Title: Maintain Access to Vital Social Security Services Act of 2018
Policy area: Social Welfare

Summary:
Maintain Access to Vital Social Security Services Act of 2018
This bill establishes procedures for closing a Social Security Administration field office, including by requiring (1) public notices and hearings, and (2) notification to the Senators and members of Congress whose constituents are served by the office.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7146 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7146

To amend title VII of the Social Security Act to establish a procedure 
  to close or reduce access to field offices, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 16, 2018

  Ms. Moore introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title VII of the Social Security Act to establish a procedure 
  to close or reduce access to field offices, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Maintain Access to Vital Social 
Security Services Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. FIELD OFFICES.

    (a) In General.--Title VII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
701 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 714. FIELD OFFICES.

    ``(a) In General.--The Commissioner shall operate a sufficient 
number of field offices and employ an adequate number of personnel at 
each field office to--
            ``(1) provide wide-ranging, convenient, and accessible 
        services to the public;
            ``(2) meet current and projected workloads, taking into 
        account any anticipated demographic shifts in the geographic 
        area served by each field office; and
            ``(3) minimize wait-times at each field office.
    ``(b) Procedure To Close or Reduce Access to a Field Office.--
            ``(1) In general.--
                    ``(A) Requirement to follow procedure.--The 
                Commissioner may not take any action described in 
                subparagraph (B) with respect to a field office except 
                in accordance with this subsection.
                    ``(B) Covered actions.--The actions described in 
                this subparagraph with respect to a field office are 
                the following:
                            ``(i) Closing the field office for a period 
                        of more than 60 days.
                            ``(ii) Ending, or electing not to renew, a 
                        lease for any field office.
                            ``(iii) Consolidating the field office with 
                        one or more other field offices.
                            ``(iv) Reassigning personnel of the field 
                        office to one or more other field offices.
                            ``(v) Any other action that would result in 
                        the field office reducing face-to-face services 
                        to the public.
            ``(2) Notification of anticipated action.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Not later than 90 days before 
                the date on which the Commissioner intends any action 
                described in paragraph (1)(B) with respect to a field 
                office to take effect, the Commissioner shall 
                promulgate a public notification of such action that 
                includes the following information:
                            ``(i) An identification of the field 
                        office.
                            ``(ii) The date on which such action is 
                        intended to take effect.
                            ``(iii) The reasons for taking such action, 
                        including, if applicable, the reasons for 
                        rejecting any available alternative actions 
                        such as relocation of the field office.
                            ``(iv) The date, time, and location of the 
                        public hearings to be held pursuant to 
                        paragraph (3).
                            ``(v) Any alternative means of receiving 
                        assistance related to social security which may 
                        be used by individuals served by the field 
                        office.
                            ``(vi) Contact information, including by 
                        phone and Internet, by which individuals may 
                        inquire for more information related to such 
                        action.
                In promulgating a notification under this paragraph, 
                the Commissioner shall post such notification at the 
                affected field office and other nearby field offices, 
                mail such notification to residents in the area served 
                by such field offices, publish such notification in 
                newspapers printed in such area, or take such other 
                actions as the Commissioner determines to be necessary.
                    ``(B) Congressional notification.--As soon as 
                practicable and not later than 90 days before the date 
                on which the Commissioner intends any action described 
                in paragraph (1)(B) with respect to a field office to 
                take effect, the Commissioner shall provide written 
                notification to each member of Congress and Senator 
                whose constituents are served by such field office.
            ``(3) Opportunity for public comment.--
                    ``(A) Public hearing.--Not earlier than 30 days and 
                not later than 60 days after a notification is 
                published under paragraph (2) with respect to any 
                action described in paragraph (1)(B) with respect to a 
                field office, the Commissioner shall hold not fewer 
                than two public hearings in the geographic area served 
                by the field office, at which the Commissioner shall--
                            ``(i) present the reasons for taking such 
                        action, including the criteria used to select 
                        the field office for such action and, if 
                        applicable, the reasons for rejecting any 
                        available alternative actions such as 
                        relocation of the field office;
                            ``(ii) address whether impacts on 
                        vulnerable populations, such as the elderly 
                        population, the disabled population, and those 
                        with language proficiency or mobility 
                        challenges, were considered; and
                            ``(iii) provide an opportunity for public 
                        comment, including an opportunity to recommend 
                        alternatives to such action.
                    ``(B) Submission of written comments.--The 
                Commissioner shall accept written comments from the 
                public relating to such action during the period 
                described in subparagraph (A), which shall be posted on 
                the website of the Social Security Administration.
            ``(4) Public report on hearing.--Not later than 15 days 
        before the date on which any action described in paragraph 
        (1)(B) with respect to a field office takes effect, the 
        Commissioner shall prominently publish on the website of the 
        Social Security Administration a written report that describes 
        the action the Commissioner intends to take with respect to the 
        field office after giving full consideration to any public 
        comments received during the period described in paragraph 
        (3)(A). Such report shall include a response by the 
        Commissioner, to the extent the Commissioner determines to be 
        practicable, to each unique written comment received during 
        such period. Not later than 3 days after such report has been 
        published, the Commissioner shall notify each person who 
        submitted written comments under paragraph (3)(B). The 
        Commissioner shall submit a copy of such report to the 
        Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives 
        and the Senate, the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of 
        Representatives, and the Committee on Finance of the Senate.
            ``(5) Approval by inspector general of the social security 
        administration.--No action described in paragraph (1)(B) may go 
        into effect until the Inspector General of the Social Security 
        Administration has determined that the Commissioner 
        substantially and procedurally complied with all applicable 
        laws, regulations, and guidelines with respect to such 
        action.''.
    (b) Moratorium.--The Commissioner may not take any action described 
in section 714(b)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
914(b)(1)(B)) with respect to a field office until the date that is 180 
days after the date on which the Inspector General of the Social 
Security Administration determines that the amendments made by 
subsection (a) have been fully implemented by the Social Security 
Administration, except that in the case of such an action related to 
health and safety, such action may take effect for a period not to 
exceed 30 days unless the Commissioner provides public notice 
explaining the need to extend such period.

