A contentious provision that would have granted the Secretary of State broad authority to revoke United States citizens’ passports over allegations of supporting terrorism has been removed from a proposed bill. Representative Brian Mast (R-FL), who chairs the House foreign affairs committee, introduced an amendment to eliminate the measure from his “department of state policy provisions act,” a legislative effort intended to reform the State Department.
The withdrawal of the clause occurred after widespread criticism from civil liberties advocates. A committee spokesperson stated that the committee aimed to prevent the passport revocation amendment from overshadowing what was described as a bipartisan effort to restore command and control of the State Department to the Secretary. Even without this specific provision, the broader State Department reform package reportedly faces uncertain prospects as it moves to the Senate.
Source: www.theguardian.com