Government Customer Service Improvement Act of 2013

Bill: 113-hr-1660
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Cuellar, Henry [D-TX-28]
Introduced: 2013-04-19
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures

Congressional oversight

Consumer affairs

Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management

Government information and archives

Government studies and investigations

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Performance measurement
Latest action: action_date: 2013-08-01
text: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Summaries:
action_date: 2013-04-19
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>Government Customer Service Improvement Act of 2013 - Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to develop government-wide standards for customer service delivery, which shall be included in the Federal Government Performance Plan. Requires such standards to include: (1) government-wide goals for continuous service improvements and efforts to modernize service delivery; and (2) government-wide target response times for telephone calls, electronic mail, mail, benefit processing, and payments. </p> <p>Directs: (1) the Chief Performance Officer for each executive agency to establish customer service standards in accordance with such government-wide standards, which shall be included in Agency Performance Plans; (2) the Performance Improvement Officer for each agency to collect information from customers of the agency regarding the quality of customer service provided; and (3) the Director to include agency achievements in meeting such standards and customer service performance measures in each required update on agency performance.</p> <p>Requires: (1) the Director to establish a two-year Service Improvement Unit Pilot Program to provide assistance to agencies that do not meet such government-wide standards, and (2) the Administrator of General Services (GSA) to provide administrative and other support to implement such Program.</p> <p>Requires the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to: (1) submit to Congress and the Comptroller General (GAO) and issue publicly every month a report on information submitted by each federal agency regarding its employees who are retiring and pending applications for retirement benefits, (2) establish a timetable for completion of OPM's retirement systems modernization project and a deadline by which all federal payroll processing entities will electronically transmit all personnel data to OPM, and (3) include in each annual budget request a statement on OPM's progress in completing such project and resources needed to implement it.</p>

action_date: 2013-07-31
action_desc: Passed House amended
text: <p>Government Customer Service Improvement Act of 2013 - Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to develop government-wide standards for customer service delivery, which shall be included in the Federal Government Performance Plan. Requires such standards to include: (1) government-wide goals for continuous service improvements and efforts to modernize service delivery; and (2) government-wide target response times for telephone calls, electronic mail, mail, benefit processing, and payments. </p> <p>Directs: (1) the Performance Improvement Officer for each executive agency to establish customer service standards in accordance with such government-wide standards, which shall be included in agency performance plans; (2) the Director of OMB to establish a Customer Service Feedback Pilot Program which shall include participation by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and two additional agencies to collect information from agency customers on the quality of customer service provided; and (3) the Director to include agency achievements in meeting customer service performance standards in each required update on agency performance.</p> <p>Requires: (1) compliance with customer service standards developed under this Act to be included in agency employee appraisal systems, (2) the Director of OMB to establish a two-year Service Improvement Unit Pilot Program to provide assistance to agencies that do not meet such government-wide customer service standards, and (3) the Administrator of General Services (GSA) to provide administrative and other support to implement such Program.</p> <p>Requires the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to: (1) submit to Congress and the Comptroller General (GAO) and issue publicly every month a report on information submitted by each federal agency about its employees who are retiring and pending applications for retirement benefits, (2) establish a timetable for completion of OPM's customer-focused retirement processing system and a deadline by which all federal payroll processing entities will electronically transmit all personnel data to OPM, and (3) include in each OPM annual budget request a statement on progress in completing its customer-focused retirement processing system.</p>

