II 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3489 

To protect senior citizens, disabled persons, veterans, and other beneficiaries 

and customers of the Social Security Administration by reforming the 

process for closure of field offices. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 2, 2012 

Mr. BROWN of Massachusetts introduced the following bill; which was read 

twice and referred to the Committee on Finance 

A BILL 

To protect senior citizens, disabled persons, veterans, and 

other beneficiaries and customers of the Social Security 

Administration by reforming the process for closure of 

field offices. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Good Neighbor Social 

5 Security Office and Community Protection Act of 2012’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that: 


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1 (1) As of March 2012, more than 61,000,000 

2 Americans received benefits from the Social Security 

3 Administration. 

4 (2) Americans depend upon convenient access 

5 to Social Security Administration field offices. 

6 (3) The Social Security Administration faces 

7 growing financial constraints consistent with the fis8 cal emergency faced by the Nation. 

9 (4) Americans rightly expect the Social Security 

10 Administration to meet its financial objectives 

11 through methods that preserve service standards to 

12 the highest degree possible. 

13 (5) The Social Security Administration is in the 

14 process of closing large numbers of field offices in an 

15 effort that is expected to last several years. 

16 (6) The Social Security Administration is clos17 ing field offices without adequate community input 

18 and process transparency. 

19 (7) The shortcomings in the Social Security Ad20 ministration’s process for closing field offices are 

21 due in part to an absence of a statutorily defined 

22 field office closure procedures that protect the inter23 ests of all interested parties. 

24 (8) Social Security beneficiaries and the com25 munities surrounding Social Security field offices deVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:38 Aug 10, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3489.IS S3489

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1 serve notice of office closures, an opportunity to 

2 offer comment and have those comments given due 

3 consideration, and a clear plan to minimize service 

4 disruption from an office closure. 

5 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

6 In this Act: 

7 (1) ADMINISTRATION.—The term ‘‘Administra8 tion’’ means the Social Security Administration. 

9 (2) CLOSURE.—The term ‘‘closure’’ includes 

10 any realignment, consolidation, or merger of an Ad11 ministration field office. 

12 (3) COMMISSIONER.—The term ‘‘Commis13 sioner’’ means the Commissioner of Social Security. 

14 (4) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 

15 the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Com16 monwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin 

17 Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Common18 wealth of the Northen Mariana Islands. 

19 SEC. 4. GUIDELINES AND STANDARDIZED PROCEDURES 

20 FOR CLOSURE OF SOCIAL SECURITY ADMIN21 ISTRATION FIELD OFFICES. 

22 (a) GUIDELINES FOR IDENTIFICATION OF OFFICES

23 FOR POSSIBLE CLOSURE.—Not later than 180 days after 

24 the date of enactment of this Act, the Commissioner shall 

25 develop and publish— 


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1 (1) financial guidelines that may be used to 

2 identify Administration field offices for possible clo3 sure; and 

4 (2) standardized closure procedures that meet 

5 the requirements of section 5. 

6 (b) NON-BINDING.—The financial guidelines and 

7 standardized closure procedures developed under sub8 section (a) shall provide that identification of an Adminis9 tration field office for possible closure shall not require 

10 the Commissioner to begin closure procedures for any field 

11 office identified as a result of the application of such 

12 guidelines or the initiation of such procedures. 

13 SEC. 5. REQUIREMENTS FOR CLOSURE OF SOCIAL SECU14 RITY ADMINISTRATION FIELD OFFICES. 

15 (a) OFFICE CLOSURE AND SERVICE CONTINUITY

16 PROPOSAL.—In any case where the Commissioner has 

17 identified an Administration field office for possible clo18 sure as a result of the application of the financial guide19 lines developed under section 4 and decides to initiate pro20 cedures to close that field office, the Commissioner shall 

21 develop an office closure and service continuity proposal 

22 for the office that contains the following information: 

23 (1) The financial justification for the proposed 

24 office closure, with estimated savings in costs relat25 ing to real estate, labor, and miscellaneous expenses. 


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1 (2) The estimated cost of the office closure. 

2 (3) Data for monthly customer traffic at the of3 fice. 

4 (4) The location of the two nearest Administra5 tion field offices that would remain open after the 

6 office closure. 

7 (5) The estimated travel time, by private vehicle 

8 and public transit, from the Administration field of9 fice proposed for closure and the two nearest Admin10 istration field offices that would remain open after 

11 the office closure. 

12 (6) The steps the Administration plans to take 

13 to mitigate any hardship created by the office clo14 sure. 

15 (7) The names and addresses of governmental 

16 agencies and community organizations to be notified 

17 in accordance with subsection (b). 

18 (8) The postal and electronic addresses for 

19 which public comments may be sent in accordance 

20 with subsection (c). 

