Speech #840152362

I shall conclude my discussion with a few brief additional observations. The bill. as reported by the committee. conforms specifically to the recommendations of the Hoover Commission. by ectablishing. within the Department of State. a United States Passport Service. and by transferring from the Bureau of Security and Consular Affairs to the Secretary of State those functions which are now carried on by the Passport Office of that Bureau. The Bureau of Security and Consular Affairs was established within the Department of State under the provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act. and the Passport Office was incorporated as a part of the Bureau pursuant to that act. Thus the pending bill actually would remove a statutory impediment or a stricture between the Secretary and the Director of the Passport Office. by establishing a United States Passport Service as a separate unit within the Department of State. It would place the Director of the Service under the direct control of the Secretary of State.