TEXAS – The Texas governor on Wednesday signed a bill into effect banning state-issued passports from residents traveling to the United States.
The measure was approved by a House committee on a party-line vote of 10-3, and now must be signed by the governor before it can take effect.
The bill requires a visa for individuals who would like to enter the U.S. if their passport is canceled, as well as for employees, contractors and students.
The State Department says it expects to issue 1.3 million passports annually, but it does not include students, residents and non-citizens.
The Texas bill would apply to travelers arriving by air, sea or land.
A person’s country of citizenship is not required to be valid in the U, but visa requirements must be met for visitors and residents who do not meet those requirements.
The measures comes as the number of travelers returning from countries around the world continues to increase.
In September, more than 12,000 people who had planned to travel to the U to attend a conference in the United Arab Emirates were stranded on a Malaysian plane after its captain allegedly forced them to strip for customs.
Last month, the U’s largest airline, Southwest Airlines, canceled all flights to the UAE because of the government crackdown on people who were not U.N. accredited.