Passport rules may be eased

The nation's new post-Sept. 11 requirements for traveling abroad continue to cause anxiety for travelers and wreak havoc with vacation plans, with the turn-around for passports now estimated at 15 weeks. But relief appears to be on the way, says an article highlighting the new US passport developments in the Cincinnati Post.

The Bush Administration is expected to announce a temporary suspension of some of the new rules, which required passports for air travel to and from Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and Bermuda. The proposal would allow travelers to present a government-issued identification card, such as a driver's license, and a receipt from the State Department showing that they had applied for a passport. Such travelers might then receive extra scrutiny at security checkpoints, such as questioning or bag checks, one official familiar with the proposal said.

The suspension would give the State Department a chance to reduce some of the backlog of applications while soothing angry travelers and some members of Congress - including some tri-state lawmakers - who have tried to intervene on behalf of their constituents. U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, has co-sponsored an amendment to the immigration bill that would allow travel across borders in the Western Hemisphere with an alternate ID, such as a birth certificate or valid driver's license, until the passport crisis passes. "The State Department has lost control of the situation. I do not believe the current implementation plan is realistic and I question how the department failed to anticipate and prepare for the increased demand. Summer travel is not a new phenomenon."

Prior to implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative in January, U.S. travelers to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean didn't need passports. State Department officials expected the change to increase the demand for the documents, but travelers, travel agents and federal lawmakers say the agency has severely underestimated the impact of the change. It's now taking up to 15 weeks to secure a passport, complicating the travel plans of millions of Americans.

To meet the rising demand for passports, the U.S. Department of State has increased its staff, added a new passport-processing center and has worked employees overtime. The production rate has increased 33 percent and is averaging about a million and a half passports each month, said department representative Janelle Hironimus.

But that doesn't seem to be enough. After receiving thousands of complaints from constituents, federal lawmakers from the tri-state say they are trying to head off even more headaches when the next phase of the initiative begins in January 2008. At that time, any travel - by air, land or sea - outside the United States will require a passport.