H5778 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE September 11, 2012 

meetings are. The informal conversations, as well as the formal presentations and poster sessions and everything else that goes into it between scientists from different institutions, lead 

to new collaborations that have the 

promise of new discoveries. These are 

not fancy junkets. 

Now, people often ask students, well, 

what is science. What’s so special 

about science? Why does it work? Well, 

it works because one of its fundamental tenets is communication. 

To be sure, there are various ways to 

have communication, but scientific 

conferences are critically important. 

In a recent op-ed by the presidents of 

the American Chemical Society and 

the president of the American Physical 

Society, they discuss, for example, an 

anticancer drug that was the result of 

collaboration between a team of scientists from three laboratories that 

took place at conferences. 

This bill would hinder that kind of 

collaboration. Just about any scientific 

society in this country can give you examples where large numbers of federally sponsored researchers go off to 

conferences. It happens in plasma physics. It happens in microbiology. It happens in AIDS policy and AIDS research. 

In a time when the Federal Government should be making science a priority, passing a bill that would make 

scientists jump through hurdles and 

get around impediments would, in fact, 

weaken American scientists, weaken 

American science, and impede the ability of American scientists to innovate. 

That is not wise. This is not the way 

to build our economy. We should be investing more in research and development, which means, of course, investing in scientists, but also investing in 

their ability to pursue science. 

We should be spending more on international conferences. We should be 

spending more on national conferences. 

We should be spending more on national laboratories. We should be 

spending more on public and private research and development for the sake of 

jobs, for the sake of our economic vitality, for the sake of the quality of 

life of Americans. This is not the way 

to build our economy and to foster innovation. 

I urge my colleagues to vote ‘‘no.’’ 

Mr. WALSH. Madam Speaker, I yield 

myself such time as I may consume. 

I appreciate the concerns of my colleague, and I would only note that new 

technology, I think, has made it easier 

to teleconference and communicate remotely. This not only would save 

money, which is important, but it has 

already and will continue to increase 

the amount of collaboration. 

Mr. HOLT. Will the gentleman yield? 

Mr. WALSH. I yield to the gentleman. 

Mr. HOLT. Do you think that the 

Congress of the United States might do 

better if we don’t meet in person, if we 

stay home and get on conference calls 

every once in a while and phone in? 

I don’t think so. I think the gains 

that are made in good legislation that 

come from conferences, as we gather 

here for votes, on the side between 

votes, is invaluable. The same can be 

said many times over for microbiology, 

for plasma physics, for—let’s go 

through a long list. 

Mr. WALSH. Reclaiming my time, 

again, I would say Congress, in today’s 

day and age, where we hit $16 trillion 

in debt last week, Congress, like all institutions in this country, needs to figure out how to work more efficiently 

and save hard-earned taxpayer dollars. 

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. 

Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I also 

urge my colleagues to vote in favor of 

H.R. 4631, and I yield back the balance 

of my time. 

Mr. WALSH. Madam Speaker, I urge 

all Members to join me in support of 

this bill, and I yield back the balance 

of my time. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The 

question is on the motion offered by 

the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 

WALSH) that the House suspend the 

rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4631, as 

amended. 

The question was taken; and (twothirds being in the affirmative) the 

rules were suspended and the bill, as 

amended, was passed. 

A motion to reconsider was laid on 

the table. 

f 

GOVERNMENT CUSTOMER SERVICE 

IMPROVEMENT ACT 

Mr. WALSH. Madam Speaker, I move 

to suspend the rules and pass the bill 

(H.R. 538) to require the establishment 

of customer service standards for Federal agencies, as amended. 

The Clerk read the title of the bill. 

The text of the bill is as follows: 

H.R. 538 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of 

Representatives of the United States of America 

in Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Government 

Customer Service Improvement Act’’. 

SEC. 2. DEVELOPMENT OF PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND STANDARDS FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE PROVIDED BY FEDERAL AGENCIES. 

(a) REQUIREMENT.— 

(1) PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND STANDARDS.—The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall develop— 

(A) performance measures to determine 

whether Federal agencies are providing highquality customer service and improving 

service delivery to their customers; and 

(B) standards to be met by Federal agencies in order to provide high-quality customer service and improve service delivery 

to their customers. 

(2) REQUIREMENT TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT

CERTAIN INFORMATION.—The standards under 

paragraph (1) shall be developed after taking 

into account the information collected by 

Federal agencies under subsection (b). 

(b) CUSTOMER SERVICE INPUT.—The head of 

each Federal agency shall collect information from its customers regarding the quality of customer services provided by the 

agency. Each Federal agency shall include 

this information in its performance report 

submitted under section 1116 of title 31, 

United States Code. 

