Solved

THE PROBLEM: Shelley Benz and Jack Stroud of Frisco plan to visit Washington, D.C., in the spring. They were hoping to tour the White House, among other national sites. Despite applying months ago, they could not get any information about their chances.

THE SOLUTION: The Sept. 11 attacks changed things forever for Americans. We all carry tiny bottles of liquids and walk through metal detectors in our socks to catch a flight. We're eyed with suspicion for taking photos of public buildings. We can no longer cross the border without our passports.

Gone, too, are the days when you could get up at dawn and stand in line down the block from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. to score a tour of the first family's abode.

Today, White House tours are available only on a limited basis. And they're available only to people who make arrangements through their congressional representatives and are willing to submit to background checks.

The months-long application process was a surprise to Benz and Stroud. So they wound up canceling the trip they had scheduled this year and began planning to go in 2010 instead.

The couple filled out their tour requests in February and sent them to Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's office. They applied for tickets to tour the White House.

While they were at it, the couple also asked for tours of the Library of Congress, the Capitol, the Supreme Court Building, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

While those other sites still have public tours available to people willing to get up at the crack of dawn and be first in line, there are constituent tickets available through the congressional offices. Those aren't so easy to come by either. For instance, Hutchison's Web site warns that "congressional offices get only six spots daily to see the Supreme Court, making availability limited."

The couple sent in their applications. Since then, they've waited.

"Here it is the end of October, and we still haven't heard if we have been cleared to tour these sites for our trip next year in April. We still haven't received any written confirmation or tour tickets," Benz wrote to Problem Solver. "Even after I followed up with e-mails and faxes, we still have received nothing but a pamphlet on Washington, D.C., from Kay Bailey Hutchison's office. We hope you can help us find out about our tour tickets so we can plan our trip."

Well, since I was asked to find out about the tickets, I can officially call this one "solved." But we all know that's not really the same as getting tickets for the couple. Apparently, that process is not open for much discussion. It is subject to change and doesn't occur until days before a White House tour is scheduled.

According to the White House, tickets are granted to congressional offices by the visitor office on a first-come, first-served basis. This year, the numbers of tours and hours were expanded.

"The White House is the only building in the world that is home to the head of state and is free and open to the public. The Obama administration works very hard to open it up to the people," White House spokeswoman Gannet Tseggai said.

According to Hutchison spokeswoman Courtney Sanders, the Frisco couple's request was submitted to the White House a few weeks ago. "We're not allowed to put in a request sooner than six months," she said. "The important thing to note is that this is entirely run by the White House. We put in the request, but the White House has complete say."

No one else even knows how many future tickets will be available, she said. In fact, tours can even be canceled at the last minute if something comes up, such as a bill signing.

"Two weeks before the date, we're notified by the White House and they'll let us know if the request is approved and what the date and time will be," Sanders said. "I know it's tough for folks because they want to make their plans in advance, but that's the system they have to work in."

Benz said she could handle that information, it's just no one ever bothered to tell her until Problem Solver got involved. Someone from Hutchison's office called her soon after the newspaper did, she said.

"The lady I spoke with apologized and went on and on regarding how sorry she was for the poor communications from their office," she said. "Still, no real information on whether we have been approved for our tours."

Benz said she and Stroud wouldn't postpone this year's trip regardless.

"I'm not going to plan around them anymore. It's really discouraging," she said. "You just have to plan your trip without knowing. There should at least be something in writing that they send out to people letting them know the process. The only reason why I got a call is because you called."

There's not a single repository from the government for Americans wanting tour tickets. The official Web site about tours of the White House, www.whitehouse.gov/about/ tours-and-events, gives some time and date information, but otherwise tells citizens to contact their members of Congress. To contact Hutchison's office, go to hutchison.senate.gov/ tours.html. For a congressional tour request form from Sen. John Cornyn's office, go to cornyn.senate.gov.About this column

Each week, I hunt down experts to answer your questions or speak with authorities to get your problems fixed.

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