[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3609 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3609

   To improve public trust in the Federal Government by establishing 
 customer experience as a central measure of performance for agencies 
          and the Federal Government, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 28, 2021

Mr. Loudermilk (for himself and Mr. Connolly) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and 
  in addition to the Committee on Appropriations, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To improve public trust in the Federal Government by establishing 
 customer experience as a central measure of performance for agencies 
          and the Federal Government, 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 ``Trust in Public Service Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Although the public believes that the Federal 
        Government serves an indispensable role and often performs 
        quite well, overall trust in the Federal Government is at 
        historic lows.
            (2) Agencies face competing requirements and respond to 
        evolving and diverse needs in a context of uncertainty and 
        constrained resources. To perform this challenging job for the 
        benefit of the public, experimentation, learning, and failure 
        should be expected and welcomed. Congress must support agencies 
        throughout this process by balancing traditional oversight with 
        dedicated efforts to celebrate progress and locate setbacks 
        within a broader context.
            (3) Improving public trust requires delivering tangible 
        results that address the needs of the public, including those 
        needs that span agencies or require coordination with State, 
        local, Tribal, or territorial governments. But improving public 
        trust also requires the Federal Government to consider much 
        more deeply how interaction with the public shapes public 
        perceptions and how communication by the Federal Government can 
        provide better context on the many ways in which the Federal 
        Government serves the public.
            (4) In terms of public interaction, whether seeking a small 
        business loan, veterans' services, Social Security benefits, or 
        other service or information, the people of the United States 
        deserve a customer experience that matches or exceeds that of 
        leading private sector organizations. This level of customer 
        experience means experiences are seamless, connected, 
        inclusive, effective, consistent, and reliable.
            (5) Customer experience (commonly referred to as ``CX'') is 
        a vital means for agencies to pursue their missions in a more 
        effective and responsive way and at a lower cost, as research 
        shows that customer experience is linked to--
                    (A) more accurate and timely data submissions;
                    (B) increased feedback that improves services 
                through 3 different means, which include--
                            (i) process, procedure, product, or safety 
                        improvement;
                            (ii) uncovering unmet customer needs that 
                        require a new or innovative approach; and
                            (iii) informing leadership decision making 
                        so that agencies are grounded in improving 
                        customer outcomes;
                    (C) improved compliance with agency regulations and 
                guidance; and
                    (D) improved workforce morale and retention.
            (6) Customer experience is also highly correlated with 
        public trust in the Federal Government and is therefore 
        essential for broader efforts of the Federal Government to earn 
        and maintain the consent of the governed.
            (7) Yet the Forrester's 2020 Federal Customer Experience 
        Index noted that Federal customer experience lags behind all 
        sectors of private industry. While the Federal Government faces 
        constraints that the private sector does not face, including 
        competing requirements, such as balancing speed and combating 
        fraud, an obligation to serve the entire public, less nimble 
        workforce and hiring policies, and personnel and spending 
        constraints, the Federal Government has both the ability and 
        imperative to improve customer experience.
            (8) Research also shows a strong correlation between 
        employee engagement and the quality of customer experience. 
        Employees provide better customer experience when they feel 
        valued and identify with the missions of their agencies, and, 
        as customer experience and confidence in the agency improves, 
        those employees become even more committed, creative, and 
        professional.
            (9) The Federal Government has made significant progress on 
        improving customer experience, including through--
                    (A) efforts within the General Services 
                Administration, such as the 18F Office, the 10X 
                Program, the U.S. Web Design System, the Digital.gov 
                communities and website, and the Presidential 
                Innovation Fellows Program;
                    (B) the Smarter IT Schedule A hiring authority 
                issued by the Director of the Office of Personnel 
                Management;
                    (C) the Technology Modernization Fund established 
                under section 1078 of the National Defense 
                Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (40 U.S.C. 11301 
                note), which provides broad authority for information 
                technology modernization to improve customer experience 
                and public-facing digital services;
                    (D) efforts on employee engagement by the Office of 
                Personnel Management and the Office of Management and 
                Budget;
                    (E) the United States Digital Service;
                    (F) Executive Order 12862 (31 U.S.C. 501 note; 
                relating to setting customer service standards) and 
                Executive Order 13571 (76 Fed. Reg. 24339; relating to 
                streamlining service delivery and improving customer 
                service);
                    (G) efforts of the executive branch as of the date 
                of enactment of this Act, including--
                            (i) Section 280 of Circular A11 Part 6 
                        (2021) of the Office of Management and Budget; 
                        and
                            (ii) the establishment of dedicated 
                        individuals at the Office of Management and 
                        Budget to work on cross-agency customer 
                        experience initiatives and information 
                        collection reviews;
                    (H) the designation of high-impact service 
                providers and the sharing of feedback performance data, 
                customer experience capacity assessments, and customer 
                experience action plans on a dedicated website;
                    (I) individual agencies that are early adopters of 
                customer experience approaches, including the Veterans 
                Experience Office of the Department of Veterans 
                Affairs; and
                    (J) legislation, including--
                            (i) the Digital Accountability and 
                        Transparency Act of 2014 (31 U.S.C. 6101 note);
                            (ii) the 21st Century Integrated Digital 
                        Experience Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 note); and
                            (iii) pending legislation.
