[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5759 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
H.R.5759
One Hundred Fifteenth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
the third day of January, two thousand and eighteen
An Act
To improve executive agency digital services, 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 ``21st Century Integrated Digital
Experience Act'' or the ``21st Century IDEA''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of the
Office of Management and Budget.
(2) Executive agency.--The term ``executive agency'' has the
meaning given the term ``Executive agency'' in section 105 of title
5, United States Code.
SEC. 3. WEBSITE MODERNIZATION.
(a) Requirements for New Websites and Digital Services.--Not later
than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, an executive
agency that creates a website or digital service that is intended for
use by the public, or conducts a redesign of an existing legacy website
or digital service that is intended for use by the public, shall ensure
to the greatest extent practicable that any new or redesigned website,
web-based form, web-based application, or digital service--
(1) is accessible to individuals with disabilities in
accordance with section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29
U.S.C. 794d);
(2) has a consistent appearance;
(3) does not overlap with or duplicate any legacy websites and,
if applicable, ensure that legacy websites are regularly reviewed,
eliminated, and consolidated;
(4) contains a search function that allows users to easily
search content intended for public use;
(5) is provided through an industry standard secure connection;
(6) is designed around user needs with data-driven analysis
influencing management and development decisions, using qualitative
and quantitative data to determine user goals, needs, and
behaviors, and continually test the website, web-based form, web-
based application, or digital service to ensure that user needs are
addressed;
(7) provides users of the new or redesigned website, web-based
form, web-based application, or digital service with the option for
a more customized digital experience that allows users to complete
digital transactions in an efficient and accurate manner; and
(8) is fully functional and usable on common mobile devices.
(b) Requirements for Existing Executive Agency Websites and Digital
Services.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this
Act, the head of each executive agency that maintains a website or
digital service that is made available to the public shall--
(1) review each website or digital service; and
(2) submit to Congress a report that includes--
(A) a list of the websites and digital services maintained
by the executive agency that are most viewed or utilized by the
public or are otherwise important for public engagement;
(B) from among the websites and digital services listed
under subparagraph (A), a prioritization of websites and
digital services that require modernization to meet the
requirements under subsection (a); and
(C) an estimation of the cost and schedule of modernizing
the websites and digital services prioritized under
subparagraph (B).
(c) Internal Digital Services.--The head of each executive agency
shall ensure, to the greatest extent practicable, that any Intranet
established after the date of enactment of this Act conforms to the
requirements described in subsection (a).
(d) Public Reporting.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act and every year thereafter for 4 years, the head
of each executive agency shall--
(1) report annually to the Director on the progress of the
executive agency in implementing the requirements described in this
section for the previous year; and
(2) include the information described in paragraph (1) in a
publicly available report that is required under another provision
of law.
(e) Compliance With United States Website Standards.--Any website
of an executive agency that is made available to the public after the
date of enactment of this Act shall be in compliance with the website
standards of the Technology Transformation Services of the General
Services Administration.
SEC. 4. DIGITIZATION OF GOVERNMENT SERVICES AND FORMS.
(a) Non-Digital Services.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Director shall issue guidance to the head
of each executive agency that establishes a process for the executive
agency to--
(1) identify public non-digital, paper-based, or in-person
Government services; and
(2) include in the budget request of the executive agency--
(A) a list of non-digital services with the greatest impact
that could be made available to the public through an online,
mobile-friendly, digital service option in a manner that
decreases cost, increases digital conversion rates, and
improves customer experience; and
(B) an estimation of the cost and schedule associated with
carrying out the modernization described in subparagraph (A).
(b) Services Required To Be Digital.--The head of each executive
agency shall regularly review public-facing applications and services
to ensure that those applications and services are, to the greatest
extent practicable, made available to the public in a digital format.
(c) Forms Required To Be Digital.--Not later than 2 years after the
enactment of this Act, the head of each executive agency shall ensure
that any paper based form that is related to serving the public is made
available in a digital format that meets the requirements described in
section 3(a).
(d) Non-Digitizable Processes.--If the head of an executive agency
cannot make available in a digital format under this section an in-
person Government service, form, or paper-based process, the head of
the executive agency shall document--
(1) the title of the in-person Government service, form, or
paper-based process;
(2) a description of the in-person Government service, form, or
paper-based process;
(3) each unit responsible for the in-person Government service,
form, or paper-based process and the location of each unit in the
organizational hierarchy of the executive agency;
(4) any reasons why the in-person Government service, form, or
paper-based process cannot be made available under this section;
and
(5) any potential solutions that could allow the in-person
Government service, form, or paper-based process to be made
available under this section, including the implementation of
existing technologies, procedural changes, regulatory changes, and
legislative changes.
(e) Physical Availability.--Each executive agency shall maintain an
accessible method of completing digital services through in-person,
paper-based, or other means, such that individuals without the ability
to use digital services are not deprived of or impeded in access to
those digital services.
SEC. 5. ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act, the head of each executive agency shall submit to the Director and
the appropriate congressional committees a plan to accelerate the use
of electronic signatures standards established under the Electronic
Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (15 U.S.C. 7001 et
seq.).
SEC. 6. CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND DIGITAL SERVICE DELIVERY.
The Chief Information Officer of each executive agency, or a
designee, shall--
(1) coordinate and ensure alignment of the internal and
external customer experience programs and strategy of the executive
agency;
(2) coordinate with the management leaders of the executive
agency, including the head of the executive agency, the Chief
Financial Officer, and any program manager, to ensure proper
funding to support the implementation of this Act;
(3) continually examine the digital service delivery strategy
of the executive agency to the public and submit recommendations to
the head of the executive agency providing guidance and best
practices suitable to the mission of the executive agency;
(4) using qualitative and quantitative data obtained from
across the executive agency relating to the experience and
satisfaction of customers, identify areas of concern that need
improvement and improve the delivery of customer service;
(5) coordinate and ensure, with the approval of the head of the
executive agency, compliance by the executive agency with section
3559 of title 44, United States Code; and
(6) to the extent practicable, coordinate with other agencies
and seek to maintain as much standardization and commonality with
other agencies as practicable in implementing the requirements of
this Act, to best enable future transitions to centralized shared
services.
SEC. 7. STANDARDIZATION.
(a) Design and Implementation.--Each executive agency shall, to the
extent practicable, seek to maintain as much standardization and
commonality with other executive agencies as practicable in
implementing the requirements of this Act to best enable future
transitions to centralized shared services.
(b) Coordination.--The Chief Information Officer of each executive
agency, or a designee, shall coordinate the implementation of the
requirements of this Act, including the development of standards and
commonalities.
(c) Federal Supply Schedule.--
(1) In general.--The General Services Administration shall make
available under a Federal Supply Schedule the systems and services
necessary to fulfill the requirements of this Act.
(2) Requirements.--The Federal Supply Schedule described in
paragraph (1) shall, to the extent practicable, ensure
interoperability between executive agencies, compliance with
industry standards, and adherence to best practices for design,
accessibility, and information security.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.