21st Congressional District with plans to travel outside the country in the coming months to apply for passports at least three months in advance. Many Americans have been experiencing delays with the processing of their U.S. passport applications.

“I urge anyone needing a passport to fill out the application and submit it as soon as possible,” said Congressman Smith.

“My staff has been working hard for the past several weeks assisting constituents with their passport issues,” said Smith. “Through working with the Passport Service we have assisted more than 350 constituents.”

New regulations by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that went into effect earlier this year require all U.S. citizens to present a valid U.S. passport in order to travel by air to any part of the Western Hemisphere. Though passports were not required in the past, Americans flying to Canada, Mexico or anywhere in the Caribbean now need a valid U.S. passport to re-enter the United States. Because of the new regulations, there is a backlog for processing passport applications.

People who have submitted their passport application and need assistance for immediate upcoming travel should call their Congressman’s office and provide their full name, date of birth, Social Security number, Locator number (that is available on the State Department Web), home address and phone number. This information is required for each person needing passport assistance. Each applicant should contact their Congressman no earlier than 10 days from their departure date.

Congressman Smith along with other Representatives recently sent a letter to the Secretary of State requesting a quick resolution to the current backlog of passport requests.

For more information about U.S. passports and how to apply for a passport, visit the State Department`s Web site at: http://travel.state.gov/ or call the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778 (TDD/TTY: 1-888-874-7793). To obtain the status of a passport application, visit https://passportstatus.state.gov/opss/OPSS_Status_i.asp.