SEC. 3. ANNUAL BUDGET.

    (a) In General.--Section 704(b)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 904(b)(1)(B)) is amended by striking ``subparagraph (A)'' 
and all that follows through the end and inserting the following: 
``subparagraph (A)--
    ``(i) an itemization of the amount of funds required by the Social 
Security Administration for the fiscal year covered by the budget to 
support efforts to combat fraud committed by applicants and 
beneficiaries; and
    ``(ii) a list of any field offices with respect to which the Social 
Security Administration intends to take any action described in section 
714(b)(1)(B) during the fiscal year covered by the budget.''.
    (b) Display on Website.--Section 704(b)(1) of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 904(b)(1)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
    ``(C) Not later than 7 days after the submission of an annual 
budget prepared pursuant to subparagraph (A), the Commissioner shall 
make available on the website of the Social Security Administration the 
information described in clause (ii) of subparagraph (B).''.

SEC. 4. RECOMMENDATIONS OF SOCIAL SECURITY ADVISORY BOARD.

    Section 703(b)(4) of title VII of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 903(b)(4)) is amended by striking ``public'' and inserting 
``public, taking into account the impact of closing field offices on 
the quality of service to individuals with disabilities or language 
barriers or other vulnerable populations''.

SEC. 5. REPORT TO CONGRESS.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Commissioner shall submit to the Committee on Ways and Means 
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Finance of the 
Senate a report that--
            (1) includes a list of all field offices closed during the 
        5-year period ending on the date of enactment of this Act, the 
        reason for each such closure, and any impacts of each such 
        closure on wait-times and staffing at nearby affected field 
        offices; and
            (2) describes a plan--
                    (A) to ensure that field offices are receiving 
                sufficient resources to maintain at least the level of 
                constituent services provided in the previous fiscal 
                year; and
                    (B) to adequately address the increasing number of 
                individuals projected to use field offices during the 
                10-year period beginning on the date of enactment of 
                this Act.
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