The State Department ordered nonprofit libraries to stop processing passports, citing federal law.
to stop processing passport applications, ending a long-running service that librarians say has operated smoothly and served local needs for years, according to reporting by The Associated Press .According to the AP, the agency began issuing cease-and-desist letters to not-for-profit libraries last year, informing them they were no longer authorized to participate in the Passport Acceptance Facility program.
clearly prohibit non‑governmental organizations ” from collecting passport application fees, but did not explain why the issue has surfaced now or specify how many libraries were affected. The agency estimated that the number of nonprofit libraries now deemed ineligible to continue with its passport services accounted for less than 1 percent of the total Passport Acceptance Facility program.. that could be affected by this change, depending on whether or not they offer passport services. This accounts for about 15 percent of all libraries open to the public.The AP reported that nonprofit libraries are most common in several Northeastern states. Data from the American Library Association show that they make up about 85 percent of public libraries in Pennsylvania, 56 percent in Maine, 54 percent in Rhode Island, 47 percent in New York, and 46 percent in Connecticut.This change is likely to affect libraries that have become key local access points for in‑person passport applications, a role that has helped working families, rural residents, and people with language barriers. “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,” Democratic and Republican members of Congress from Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Maryland said in a letter to the Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Cathleen Special, executive director of the Otis Library in Norwich, Connecticut, where passport services ended in November after the order was issued, told the AP: “We still get calls daily seeking that service.” The State Department has defended its decision by noting that more than 7,500 passport acceptance facilities remain nationwide and that over 99 percent of the U.S. population lives within 20 miles of a designated processing location, such as a post office, county clerk’s office, or a government‑run library. The United States Postal Service website says that “thousands of post offices accept first-time passport applications for the U.S. Department of State. Most of those locations can also take your passport photo." The State Department’s passport news page promoted special passport acceptance fairs at approved facilities, and, according to the AP, a spokesperson for the State Department said, “Should the removal of an ineligible facility affect passport services, we will work to identify new eligible program partners in the impacted area.”
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