Ensuring Children Receive Support Act
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Would make passport revocation mandatory — rather than discretionary — for individuals who owe more than $2,500 in child support, and would require the State Department to notify those individuals before acting.
The change would close a gap in current law, where the State Department could choose not to revoke a previously issued passport even after being certified that a person owes back child support.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would amend Section 452(k) of the Social Security Act to require the Department of State to revoke any previously issued U.S. passport when the Secretary of Health and Human Services certifies that an individual owes more than $2,500 in child support arrearages. Under current law, the State Department must refuse to issue new passports in those circumstances but only may — at its discretion — revoke passports already in hand. This bill would make revocation of existing passports mandatory. It would also require the State Department to notify the individual of its intent to revoke before taking action.
The bill would also provide explicit statutory authority for the State Department to issue a temporary, limited-duration passport solely for return to the United States to any affected individual who is abroad and needs to come home on an emergency basis. The amendments would take effect on October 1, 2026.
Key provisions
- 1Would make passport revocation mandatory when HHS certifies an individual owes more than $2,500 in child support arrearages, replacing the current discretionary standard
- 2Would require the State Department to notify an individual of its intent to revoke their passport before taking action
- 3Would provide statutory authority for the State Department to issue a temporary, limited-duration passport solely for return to the United States to an affected individual abroad in an emergency
- 4Sets an effective date of October 1, 2026, for all amendments made by the Act
Who would be affected
Adults with U.S. passports who have been certified by state child support agencies as owing more than $2,500 in unpaid child support, and whose cases have been referred to the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement. Custodial parents and children awaiting support payments are the intended beneficiaries. The Department of State's passport office would also have new mandatory duties.
Why it matters
Under current law, individuals who already hold a passport could continue to travel internationally even after being flagged for unpaid child support, because revocation is permissive. Making revocation mandatory would remove agency discretion and close that travel loophole, potentially pressuring more obligors to pay arrears to regain travel privileges. The notification requirement gives affected individuals a chance to cure the arrearage before losing their passport.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends Social Security Act, Section 452(k) (42 U.S.C. 652(k)) (Sec. 2(a))
Changes passport revocation for child-support debtors from discretionary ('may revoke') to mandatory ('revoke'), removes 'limitation' as an option, and adds a pre-revocation notification requirement.
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- All amendments made by the Act take effect
Funding and costs
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 6903 would have no significant effect on the federal budget, with any changes to direct spending, revenues, and the deficit each falling between -$500,000 and $500,000 over the 2026–2035 period.
CBO estimates that H.R. 6903 would produce no significant budgetary effect: changes to direct spending (child support collections retained by the federal government), revenues, and the deficit are each estimated at less than $500,000 in any year and over both the 2026–2030 and 2026–2035 windows. The bill would require the Department of State to revoke passports of noncustodial parents who owe more than $2,500 in past-due child support, but CBO notes that the department already revokes or denies passports in such cases when those individuals initiate a consular activity, meaning the bill would not significantly change current practice. CBO also found no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates in the bill.
How implementation would work
The process would flow through existing channels: state child support agencies certify arrearages to the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (within the Department of Health and Human Services), which then notifies the State Department. Under the amended law, the State Department would be required — not merely permitted — to revoke the passport and would have to first notify the individual of its intent. The State Department would retain authority to issue a narrow, limited-duration emergency return passport for individuals abroad. No new rulemaking timeline is specified beyond the October 1, 2026 effective date.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This 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.
Legislative subjects
Families; Separation, divorce, custody, support; Visas and passports
Committee report
H. Rept. 119-624