            (10) With respect to communication, agencies have both a 
        constitutional duty and an operational imperative to better 
        communicate how those agencies serve the public, including 
        through stories of human-level impact, compelling design, and 
        interactive platforms that make the public feel valued and 
        included, particularly if agencies work in counterintuitive, 
        preventative, or subtle ways.
            (11) A push towards open government, in particular through 
        data.gov, performance.gov, challenge.gov, and other 
        transparency efforts, are vital steps to improving public 
        confidence and decision-making and service delivery. 
        Additionally, open data is a vital service for the public that 
        researchers, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and the 
        public alike can use to innovate, promote economic growth, and 
        take an active role in improving communities alongside the 
        Federal Government.
            (12) But open government is not enough. To truly nourish a 
        debate about the achievements and role of the Federal 
        Government, rather than simply making information available, 
        agencies must communicate their mandates, performance, and data 
        in a manner that ensures that the public understands the 
        broader context in which those agencies operate and the real-
        world impact of those agencies.
            (13) In performing the tasks described in paragraph (12), 
        the Federal Government has broad latitude to communicate to the 
        public in tailored, creative, and compelling ways. Provisions 
        in annual appropriations Acts typically bar agencies from 
        engaging in impermissible publicity or propaganda. Although 
        those provisions prohibit agencies from engaging in self-
        aggrandizement, covert propaganda and purely partisan 
        communications, those provisions do not restrict agencies from 
        engaging in legitimate activities to inform the public about 
        agency programs. Full compliance with those provisions presents 
        no bar for an agency to fully implement the activities 
        authorized and encouraged in this Act. As necessary, agencies 
        may seek decisions and informal technical assistance from the 
        Comptroller General of the United States concerning the 
        applicability of prohibitions against publicity or propaganda.
            (14) USA.gov and other-Government wide platforms, such as 
        login.gov, have the potential to become interactive, 
        personalized, and compelling portals to the Federal Government 
        and enable the public to both address its needs, learn about 
        the myriad ways in which the Federal Government improves the 
        lives of the public, and develop a greater sense of pride in 
        the Federal Government. However, the current incarnations of 
        Government-wide communication platforms fall well short of this 
        vision.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    Is it the sense of Congress that--
            (1) agencies must--
                    (A) continue to develop customer-centered mindsets 
                as a means to providing high-quality, responsive, 
                inclusive, reliable, transparent, empathetic, 
                courteous, and efficient services to the people of the 
                United States; and
                    (B) use public feedback and human-centered design 
                practices to continually improve services;
            (2) all agency interaction with the public must be seen as 
        an invaluable opportunity to strengthen the bond of trust 
        between the people of the United States and the Federal 
        Government as a whole;
            (3) to this end, the Federal Government must--
                    (A) adopt a whole-of-Government, integrated, and 
                enterprise approach to service delivery;
                    (B) build out the technical capacity of the Federal 
                Government, as has been done with the establishment of 
                the United States Digital Service and the Technology 
                Transformation Service of the General Services 
                Administration, that creates a strategy, 
                accountability, and performance framework for 
                identifying and defining experiences and managing 
                improvements across agency delivery systems;
                    (C) enhance customer experience based on an 
                understanding of true needs of the public, rather 
                solely on individual agency or program mandates;
                    (D) identify ambitious agency and Government-wide 
                customer experience priorities;
                    (E) develop consistent approaches to customer 
                experience across the Federal Government, as 
                consistency is central to building Government-wide 
                trust; and
                    (F) mobilize resources to support the Chief of 
                Staffs, Chief Operating Officers, or equivalent 
                officials, of agencies and hold those officials 
                accountable for customer experience through 
                statutorily-established councils, such as the 
                Performance Improvement Council, the Chief Information 
                Officers Council, the Chief Data Officers Council, the 
