Parents who owe more than $2,500 in unpaid child support will have their U.S. passport revoked under this bill — a shift from current law, which gives the State Department discretion to revoke, restrict, or limit a passport in those cases. The bill removes that flexibility entirely, requiring full revocation every time the Department of Health and Human Services certifies the arrearage (unpaid balance). Before revoking, the government must notify the individual of the planned action. An exception allows a limited temporary passport for anyone who is abroad and needs to return to the United States on an emergency basis. The changes take effect October 1, 2026.
Civil Liberties
- Passport revocation — changed from discretionary to mandatory when child support arrearage exceeds $2,500
- Intermediate passport options (restriction, limitation) — eliminated; only full revocation now available to the State Dept
- Pre-revocation notice — adds required notification to the individual before passport is revoked
Congressional Summary
Ensuring Children Receive Support ActThis bill specifies that the Department of State must revoke passports for certain individuals who fail to make child support payments.Under current law, if the Office of Child Support Enforcement of the Department of Health and Human Services receives information from a state that an individual owes more than $2,500 in child support, the State Department must refuse to issue the individual a passport and may revoke a previously issued passport. The bill specifies that the State Department must revoke a previously issued passport in these circumstances. The bill also provides statutory authority for the State Department to allow such an individual to be issued a limited-duration passport for direct return to the United States.For more information about this bill, see CRS Insight IN12660.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Action Date
- 2026-04-28
- Date Added
- 2026-04-23
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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