tv_txt: I 113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1660 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 19, 2013 Mr. Cuellar (for himself and Mr. McCaul ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform A BILL To require the establishment of Federal customer service standards and to improve the service provided by Federal agencies.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Government Customer Service Improvement Act of 2013 . 2. Definitions In this Act: (1) Agency The term agency — (A) means an Executive agency (as defined under section 105 of title 5, United States Code) that provides significant services directly to the public or other entity; and (B) does not include an Executive agency if the President determines that this Act should not apply to the Executive agency for national security reasons. (2) Customer The term customer , with respect to an agency, means any individual or entity that is directly served by an agency. 3. Development of customer service standards (a) Government-Wide standards (1) In general The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall develop Government-wide standards for customer service delivery, which shall be included in the Federal Government Performance Plan required under section 1115 of title 31, United States Code. (2) Requirements The standards developed under paragraph (1) shall include— (A) Government-wide goals for continuous service improvements and efforts to modernize service delivery; and (B) where appropriate, Government-wide target response times for telephone calls, electronic mail, mail, benefit processing, and payments. (b) Agency standards (1) In general The Chief Performance Officer for each agency shall establish customer service standards in accordance with the Government-wide standards established under subsection (a), which shall be included in the Agency Performance Plans required under section 1115 of title 31, United States Code. (2) Requirements Agency standards established under paragraph (1) shall include, if appropriate— (A) target call wait times during peak and non-peak hours; (B) target response times for correspondence, both by mail and electronic mail; (C) procedures for ensuring all applicable metrics are incorporated into service agreements with nongovernmental individuals and entities; (D) target response times for processing benefits and making payments; and (E) recommendations for effective publication of customer service contact information, including a mailing address, telephone number, and email address. (c) Customer service input The Performance Improvement Officer for each agency shall collect information from customers of the agency regarding the quality of customer service provided by the agency. Each agency shall include the information collected under this subsection in the performance report made available by the agency under section 1116 of title 31, United States Code. (d) Annual performance update The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall include achievements by agencies in meeting the 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. 4. Service improvement unit pilot program (a) Established The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall establish a pilot program, to be known as the Service Improvement Unit Pilot Program (in this section referred to as the pilot program ), to provide assistance to agencies that do not meet the Government-wide standards established under section 3. (b) Personnel The heads of agencies with expertise in change management, process improvement, and information technology innovation shall detail employees to the Office of Management and Budget to work on the pilot program, based on the expertise and skills required to address service improvement goals. (c) Responsibilities Under the pilot program, the Office of Management and Budget shall work with agencies that are not meeting the customer service standards and performance measures established under section 3 to improve and modernize service delivery to develop solutions, including— (1) evaluating the efforts of the agency to improve service delivery; (2) developing a plan to improve within existing resources and by drawing on expertise and assistance from other agencies (including the Office of Management and Budget) where necessary; (3) monitoring implementation by the agency of the plan developed under paragraph (2) until the customer service standards and performance measures are met; and (4) submitting to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget monthly reports on the progress being made to improve service at the agency until the customer service standards are met. (d) Report Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall submit to Congress a report on the accomplishments and outcomes of the pilot program and any recommendations relating to achieving the customer service standards and performance measures established under section 3. (e) Support The Administrator of General Services shall provide administrative and other support in order to implement the pilot program under this section. The heads of agencies shall, as appropriate and to the extent permitted by law, provide at the request of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget up to 2 personnel authorizations who have expertise in change management, process improvement, and information technology innovation to support the pilot program. (f) Termination The authority to carry out the pilot program shall terminate 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act. 5. Retirement reporting (a) Definition In this section, the term agency has the meaning given that term in section 551 of title 5, United States Code. (b) Reports (1) In general Except as provided in paragraph (2) and not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and every month thereafter, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall submit to Congress and the Comptroller General of the United States, and issue publicly (including on the website of the Office of Personnel Management), a report that— (A) for each agency, evaluates the timeliness, completeness, and accuracy of information submitted by the agency relating to employees of the agency who are retiring; and (B) indicates— (i) the total number of applications for retirement benefits, lump sum death benefits, court ordered benefits, phased retirement, and disability retirement that are pending action by the Office of Personnel Management; and (ii) the number of months each such application has been pending. (2) Suspension of reporting requirement Paragraph (1) shall not apply to the Director of the Office of Personnel Management for any month immediately following a 3-year period in which there are no applications described in paragraph (1)(B) that have been pending for more than 60 days. (c) Modernization timeline The Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall establish— (1) a timetable for the completion of each component of the retirement systems modernization project of the Office of Personnel Management, including all data elements required for accurate completion of adjudication; and (2) the date by which all Federal payroll processing entities will electronically transmit all personnel data to the Office of Personnel Management. (d) Budget request The Office of Personnel Management shall include a detailed statement regarding the progress of the Office of Personnel Management in completing the retirement systems modernization project of the Office of Personnel Management and recommendations to Congress regarding the additional resources needed to fully implement the retirement systems modernization project of the Office of Personnel Management in each budget request of the Office of Personnel Management submitted as part of the preparation of the budget of the President submitted to Congress under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code. 6. No increase in expenditures No additional funds are authorized to carry out this Act. This Act shall be carried out using amounts otherwise authorized or appropriated.