                Evaluation Officer Council, the Chief Human Capital 
                Officers Council, and the President's Management 
                Council;
            (4) while the imperative to improve customer experience 
        particularly applies to high-impact service providers, which 
        have frequent interaction with the public or high profiles, all 
        agencies, no matter the scope of the mission of an agency or 
        the manner in which an agency works, have an obligation and 
        opportunity to proactively and effectively communicate how 
        those agencies serve the public as a means towards increasing 
        responsiveness and contributing to public trust in the Federal 
        Government;
            (5) to understand if information is effectively 
        communicated by agencies, agency communication must be tailored 
        to ensure the public receives and understands information 
        through--
                    (A) human-level stories;
                    (B) proactive outreach;
                    (C) modern design, including multimedia;
                    (D) opportunities for public participation; and
                    (E) feedback and testing;
            (6) to inspire Federal employees and contractors to serve 
        the public in a responsive, creative, and professional manner, 
        agencies must improve employee engagement, including by--
                    (A) regularly soliciting and responding to employee 
                feedback and improving internal agency services, such 
                as human resources and information technology; and
                    (B) using human-centered design practices; and
            (7) similarly, when agencies provide information or 
        services to each other, these interactions should be 
        characterized by effectiveness, ease, and responsiveness to 
        help enable fellow agencies to provide the public with high-
        quality customer experience.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Agency; customer experience; employee engagement; 
        federal customer; federal employee; high-impact service 
        provider; voluntary customer feedback.--The terms ``agency'', 
        ``customer experience'', ``employee engagement'', ``Federal 
        customer'', ``Federal employee'', ``high-impact service 
        provider'', and ``voluntary customer feedback'' have the 
        meaning given those terms in section 321 of title 5, United 
        States Code, as added by this Act.
            (2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the Office of Management and Budget.
            (3) Propaganda and publicity.--The term ``propaganda and 
        publicity'' means information produced and disseminated by an 
        agency that is--
                    (A) self-aggrandizing or seeks to inflate the 
                reputation of an official;
                    (B) a covert communication in which the agency does 
                not disclose that the agency is the source of the 
                communication; or
                    (C) purely partisan in nature.

SEC. 5. ELEVATING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT WITHIN 
              THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

    (a) Requirements for Customer Experience, Public Communication, and 
Employee Engagement.--
            (1) In general.--Chapter 3 of title 5, United States Code, 
        is amended by adding at the end the following:

             ``Subchapter III--Federal Customer Experience

``Sec. 321. Definitions
    ``In this subchapter:
            ``(1) Agency.--The term `agency'--
                    ``(A) has the meaning give the term in section 
                306(f); and
                    ``(B) includes the United States Postal Service.
            ``(2) Customer experience.--The term `customer 
        experience'--
                    ``(A) means the ways in which the Federal 
                Government and agencies consider Federal customers at 
                the center of the decision making process, including 
                by--
                            ``(i) understanding needs from the 
                        perspective of a Federal customer;
                            ``(ii) considering the entire journey of a 
                        Federal customer, instead of simply the point 
                        of service;
                            ``(iii) soliciting and considering 
                        voluntary customer feedback; and
                            ``(iv) measuring performance; and
                    ``(B) includes a consideration of the factors 
                within any interaction between a Federal customer and 
                an agency, or between agencies, including, with respect 
                to the interaction--
                            ``(i) ease;
                            ``(ii) effectiveness;
                            ``(iii) emotional effect;
                            ``(iv) perception or trust;
                            ``(v) Federal employee interaction; and
                            ``(vi) any other factor that impacts the 
                        overall trust, satisfaction, and confidence of 
                        the customer in a program, an agency, or the 
                        Federal Government as a whole.
            ``(3) Director.--The term `Director' means the Director of 
        the Office of Management and Budget.
