Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Improvement Act of 2018 This bill establishes certain standards for U.S. passport applications. The Department of State shall adjudicate U.S. passport applications in an individualized, evidence-based manner based on an assessment of individual circumstances and evidence. An applicant's race, ethnicity, or ancestry may not be considered in such adjudicatory process. The bill requires that: an applicant establish U.S. citizenship or nationality by a preponderance of the evidence, and a determination that an applicant has not met such evidentiary burden state in writing the reasons for the determination and be provided to the applicant in a timely manner. A birth certificate signed by a person authorized under state law to sign such a document, or a previously-issued U.S. passport, shall constitute prima facie evidence of U.S. citizenship or nationality and, absent individualized evidence that a birth did not take place in the United States, shall satisfy the preponderance of the evidence standard.
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Timeline
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
International Affairs
Administrative remediesCitizenship and naturalizationDepartment of StateEvidence and witnessesHealth information and medical recordsRacial and ethnic relationsVisas and passports
To establish certain standards for the adjudication of United States passport applications, and for other purposes.
USA115th CongressHR-6707| House
| Updated: 9/5/2018
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Improvement Act of 2018 This bill establishes certain standards for U.S. passport applications. The Department of State shall adjudicate U.S. passport applications in an individualized, evidence-based manner based on an assessment of individual circumstances and evidence. An applicant's race, ethnicity, or ancestry may not be considered in such adjudicatory process. The bill requires that: an applicant establish U.S. citizenship or nationality by a preponderance of the evidence, and a determination that an applicant has not met such evidentiary burden state in writing the reasons for the determination and be provided to the applicant in a timely manner. A birth certificate signed by a person authorized under state law to sign such a document, or a previously-issued U.S. passport, shall constitute prima facie evidence of U.S. citizenship or nationality and, absent individualized evidence that a birth did not take place in the United States, shall satisfy the preponderance of the evidence standard.
Administrative remediesCitizenship and naturalizationDepartment of StateEvidence and witnessesHealth information and medical recordsRacial and ethnic relationsVisas and passports