tv_txt: I 113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1660 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AN ACT To require the establishment of Federal customer service standards and to improve the service provided by Federal agencies.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Government Customer Service Improvement Act of 2013 . 2. Definitions In this Act: (1) Agency The term agency — (A) means an Executive agency (as defined under section 105 of title 5, United States Code) that provides significant services directly to the public or other entity; and (B) does not include an Executive agency if the President determines that this Act should not apply to the Executive agency for national security reasons. (2) Customer The term customer , with respect to an agency, means any individual or entity that is directly served by an agency. 3. Development of customer service standards (a) Government-Wide standards (1) In general The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall develop Government-wide standards for customer service delivery, which shall be included in the Federal Government Performance Plan required under section 1115 of title 31, United States Code. (2) Requirements The standards developed under paragraph (1) shall include— (A) Government-wide goals for continuous service improvements and efforts to modernize service delivery; and (B) where appropriate, Government-wide target response times for telephone calls, electronic mail, mail, benefit processing, and payments. (b) Agency standards (1) In general The Performance Improvement Officer for each agency shall establish customer service standards in accordance with the Government-wide standards developed under subsection (a), which shall be included in the Agency Performance Plans required under section 1115 of title 31, United States Code. (2) Requirements Agency standards established under paragraph (1) shall include, if appropriate— (A) target call wait times during peak and non-peak hours; (B) target response times for correspondence, both by mail and electronic mail; (C) procedures for ensuring all applicable metrics are incorporated into service agreements with nongovernmental individuals and entities; (D) target response times for processing benefits and making payments; and (E) recommendations for effective publication of customer service contact information, including a mailing address, telephone number, and email address. (c) Customer service input (1) Establishment The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall establish a Customer Service Feedback Pilot Program. The pilot program shall include participation by the Internal Revenue Service and a minimum of two additional agencies selected by the Director and shall continue for a period of at least three years. The Director shall require participating agencies to implement a customer service feedback system to collect information from customers of the agency regarding the quality of customer service provided by the agency, including— (A) information on the extent to which agency performance complies with the Government-wide standards developed under subsection (a); and (B) feedback on the quality of customer service provided by the agency employee or employees with whom the customer interacted. (2) Limitation An agency may not publish or make publically available information collected under the feedback system that is specific to a named employee. (3) Additional information in performance report In developing the performance report made available by the agency under section 1116 of title 31, United States Code, each agency— (A) shall include the information collected under this subsection; and (B) may include aggregate data collected under paragraph (1)(B) without including names of specific agency employees. (4) Report to Congress on Customer Service Feedback Pilot Program Not later than two years after the implementation of the Customer Service Feedback Pilot Program established under this subsection, the Comptroller General shall submit to Congress a report assessing the pilot program and a recommendation on whether such program should be expanded Government-wide. (d) Annual performance update The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall include achievements by agencies in meeting the customer service performance standards developed under subsection (a) in each update on agency performance required under section 1116 of title 31, United States Code. 4. Performance appraisal Compliance with customer service standards developed under this Act shall be included in employee appraisal systems establish by agencies, including the performance appraisal systems referred to in chapter 43 of title 5, United States Code. 5. Service improvement unit pilot program (a) Established The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall establish a pilot program, to be known as the Service Improvement Unit Pilot Program (in this section referred to as the pilot program ), to provide assistance to agencies that do not meet the Government-wide standards developed under section 3. (b) Personnel The heads of agencies with expertise in change management, process improvement, and information technology innovation shall detail employees to the Office of Management and Budget to work on the pilot program, based on the expertise and skills required to address service improvement goals. (c) Responsibilities Under the pilot program, the Office of Management and Budget shall work with agencies that are not meeting the customer service standards developed under section 3 to improve and modernize service delivery to develop solutions, including— (1) evaluating the efforts of the agency to improve service delivery; (2) developing a plan to improve within existing resources and by drawing on expertise and assistance from other agencies (including the Office of Management and Budget) where necessary; (3) monitoring implementation by the agency of the plan developed under paragraph (2) until the customer service standards are met; and (4) submitting to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget monthly reports on the progress being made to improve service at the agency until the customer service standards are met. (d) Report Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall submit to Congress a report on the accomplishments and outcomes of the pilot program and any recommendations relating to achieving the customer service standards developed under section 3. (e) Support The Administrator of General Services shall provide administrative and other support in order to implement the pilot program under this section. The heads of agencies shall, as appropriate and to the extent permitted by law, provide at the request of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget up to 2 personnel authorizations who have expertise in change management, process improvement, and information technology innovation to support the pilot program. (f) Termination The authority to carry out the pilot program shall terminate 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act. 6. Retirement reporting (a) Definition In this section, the term agency has the meaning given that term in section 551 of title 5, United States Code. (b) Reports (1) In general Except as provided in paragraph (2) and not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and every month thereafter, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall submit to Congress and the Comptroller General of the United States, and issue publicly (including on the website of the Office of Personnel Management), a report that— (A) for each agency, evaluates the timeliness, completeness, and accuracy of information submitted by the agency relating to employees of the agency who are retiring; and (B) indicates— (i) the total number of applications for retirement benefits, lump sum death benefits, court ordered benefits, phased retirement, and disability retirement that are pending action by the Office of Personnel Management; and (ii) the number of months each such application has been pending. (2) Suspension of reporting requirement Paragraph (1) shall not apply to the Director of the Office of Personnel Management for any month immediately following an 18-month period in which the average processing time of applications described in paragraph (1)(B) reaches 90 days or less. (c) Modernization timeline The Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall establish— (1) a timetable for the completion of each component of the customer-focused retirement processing system of the Office of Personnel Management, including all data elements required for accurate completion of adjudication; and (2) the date by which all Federal payroll processing entities will electronically transmit all personnel data to the Office of Personnel Management. (d) Budget request The Office of Personnel Management shall include a detailed statement regarding the progress of the Office of Personnel Management in completing the customer-focused retirement processing system of the Office of Personnel Management in each budget request of the Office of Personnel Management submitted as part of the preparation of the budget of the President submitted to Congress under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code. 7. No increase in expenditures No additional funds are authorized to carry out this Act. This Act shall be carried out using amounts otherwise authorized or appropriated.