            ``(4) Employee engagement.--The term `employee engagement' 
        means--
                    ``(A) the heightened sense of commitment of a 
                Federal employee or contractor to the agency for which 
                the Federal employee works or the contractor performs 
                services and the Federal customers served by the 
                Federal employee or contractor that results in a more 
                efficient, effective, creative, or courteous outcome; 
                and
                    ``(B) the extent to which a Federal employee or 
                contractor--
                            ``(i) finds personal meaning and pride in 
                        the work of the Federal employee or contractor; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) with respect to the agency served by 
                        the Federal employee or contractor, feels--
                                    ``(I) a sense of belonging in the 
                                culture of work of the agency;
                                    ``(II) valued by the agency and the 
                                public; and
                                    ``(III) that the agency regularly 
                                considers and is responsive to feedback 
                                and human-centered design insights from 
                                the Federal employee or contractor.
            ``(5) Federal customer.--The term `Federal customer'--
                    ``(A) means--
                            ``(i) a member of the public of the United 
                        States; and
                            ``(ii) an entity that is directly impacted 
                        by the Federal Government, including--
                                    ``(I) member of the public of the 
                                United States, a business, an 
                                organization, or an agency of a State 
                                or unit of local government, Tribal, or 
                                territorial that interacts with an 
                                agency or Federal program--
                                            ``(aa) directly;
                                            ``(bb) through a Federal 
                                        contractor; or
                                            ``(cc) through a federally 
                                        funded program;
                                    ``(II) an applicant for a Federal 
                                job, a Federal employee, a contractor, 
                                or a volunteer of the Federal 
                                Government that interacts with an 
                                agency or an internal process of an 
                                agency, including--
                                            ``(aa) hiring;
                                            ``(bb) on-boarding;
                                            ``(cc) human resources;
                                            ``(dd) information 
                                        technology services; and
                                            ``(ee) efforts to improve 
                                        agency performance, including 
                                        by suggesting process 
                                        improvements or reporting 
                                        fraud, waste, or abuse;
                                    ``(III) an agency that relies on 
                                another agency for information or 
                                services; and
                                    ``(IV) the recipient of a Federal 
                                award, including a contract, grant, or 
                                loan.
            ``(6) Federal employee.--The term `Federal employee' has 
        the meaning given the term `employee' in section 2105 of title 
        5, United States Code.
            ``(7) High-impact service provider.--The term `high-impact 
        service provider' means an agency or a component of an agency 
        designated as a high-impact service provider in guidance issued 
        by the Director under section 323(b)(4).
            ``(8) Human-centered design.--The term `human-centered 
        design' means an approach towards designing interactive 
        systems, processes, products, services, or information that 
        aims to make those systems, processes, products, services, or 
        information more usable and useful by--
                    ``(A) focusing on the users of the systems, 
                processes, or information and the needs and 
                requirements of those users; and
                    ``(B) applying knowledge of human factors and 
                learning from human feedback and interactions with 
                similar systems, processes, or information.
            ``(9) Voluntary customer feedback.--The term `voluntary 
        customer feedback' means the submission of information, an 
        opinion, appreciation, or a concern by a Federal customer 
        following an interaction with an agency that is--
                    ``(A) solicited by the agency and identified as 
                voluntary in the solicitation; and
                    ``(B) voluntarily made by the Federal customer 
                relating to the particular service of, or interaction 
                with, the agency.
``Sec. 322. Agency requirements
    ``(a) In General.--The head of each agency, in order to effectively 
pursue the mission of the agency, shall develop a high-quality customer 
experience by--
            ``(1) allocating sufficient resources to and prioritizing--
                    ``(A) customer experience capabilities; and
                    ``(B) initiatives that may cut across budget 
                accounts or program activities;
            ``(2) requesting and drawing on new expertise and tools 
        relating to customer experience;
            ``(3) adapting Government-wide and global good practices 
        relating to customer experience;
            ``(4) ensuring that the process of each agency for 
        soliciting voluntary customer feedback is as streamlined as 
        possible and requires limited internal review if the collection 
        is within the scope of the guidance provided by the Director;
            ``(5) making use of customer experience resources of the 
        Federal Government; and
            ``(6) using human-centered design practices.
    ``(b) Tools.--The head of each agency shall--
            ``(1) develop and use tools to--
                    ``(A) experiment with different approaches to 
                improve customer experience; and
                    ``(B) collect qualitative and quantitative data on 
                customer experience as Federal customers engage with 
                the agency in a routine, flexible manner, including 
                through human-centered design practices;
            ``(2) ensure the tools developed under paragraph (1) ensure 
        the privacy of Federal customers;
            ``(3) use the data collected under paragraph (1)(B) to 
        continually improve customer experience and agency performance; 
        and
            ``(4) share the data collected under paragraph (1)(B) with 
        research entities to allow for external analysis.