(c) ANNUAL PERFORMANCE UPDATE.—The 

Director of the Office of Management and 

Budget shall include achievements by Federal agencies in meeting customer service 

performance measures and standards developed under subsection (a) in each update on 

agency performance required under section 

1116 of title 31, United States Code. 

SEC. 3. IMPLEMENTATION OF CUSTOMER SERVICE STANDARDS. 

(a) CUSTOMER RELATIONS REPRESENTATIVE.—The head of each Federal agency shall 

designate an employee to be the customer relations representative of the agency. Such 

representative shall be responsible for implementing the customer service standards developed under section 2 and the agency requirements under subsection (b). 

(b) AGENCY REQUIREMENTS.— 

(1) GUIDELINES AND CONTACT INFORMATION.— 

The head of each Federal agency, acting 

through its customer relations representative, shall— 

(A) issue guidelines to implement the customer service standards developed under section 2 within the agency, including specific 

principles of customer service applicable to 

that agency; and 

(B) publish customer service contact information, including a mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address. 

(2) AVAILABILITY.—The guidelines and the 

customer service contact information required under this subsection shall be available on the agency’s public website. 

SEC. 4. PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL. 

Compliance with customer service standards developed under this Act shall be included in the performance appraisal systems 

referred to in sections 4302(a) and 4312 of title 

5, United States Code. 

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 

In this Act: 

(1) The term ‘‘customer’’, with respect to a 

Federal agency, means any individual or entity, including a business, State or local government, other Federal agency, or Congress, 

to which the agency provides services or information. 

(2) The term ‘‘Federal agency’’ has the 

meaning given the term ‘‘Executive agency’’ 

by section 105 of title 5, United States Code, 

except that the term does not include an 

agency if the President determines that this 

Act should not apply to the agency for national security reasons. 

SEC. 6. DEFICIT REDUCTION. 

Any savings or reductions in expenditures 

resulting from this Act shall be used to offset the costs of implementation of this Act, 

and any additional savings shall be used to 

reduce the deficit. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. WALSH) and the gentleman 

from Missouri (Mr. CLAY) each will 

control 20 minutes. 

The Chair recognizes the gentleman 

from Illinois. 

GENERAL LEAVE

Mr. WALSH. Madam Speaker, I ask 

unanimous consent that all Members 

may have 5 legislative days within 

which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material 

on the bill under consideration. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there 

objection to the request of the gentleman from Illinois? 

There was no objection. 

Mr. WALSH. Madam Speaker, I yield 

myself such time as I may consume. 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with HOUSE
September 11, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H5779 

Madam Speaker, the private sector 

has raised the bar for customer service, 

and citizens expect the same from their 

government. 

The American people rely on Federal 

agencies to provide important services 

and information, but these agencies 

often fall short of providing the customer service taxpayers deserve. H.R. 

538 ensures the Federal Government 

keeps pace with the public’s expectations and delivers better value to the 

taxpayers. 

Agencies currently have discretionary authority to include ‘‘courtesy 

demonstrated to the public’’ in employee performance appraisals and to 

reward superior performance. While 

some agencies have incorporated customer service standards in employee 

performance expectations, they do not 

always require good customer service 

to the public. 

Under this bill, OMB and agencies 

will develop performance measures and 

standards for agency customer service, 

with employees at all levels held accountable for achieving results. 

Taxpayers should have high expectations of government. Agencies must deliver services efficiently and at low 

cost. Federal employees must provide 

effective service to customers. H.R. 538 

will help ensure agencies streamline 

service delivery and improve the customer experience. 

CBO has said there are no costs associated with this bill and, in fact, any 

savings incurred are due to be put toward paying down the Federal deficit. 

The Oversight and Government Reform 

Committee worked on a bipartisan 

basis to advance this legislation. I supported it when it passed by voice vote 

in committee, and I urge its adoption 

today. 

I reserve the balance of my time. 

b 1250 

Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I yield 

myself such time as I may consume. 

I rise in support of H.R. 538, the Government Customer Service Improvement Act. This is a good-government 

bill that will improve the way Federal 

agencies interact with the people they 

serve. 

I yield 5 minutes to my friend, the 

gentleman from Texas, the author of 

the bill, Mr. CUELLAR. 

Mr. CUELLAR. Again, the gentleman 

from Missouri, I thank you so much for 

the leadership. And I certainly want to 

thank also Mr. WALSH from Illinois, 

who actually called me before this, 

which it is rare to have somebody from 

the other side call and say, How can I 

help you on this bill? So I find that refreshing and I want to say thank you 

for working with us and folks on this 

side of the aisle. 

