WASHINGTON - Registered sex offenders who have committed crimes against children will have a harder time traveling internationally under legislation Congress has sent to the president's desk.

The House passed the legislation by voice vote Monday after Senate passage in December. If signed by the president, the U.S. would let other countries know when a registered sex offender is traveling abroad. The United States would work with countries to receive information about sex offenders traveling here.

The State Department would also develop a way for U.S. passports to identify that a person is a sex offender.

Republican Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey sponsored the legislation and has been pushing for it for eight years. It expands on a law that requires public notification of sex offenders in the United States.