    ``(c) Voluntary Customer Feedback.--
            ``(1) In general.--The head of each agency shall, as 
        appropriate, solicit voluntary customer feedback from Federal 
        customers.
            ``(2) Assistance.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Director shall assist the 
                heads of agencies in carrying out paragraph (1) by--
                            ``(i) ensuring that the process for 
                        agencies to submit voluntary customer feedback 
                        surveys for approval is as clear and 
                        streamlined as possible; and
                            ``(ii) assisting the heads of agencies in 
                        collaborating with other agencies and State, 
                        local, Tribal, and territorial governments to 
                        understand and respond to the needs of Federal 
                        customers--
                                    ``(I) from the perspectives of 
                                those customers; and
                                    ``(II) not solely from the 
                                perspective of the mandates of the 
                                agency.
                    ``(B) Example.--An example of a situation in which 
                the Director shall assist heads of agencies under 
                subparagraph (A)(ii)(II) is when an opportunity for 
                cross-agency collaboration exists that meets the 
                demonstrated interest of the public of the United 
                States.
            ``(3) Requirements.--With respect to any voluntary customer 
        feedback solicited by the head of an agency, the head of the 
        agency--
                    ``(A) may not use the voluntary customer feedback 
                as a basis to provide a Federal customer with inferior 
                service; and
                    ``(B) shall consider privacy concerns and, as 
                appropriate, anonymize the voluntary customer feedback 
                to--
                            ``(i) allow for candid feedback; and
                            ``(ii) protect privacy.
    ``(d) Agency Communication Responsibilities.--
            ``(1) Public understanding.--The head of each agency shall 
        seek to--
                    ``(A) increase public understanding of the mandate 
                of the agency, including the statutes under which the 
                agency operates and from which the agency derives the 
                mission of the agency;
                    ``(B) provide the public with historical and 
                broader context of programs, policies, context, and 
                achievements of the agency, including human level 
                stories of the impact of the agency;
                    ``(C) employ shared design solutions, effective 
                human-centered design practices, modern design tools, 
                interactive platforms, and innovative participation 
                methods to engage the public in the policy process of 
                the agency; and
                    ``(D) tailor the content and format of 
                communications of the agency based on regional or 
                demographic considerations and human-centered design 
                practices.
            ``(2) Tools.--The head of each agency shall develop and use 
        tools to understand the progress of the agency towards 
        achieving the requirements under paragraph (1), including--
                    ``(A) testing;
                    ``(B) feedback;
                    ``(C) focus groups;
                    ``(D) public participation; and
                    ``(E) human-centered design practices and co-design 
                processes.
    ``(e) Agency Consultation.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not less frequently than annually, the 
        head of each agency shall consult with the agencies or offices 
        described in section 323(c)(1) to ensure that the customer 
        experience and communications approaches of the agency--
                    ``(A) are engaging and interactive;
                    ``(B) incorporate good practices from the private 
                sector and human-centered design; and
                    ``(C) employ cutting edge digital tools, including 
                application programming interfaces and social media and 
                digital experiences.
            ``(2) Historical perspectives.--Not less frequently than 
        annually, the head of each agency shall consult with the 
        National Archives and Records Administration, the Library of 
        Congress, or the historians of other relevant entities to 
        obtain advice and multimedia content relating to the historical 
        performance of the agency that can be used to provide context 
        on the origins and roles of the agency throughout history, 
        including human level stories of the impact of the agency.
``Sec. 323. OMB Customer experience guidance
    ``(a) In General.--
            ``(1) Guidance.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        enactment of the Trust in Public Service Act, the Director 
        shall issue the guidance described in subsection (b) for--
                    ``(A) agencies; and
                    ``(B) components of agencies, as appropriate.
            ``(2) Format.--The Director may issue the guidance required 
        under paragraph (1) in a format chosen by the Director, which 
        may include Circular A-11 of the Office of Management and 
        Budget.
    ``(b) Contents.--The guidance described in this subsection is as 
follows:
            ``(1) Guidance consistent with this subchapter to assist 
        agencies in achieving high-quality customer experience and 
        continually improving service delivery across the Federal 
        Government.