This bill, the Customer Service Improvement Act, is a bipartisan bill that 

has folks like MCCAUL, DUNCAN, GOODLATTE, and other folks supporting this 

particular bill. I certainly want to 

thank Chairman ISSA and Ranking 

Member CUMMINGS for their work, as 

well as the members of the committee, 

and for passing it from the Oversight 

and Government Reform Committee 

unanimously in April. 

The primary goal of the Federal Government is to serve the taxpayers. This 

commonsense, bipartisan bill seeks to 

establish, monitor, and improve customer service across Federal agencies. 

It ensures that taxpayers get the quality of service that they deserve when 

interacting with Federal agencies. Too 

often we hear that veterans are waiting 

for months to get critical medical services or that seniors are waiting for 

months to get their retirement benefits. These are just two examples where 

millions of Americans that rely on 

Federal agencies have to wait on vital 

services, which is why we must usher 

in a new chapter to accelerate response 

time and overall performance for a better customer experience. With a sweeping 79 percent of Americans dissatisfied 

with Federal Government service, according to the 2011 Federal Customer 

Service Experience Study, we must all 

work together to make sure that Uncle 

Sam and Americans work together. 

This bill is simple and necessary. 

First, H.R. 538 improves customer service standards across the board. It does 

this by requiring the Office of Management and Budget to develop performance standards to determine whether 

Federal agencies are providing highquality customer service and improving service delivery to agency customers. According to a 2010 GAO report, Federal agency customer service 

standards were often not made easily 

available for customers to find and access or were not made available to the 

public at all. In other words, we provide customer service; and if somebody 

wants to know how that agency is providing the service and the standards, it 

must be made available. 

Second, the bill raises the bar for enhancing quality and access to customer 

service. This is accomplished by requiring agencies to collect information 

from the customers regarding the quality of the service. Again, this must be 

a way that we raise that standard. 

Third, it puts a face on accountability. The bill requires that each 

agency designate an employee to be its 

customer relations representative. So 

when somebody is dealing with a Federal agency, we must know who they 

can complain to, who they must talk 

to in order to provide that customer 

service. Just like in the private sector 

that strives to provide excellent customer service that they bring in order 

to get more business, the Federal Government must do the same thing. 

As the gentleman from Illinois said, 

there’s no cost on this according to the 

nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. And, again, I would ask that we 

all work together to provide better 

service. 

Mr. WALSH of Illinois. Madam 

Speaker, I urge all Members to support 

me in support of this bill, and I yield 

back the balance of my time. 

Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, again, I 

urge the House to adopt H.R. 538, and I 

yield back the balance of my time. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The 

question is on the motion offered by 

the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 

WALSH) that the House suspend the 

rules and pass the bill, H.R. 538, as 

amended. 

The question was taken; and (twothirds being in the affirmative) the 

rules were suspended and the bill, as 

amended, was passed. 

A motion to reconsider was laid on 

the table. 

f 

CONTINUATION OF THE NATIONAL 

EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO 

CERTAIN TERRORIST ATTACKS— 

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT 

OF THE UNITED STATES (H. DOC. 

NO. 112–138) 

The SPEAKER pro tempore laid before the House the following message 

from the President of the United 

States; which was read and, together 

with the accompanying papers, referred 

to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

and ordered to be printed: 

To the Congress of the United States: 

Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides 

for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within the 90- 

day period prior to the anniversary 

date of its declaration, the President 

publishes in the Federal Register and 

transmits to the Congress a notice 

stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary 

date. Consistent with this provision, I 

have sent to the Federal Register the enclosed notice, stating that the emergency declared with respect to the terrorist attacks on the United States of 

September 11, 2001, is to continue in effect for an additional year. 

The terrorist threat that led to the 

declaration on September 14, 2001, of a 

national emergency continues. For this 

reason, I have determined that it is 

necessary to continue in effect after 

September 14, 2012, the national emergency with respect to the terrorist 

threat. 

BARACK OBAMA.

THE WHITE

f 

HOUSE, September 11, 2012. 

CONTINUATION OF THE NATIONAL 

EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO 

PERSONS WHO COMMIT, THREATEN TO COMMIT, OR SUPPORT 

TERRORISM—MESSAGE FROM 

THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED 

STATES (H. DOC. NO. 112–139) 

The SPEAKER pro tempore laid before the House the following message 

from the President of the United 

States; which was read and, together 

with the accompanying papers, referred 

to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

and ordered to be printed: 

To the Congress of the United States: 

Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with HOUSE