Passed the House of Representatives July 31, 2013. Karen L. Haas, Clerk.

tv_txt: IIB 113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1660 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES August 1, 2013 Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs AN ACT To require the establishment of Federal customer service standards and to improve the service provided by Federal agencies.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Government Customer Service Improvement Act of 2013 . 2. Definitions In this Act: (1) Agency The term agency — (A) means an Executive agency (as defined under section 105 of title 5, United States Code) that provides significant services directly to the public or other entity; and (B) does not include an Executive agency if the President determines that this Act should not apply to the Executive agency for national security reasons. (2) Customer The term customer , with respect to an agency, means any individual or entity that is directly served by an agency. 3. Development of customer service standards (a) Government-Wide standards (1) In general The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall develop Government-wide standards for customer service delivery, which shall be included in the Federal Government Performance Plan required under section 1115 of title 31, United States Code. (2) Requirements The standards developed under paragraph (1) shall include— (A) Government-wide goals for continuous service improvements and efforts to modernize service delivery; and (B) where appropriate, Government-wide target response times for telephone calls, electronic mail, mail, benefit processing, and payments. (b) Agency standards (1) In general The Performance Improvement Officer for each agency shall establish customer service standards in accordance with the Government-wide standards developed under subsection (a), which shall be included in the Agency Performance Plans required under section 1115 of title 31, United States Code. (2) Requirements Agency standards established under paragraph (1) shall include, if appropriate— (A) target call wait times during peak and non-peak hours; (B) target response times for correspondence, both by mail and electronic mail; (C) procedures for ensuring all applicable metrics are incorporated into service agreements with nongovernmental individuals and entities; (D) target response times for processing benefits and making payments; and (E) recommendations for effective publication of customer service contact information, including a mailing address, telephone number, and email address. (c) Customer service input (1) Establishment The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall establish a Customer Service Feedback Pilot Program. The pilot program shall include participation by the Internal Revenue Service and a minimum of two additional agencies selected by the Director and shall continue for a period of at least three years. The Director shall require participating agencies to implement a customer service feedback system to collect information from customers of the agency regarding the quality of customer service provided by the agency, including— (A) information on the extent to which agency performance complies with the Government-wide standards developed under subsection (a); and (B) feedback on the quality of customer service provided by the agency employee or employees with whom the customer interacted. (2) Limitation An agency may not publish or make publically available information collected under the feedback system that is specific to a named employee. (3) Additional information in performance report In developing the performance report made available by the agency under section 1116 of title 31, United States Code, each agency— (A) shall include the information collected under this subsection; and (B) may include aggregate data collected under paragraph (1)(B) without including names of specific agency employees. (4) Report to Congress on Customer Service Feedback Pilot Program Not later than two years after the implementation of the Customer Service Feedback Pilot Program established under this subsection, the Comptroller General shall submit to Congress a report assessing the pilot program and a recommendation on whether such program should be expanded Government-wide. (d) Annual performance update The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall include achievements by agencies in meeting the customer service performance standards developed under subsection (a) in each update on agency performance required under section 1116 of title 31, United States Code. 4. Performance appraisal Compliance with customer service standards developed under this Act shall be included in employee appraisal systems establish by agencies, including the performance appraisal systems referred to in chapter 