            ``(2) Guidance that requires an agency or component of an 
        agency to include principles of customer experience in--
                    ``(A) standard operating procedures of the agency 
                or component of the agency;
                    ``(B) rules (as defined in section 551 of title 5, 
                United States Code) issued by the agency or component 
                of the agency; and
                    ``(C) similar documents of the agency or component 
                of the agency.
            ``(3) Guidance that--
                    ``(A) requires an agency to communicate the impact 
                of programs of the agency to the public, including 
                through communication that--
                            ``(i) is human-centered, including 
                        multimedia and good design;
                            ``(ii) uses stories of human impact;
                            ``(iii) allows for the public to contribute 
                        personal accounts;
                            ``(iv) is participatory in nature; and
                            ``(v) is tailored to regional or 
                        demographic considerations; and
                    ``(B) reminds agencies that, although provisions of 
                annual appropriations Acts typically bar agencies from 
                engaging in impermissible publicity or propaganda, 
                including self-aggrandizement, covert propaganda, and 
                purely partisan communications, those provisions do not 
                restrict agencies from engaging in legitimate 
                activities to inform the public about agency programs 
                through a communication described in subparagraph (A).
            ``(4) Guidance in which the Director designates certain 
        agencies or components of agencies as high-impact service 
        providers based on the following considerations:
                    ``(A) Whether an agency or component has a large 
                base of Federal customers served by the agency or 
                component.
                    ``(B) Whether an agency or component has a high 
                impact on Federal customers served by the agency or 
                component.
                    ``(C) Whether, with respect to an agency or 
                component, the public exchanges time, money, or 
                information with the agency or component to receive a 
                good, service, or authorization.
                    ``(D) Whether agencies or components have high-
                profile Federal customer-facing services, regulatory 
                functions, or informational roles, including operating 
                websites or communication portals of the Federal 
                Government, such as usa.gov.
                    ``(E) Other agencies or components, based on 
                factors that give the agency or component an ability to 
                positively or negatively influence the public 
                perception of the Federal Government.
            ``(5) Guidance that, with respect to high-impact service 
        providers--
                    ``(A) establishes service standards, as 
                appropriate;
                    ``(B) emphasizes resources, expectations, and good 
                practices, including the use of human-centered design; 
                and
                    ``(C) requires high-impact service providers to 
                publicly commit to, and report on, Federal customer 
                experience standards, as appropriate.
            ``(6) Guidance that, with respect to agencies or components 
        of agencies that are not high-impact service providers--
                    ``(A) highlights that those agencies and components 
                have an obligation to find creative means to inform the 
                public about the ways in which those agencies or 
                components serve the public; and
                    ``(B) emphasizes expectations, resources, and good 
                practices, including the use of human-centered design, 
                for those agencies and components, including maximizing 
                the contribution of the agency or component to overall 
                trust in the Federal Government.
            ``(7) Guidance that, with respect to voluntary customer 
        feedback--
                    ``(A) provides agencies with best practices, 
                templates, and standards for collecting qualitative and 
                quantitative data relating to Government-wide customer 
                experience and voluntary customer feedback;
                    ``(B) enables cross-agency benchmarking and the 
                improvement of customer experience; and
                    ``(C) includes--
                            ``(i) guidelines and support for user data 
                        collected from websites and forms relating to 
                        customer experience, including visits, task 
                        completion rates, time taken, drop out points, 
                        and other relevant areas; and
                            ``(ii) guidance on voluntary customer 
                        feedback data collection relating to user 
                        comprehension and satisfaction, including 
                        guidance for how agencies should communicate 
                        the purpose of a data collection request and 
                        how the agency uses voluntary customer feedback 
                        to influence the policy and programs of the 
                        agency.
            ``(8) Guidance that identifies any privacy risks to Federal 
        customers and how those risks and mitigation measures for those 
        risks should be communicated to the public.
            ``(9) Guidance that clearly explains the process by which 
        agencies and components of agencies shall solicit voluntary 
        customer feedback and other learning and feedback tools, such 
        as focus groups and usability testing, which shall--
                    ``(A) balance--
                            ``(i) quality control and risk management 
                        relating to the solicitation of voluntary 
                        customer feedback; and
                            ``(ii) reducing unnecessary delay or 
                        burdens on agencies and components of agencies 
                        that inhibit or slow the solicitation of 
                        voluntary customer feedback; and
                    ``(B) outline a streamlined process for agencies 
                and components of agencies that demonstrate the 
                capability to design and conduct high-quality Federal 
                customer surveys or other capabilities that--
                            ``(i) may include--
                                    ``(I) blanket approvals; and
                                    ``(II) waivers; and
                            ``(ii) does not require re-approval for 
                        minimal changes.