21 (b) NOTICES REQUIRED PRIOR TO FINAL CLOSURE

22 DECISION.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not less than 90 days prior 

24 to the proposed closure date for an Administration 

25 field office, the Commissioner shall— 


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1 (A) provide copies of the office closure and 

2 service continuity proposal developed for the 

3 Administration field office to— 

4 (i) the chief executive office of the 

5 State in which field office proposed for clo6 sure is located; 

7 (ii) the chief executive officers for the 

8 county and city government jurisdictions in 

9 which the field office proposed for closure 

10 is located; and 

11 (iii) the head of the social services 

12 agencies that receive Federal funds that 

13 are located within a 10-mile radius of the 

14 field office proposed for closure; 

15 (B) publish the proposal in newspapers 

16 whose circulation area includes areas served by 

17 the field office proposed for closure; and 

18 (C) broadcast the proposal over Federally 

19 licensed radio stations whose broadcast area in20 cludes areas served by the field office proposed 

21 for closure. 

22 (2) RECORDS.—The Commissioner shall main23 tain records of the dates on which the notices, publi24 cations, and broadcasts required under paragraph 

25 (1) are made. 


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1 (c) PUBLIC COMMENT REQUIRED PRIOR TO FINAL

2 CLOSURE DECISION.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Commissioner shall hold 

4 at least 1 hearing at which public comments may be 

5 made prior making any final decision to close an Ad6 ministration field office. The Commissioner also 

7 shall provide postal and electronic addresses for 

8 which written comments regarding the proposed clo9 sure may be submitted. 

10 (2) NOTICE.—The date and time for the public 

11 comment hearing on the proposed closure of an Ad12 ministration field office shall be included in the no13 tices, publications, and broadcasts required under 

14 subsection (b). 

15 (3) TIMING.—The public comment hearing shall 

16 be held at least 21 days after notice of the date and 

17 time for the hearing is made in accordance with 

18 paragraph (2) and at least 60 days prior to the pro19 posed closure date for the Administration field of20 fice. 

21 (4) ATTENDANCE.—The Regional Commis22 sioner for the region in which the Administration 

23 field office proposed for closure is located shall at24 tend the public comment hearing. Only in cases 

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1 able to attend the hearing, may a designated rep2 resentative attend the public comment hearing in 

3 lieu of the Regional Commissioner. 

4 (5) FORMAT.—The public comment hearing 

5 shall be conducted as follows: 

6 (A) The hearing shall begin with a presen7 tation by the Commissioner of the case for clo8 sure of the field office. 

9 (B) The hearing shall then provide at least 

10 1 hour following the conclusion of the presen11 tation of the case for closure for comments 

12 from elected officials. 

13 (C) Following the conclusion of the period 

14 for comment from elected officials, the hearing 

15 shall then provide at least 1 hour for comments 

16 from the public. 

17 (6) RECORDS.—The Commissioner shall main18 tain a record of the comments provided at the hear19 ing and shall include in the record any written com20 ments received regarding the proposed closure of the 

21 field office. The Commissioner shall publish the 

22 record on the Administration Web site within 5 days 

23 after the conclusion of the public comment hearing. 

24 (d) FINAL CLOSURE DECISION.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Commissioner shall 

2 issue a final closure decision regarding an Adminis3 tration field office only after review of the comments 

4 received regarding the closure and evaluation of any 

5 alternatives to closing the office that are made at 

6 the public comment hearing or through written sub7 mission. 

8 (2) NOTICE.—Notice of the Commissioner’s 

9 final closure decision with respect to an Administra10 tion field office shall be published on the Adminis11 tration Web site and shall be distributed, published, 

12 and broadcast in the same manner as notice of the 

13 office closure and service continuity proposal is made 

14 under subsection (b). 

15 (3) DECISION TO CLOSE.—If the Commis16 sioner’s final closure decision is to close a field of17 fice, the Commissioner shall amend the office closure 

18 and service continuity proposal for the field office to 

19 incorporate additional information obtained during 

20 the public comment period. 

21 (4) TIMING.—Notice of the Commissioner’s 

22 final closing decision shall be provided at least 45 

23 days prior to a closing date for a field office. 

24 (e) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—The Commis25 sioner shall continue to operate an Administration field 


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1 office proposed for closure in good faith and with the as2 sumption of continued service, until notice of the Commis3 sioner’s final closure decision is made. The Commissioner 

4 shall not take any action to close an Administration field 

5 office prior to providing notice of the Commissioner’s final 

6 closure decision, including— 

7 (1) terminating or providing notice to terminate 

8 any real estate lease, rental, or similar arrangement; 

9 (2) concluding agreements with collective bar10 gaining units related to the office closure; 

11 (3) making expenditures related to the proposed 

12 office closure, except those necessary to fulfill the re13 quirements of this Act; and 

14 (4) entering into contracts related to the pro15 posed office closure, except those necessary to fulfill 

16 the process requirements of this Act. 

17 (f) EXTENSIONS OF TIME FOR CLOSURE.—The Com18 missioner may— 

19 (1) toll any time periods for action established 

20 by this Act, provided that an equivalent delay in the 

21 proposed closing date is made; and 

22 (2) delay the proposed closing date for an Ad23 ministration field office at any time in the closing 

24 process, including, if the final closure decision is to 

25 close the office, after making that decision. 


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1 SEC. 6. NON-APPLICABILITY TO DISPOSAL OF REAL PROP2 ERTY RELATED TO CLOSED OFFICES. 

3 Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prevent or 

4 delay the speedy disposal of surplus Government real 

5 property, including any Administration field offices closed 

6 in accordance with the requirements of this Act. 

Æ 


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