September 04, 2007
“Three quarters of the people in our country do not have passports, which adds up to millions of Americans who are unable to take advantage of the enriching opportunities presented by international travel,” said Lee. “International travel helps individuals learn tolerance, understanding and mutual respect for other cultures. By obtaining a passport and traveling internationally, Americans gain a unique perspective and experience that simply cannot be found here at home. Establishing National Passport Month will help to promote passports and travel and to educate Americans of all ages about the important role they can play as ambassadors for our country.”
Lee’s resolution puts the House on record in support of the goals and ideals of National Passport Month, and calls on the White House to issue a proclamation formally establishing the month in September. The resolution was supported by a campaign led by Oakland-based travel publisher Lonely Planet as well as American Express, American Airlines, Council on International Educational Exchange, Fodor’s Travel Publications, Geographic Expeditions, Globe Trekker, Lonely Planet Publications, National Geographic Traveler, Outdoor Industry Association and Yahoo!.
Applications for passports have gone up over the last year in response to new regulations that now require U.S. citizens to have a passport for travel to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean. Nonetheless, according to the U.S. State Department, in spite of the new regulations currently only an estimated 80 million or 25 percent of U.S. citizens have passports. As of August 15, the department has issued over 15 million passports during FY2007, and expects to issue over 17.5 million in FY2007, five million more than in FY2006 and seven million more than FY2005. The department is currently issuing over 500,000 passports per week and expects to return to traditional processing time of six weeks for routine applications by the end of FY2007.
The House passed a similar resolution, introduced by Lee, in June 2006.
House Passes Lee National Passport Month Resolution
(Washington, DC) – Today, the House unanimously approved a resolution introduced by Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) to promote international travel by calling for the establishment of September as National Passport month.“Three quarters of the people in our country do not have passports, which adds up to millions of Americans who are unable to take advantage of the enriching opportunities presented by international travel,” said Lee. “International travel helps individuals learn tolerance, understanding and mutual respect for other cultures. By obtaining a passport and traveling internationally, Americans gain a unique perspective and experience that simply cannot be found here at home. Establishing National Passport Month will help to promote passports and travel and to educate Americans of all ages about the important role they can play as ambassadors for our country.”
Lee’s resolution puts the House on record in support of the goals and ideals of National Passport Month, and calls on the White House to issue a proclamation formally establishing the month in September. The resolution was supported by a campaign led by Oakland-based travel publisher Lonely Planet as well as American Express, American Airlines, Council on International Educational Exchange, Fodor’s Travel Publications, Geographic Expeditions, Globe Trekker, Lonely Planet Publications, National Geographic Traveler, Outdoor Industry Association and Yahoo!.
Applications for passports have gone up over the last year in response to new regulations that now require U.S. citizens to have a passport for travel to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean. Nonetheless, according to the U.S. State Department, in spite of the new regulations currently only an estimated 80 million or 25 percent of U.S. citizens have passports. As of August 15, the department has issued over 15 million passports during FY2007, and expects to issue over 17.5 million in FY2007, five million more than in FY2006 and seven million more than FY2005. The department is currently issuing over 500,000 passports per week and expects to return to traditional processing time of six weeks for routine applications by the end of FY2007.
The House passed a similar resolution, introduced by Lee, in June 2006.
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