            ``(10) Guidance that requires Government-wide employee 
        engagement, including--
                    ``(A) the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey of the 
                Office of Personnel Management;
                    ``(B) as appropriate, the collection of additional, 
                real-time voluntary qualitative and quantitative 
                feedback from Federal employees; and
                    ``(C) the development of an explicit employee 
                engagement measure by the Director of the Office of 
                Personnel Management that aligns with existing public 
                sector employee engagement measures.
            ``(11) Guidance that includes best practices on the 
        appropriate use of metrics by agencies that--
                    ``(A) promotes true improvement and learning and 
                the right incentives for Federal employees and the 
                leadership of agencies; and
                    ``(B) in order to avoid metrics that create 
                perverse incentives, clarifies that certain customer 
                experience or employee engagement measures should not 
                be used for adverse personnel actions or promotion.
    ``(c) Collaboration.--
            ``(1) In general.--In developing the guidance issued under 
        subsection (a), the Director shall collaborate with--
                    ``(A) the Administrator of General Services with 
                respect to customer experience good practices, 
                including the use of human-centered design, data 
                collection and use, usability testing, evaluation 
                science, behavioral science, human-centered design, the 
                use of agency websites and digital communication tools, 
                and personnel support;
                    ``(B) the Director of the Office of Personnel 
                Management with respect to--
                            ``(i) employee engagement;
                            ``(ii) hiring authorities for recruiting 
                        subject matter experts; and
                            ``(iii) developing a customer experience-
                        oriented workforce;
                    ``(C) the Administrator of the United States 
                Digital Service with respect to personnel, human-
                centered design, digital experience good practices, and 
                innovation;
                    ``(D) the Office of Information and Regulatory 
                Affairs and the Office of the Federal Chief Information 
                Officer of the Office of Management and Budget with 
                respect to--
                            ``(i) providing technical assistance in 
                        Government-wide data collection; and
                            ``(ii) balancing--
                                    ``(I) the quality control of agency 
                                data collection requests; and
                                    ``(II) reducing unnecessary delay 
                                or burdens on agencies, particularly 
                                with voluntary customer feedback and 
                                focus groups;
                    ``(E) the Office of Science and Technology Policy 
                with respect to good practices in behavioral sciences 
                and human-centered design;
                    ``(F) the National Archives and Records 
                Administration and the Library of Congress with respect 
                to historical context, multimedia, and stories of 
                agency achievement throughout history; and
                    ``(G) any other entity determined appropriate by 
                the Director.
            ``(2) Support.--In collaborating with the entities 
        described in paragraph (1), the Director shall ensure that 
        those entities have sufficient resources to carry out the 
        collaboration.
    ``(d) Updates.--Not later than 1 year after the date on which 
guidance is issued under subsection (a), and annually thereafter, the 
Director shall update the guidance.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 
        3, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
        following:

              ``subchapter iii--federal customer experience

``321. Definitions.
``322. Agency requirements.
``323. OMB Customer experience guidance.''.

SEC. 6. RECOGNIZING EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE AND EARLY ADOPTERS.

    (a) Establishment.--The Director may establish 1 or more programs 
that, on an annual basis, recognize individuals and teams across the 
Federal workforce, the dedication of which supports--
            (1) the early adoption of innovative customer experience 
        tools or human-centered design practices by an agency to 
        improve--
                    (A) performance;
                    (B) customer experience; or
                    (C) public communication; or
            (2) the exceptional delivery by an agency of--
                    (A) results that aligns with the mission of the 
                agency;
                    (B) customer experience;
                    (C) public communication; and
                    (D) the accountable stewardship of resources.
    (b) Public Participation.--A program established under subsection 
(a) may involve a mechanism to foster participation in the recognition 
efforts of the program by--
            (1) members of the general public;
            (2) Federal employees; and
            (3) members of Congress or congressional committees.
