Feds Shut Down Library Passport Services

Butterfield could lose $20K in annual revenue
The federal government has notified many public libraries that double as Passport Acceptance Facilities that they can no longer offer the service.
Librarians at the Butterfield Memorial Library in Cold Spring are trained to accept passport applications, which are sent to the U.S. Department of State for processing. It charges a $35 fee for each application, which brings in $20,000 to $30,000 annually.
The change affects only privately chartered "association" libraries such as Butterfield and the Desmond-Fish Public Library in Garrison, which does not offer passport services. The Howland Public Library in Beacon is not an association library and will continue to operate as a Passport Acceptance Facility, said director Gillian Murphy.
In its notification, the State Department said association libraries must end passport services by Thursday (Feb. 12). Although such libraries have acted as Passport Acceptance Facilities for years, the State Department said that the Passport Act of 1920 "does not explicitly allow for public libraries, which are organized as nonprofit, charitable organizations, to collect and retain execution fees for processing passport applications."
Butterfield Director Johanna Reinhardt said she received notification from the State Department about six weeks ago and learned that Feb. 12 was the end date 10 days ago.
"Any loss for us is a big loss in terms of revenue, because we are a small library that continues to grow," she said. "We get the people who come from other neighboring communities [for passport services], who haven't been here, and they end up coming back for programs we offer. The biggest loss is just the ability to provide a much-needed service that people appreciate."
Libraries that operate as Passport Acceptance Facilities process applications for people who have never had a passport or whose passport was lost or stolen. They also accept applications from patrons whose last passport was issued when they were younger than 16 or more than 15 years ago or whose name has changed. They do not process adult passport renewals. Librarians undergo a background check before being trained to complete the forms and check proof of citizenship and identity.
Murphy noted that participating libraries are audited annually to demonstrate "that we've accounted for each one, followed up, tracked it, filed it away and done it right."
A bill introduced Jan. 9 in the U.S. House would amend the Passport Act of 1920 "to authorize certain public libraries to collect and retain a fee for the execution of a passport application." Rep. Mike Lawler, a Republican whose district includes Philipstown, and Rep. Pat Ryan, a Democrat whose district includes Beacon, are co-sponsors.
Where to Go
Outside of the Howland Public Library, the closest Passport Acceptance Facilities are the West Point Post Office (dub.sh/westpoint-passport), the Putnam County Clerk's office in Carmel (dub.sh/putnam-passport) and the Dutchess County Clerk's office in Poughkeepsie (dub.sh/dutchess-passport).
On Tuesday (Feb. 3), Murphy was in Albany, along with thousands of other librarians, to lobby state lawmakers. She said that during a meeting with state Sen. Rob Rolison, whose district includes the Highlands, she made the point to inform him about the new State Department policy. "It's a horrible cut," said Murphy. "I don't see any reason for it."