43 of title 5, United States Code. 5. Service improvement unit pilot program (a) Established The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall establish a pilot program, to be known as the Service Improvement Unit Pilot Program (in this section referred to as the pilot program ), to provide assistance to agencies that do not meet the Government-wide standards developed under section 3. (b) Personnel The heads of agencies with expertise in change management, process improvement, and information technology innovation shall detail employees to the Office of Management and Budget to work on the pilot program, based on the expertise and skills required to address service improvement goals. (c) Responsibilities Under the pilot program, the Office of Management and Budget shall work with agencies that are not meeting the customer service standards developed under section 3 to improve and modernize service delivery to develop solutions, including— (1) evaluating the efforts of the agency to improve service delivery; (2) developing a plan to improve within existing resources and by drawing on expertise and assistance from other agencies (including the Office of Management and Budget) where necessary; (3) monitoring implementation by the agency of the plan developed under paragraph (2) until the customer service standards are met; and (4) submitting to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget monthly reports on the progress being made to improve service at the agency until the customer service standards are met. (d) Report Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall submit to Congress a report on the accomplishments and outcomes of the pilot program and any recommendations relating to achieving the customer service standards developed under section 3. (e) Support The Administrator of General Services shall provide administrative and other support in order to implement the pilot program under this section. The heads of agencies shall, as appropriate and to the extent permitted by law, provide at the request of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget up to 2 personnel authorizations who have expertise in change management, process improvement, and information technology innovation to support the pilot program. (f) Termination The authority to carry out the pilot program shall terminate 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act. 6. Retirement reporting (a) Definition In this section, the term agency has the meaning given that term in section 551 of title 5, United States Code. (b) Reports (1) In general Except as provided in paragraph (2) and not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and every month thereafter, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall submit to Congress and the Comptroller General of the United States, and issue publicly (including on the website of the Office of Personnel Management), a report that— (A) for each agency, evaluates the timeliness, completeness, and accuracy of information submitted by the agency relating to employees of the agency who are retiring; and (B) indicates— (i) the total number of applications for retirement benefits, lump sum death benefits, court ordered benefits, phased retirement, and disability retirement that are pending action by the Office of Personnel Management; and (ii) the number of months each such application has been pending. (2) Suspension of reporting requirement Paragraph (1) shall not apply to the Director of the Office of Personnel Management for any month immediately following an 18-month period in which the average processing time of applications described in paragraph (1)(B) reaches 90 days or less. (c) Modernization timeline The Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall establish— (1) a timetable for the completion of each component of the customer-focused retirement processing system of the Office of Personnel Management, including all data elements required for accurate completion of adjudication; and (2) the date by which all Federal payroll processing entities will electronically transmit all personnel data to the Office of Personnel Management. (d) Budget request The Office of Personnel Management shall include a detailed statement regarding the progress of the Office of Personnel Management in completing the customer-focused retirement processing system of the Office of Personnel Management in each budget request of the Office of Personnel Management submitted as part of the preparation of the budget of the President submitted to Congress under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code. 7. No increase in expenditures No additional funds are authorized to carry out this Act. This Act shall be carried out using amounts otherwise authorized or appropriated.

Passed the House of Representatives July 31, 2013. Karen L. Haas, Clerk