    (c) Public Communication.--A program established under subsection 
(a) may include year-round and interactive public communication efforts 
to ensure that the achievements of individuals and teams recognized by 
the program are communicated to the public in a manner that--
            (1) is compelling;
            (2) is tailored to regional and demographic considerations; 
        and
            (3) emphasizes the breadth and scope of ongoing and 
        exceptional efforts of the Federal Government to serve the 
        public.

SEC. 7. INTEGRATING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE INTO TITLES 5 AND 31.

    (a) Title 5 Amendments.--
            (1) Agency strategic plans.--Section 306 of title 5, United 
        States Code, is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (a)--
                            (i) in paragraph (8)--
                                    (I) by inserting ``and agency 
                                customer feedback data'' after ``the 
                                program evaluations''; and
                                    (II) by striking ``and'' at the 
                                end;
                            (ii) in paragraph (9)(F), by striking the 
                        period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(10) a description of how the goals and objectives of the 
        agency contribute to improved customer experience and public 
        confidence in the agency.''; and
                    (B) in subsection (f)--
                            (i) by striking ``section the term'' and 
                        inserting ``section--
            ``(1) the term'';
                            (ii) in paragraph (1), as so designated, by 
                        striking the period at the end and inserting a 
                        semi colon; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) the term `agency customer' means a Federal customer 
        of an agency; and
            ``(3) the term `customer experience' and `Federal customer' 
        have the meanings given those terms in section 321.''.
            (2) Agency evidence-building plan.--Section 312(a) of title 
        5, United States Code, is amended--
                    (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 
                inserting ``customer experience (as defined in section 
                321),'' before ``and regulations''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``and improve 
                customer experience (as defined in section 321)'' after 
                ``support policymaking''.
            (3) Functions of the director of the office of personnel 
        management.--Section 1103(c)(2) of title 5, United States Code, 
        is amended--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A)--
                            (i) in clause (i), by striking ``and'' at 
                        the end;
                            (ii) by redesignating clause (ii) as clause 
                        (iii); and
                            (iii) by inserting after clause (i) the 
                        following:
            ``(ii) ensuring employee engagement (as defined in section 
        321) is a central component of the strategy and priorities of 
        those agencies; and''; and
                    (B) in subparagraph (D), by inserting ``and leads 
                to high-quality customer experience (as defined in 
                section 321)'' after ``workforce''.
    (b) Title 31 Amendments.--
            (1) Federal government and agency performance plans.--
                    (A) In general.--Section 1115 of title 31, United 
                States Code, is amended--
                            (i) in subsection (a)--
                                    (I) in paragraph (5), by striking 
                                ``and'' at the end;
                                    (II) in paragraph (6)--
                                            (aa) by inserting ``, 
                                        including factors that make it 
                                        more difficult for agencies to 
                                        learn through voluntary 
                                        customer feedback, testing, 
                                        focus groups, human-centered 
                                        design practices, or otherwise 
                                        foster active public 
                                        participation in Government,'' 
                                        after ``in nature''; and
                                            (bb) by striking the period 
                                        at the end and inserting ``; 
                                        and''; and
                                    (III) by adding at the end the 
                                following:
            ``(7) identify entities, which shall include the Office of 
        Management and Budget and the entities listed in section 
        323(c)(1) of title 5, with mission support and coordination 
        functions to enable other agencies to improve customer 
        experience and employee engagement and request sufficient 
        budgets.'';
                            (ii) in subsection (b)--
                                    (I) in paragraph (1), by inserting 
                                ``, which shall include at least 1 
                                performance goal related to customer 
                                experience'' after ``next fiscal 
                                year'';
                                    (II) in paragraph (5)(A), by 
                                inserting ``, including overall 
                                employee engagement considerations, 
                                which shall include soliciting and 
                                responding to feedback from employees'' 
                                after ``performance goals'';
                                    (III) in paragraph (6), by striking 
                                ``customer service'' and inserting 
                                ``customer experience'';
                                    (IV) by redesignating paragraphs 
                                (9) and (10) as paragraphs (10) and 
                                (11), respectively; and
                                    (V) by inserting after paragraph 
                                (8) the following:
            ``(9) describe customer experience opportunities and 
        challenges facing the agency and identify--
                    ``(A) key interaction points between the agency and 
                the public;
                    ``(B) Federal customer needs in relation to the 
                overall agency mission, which may draw from reporting 
                required under section 1116;
                    ``(C) capabilities, resources, tradeoffs, 
                constraints, and risks related to customer experience; 
                and
                    ``(D) the linkage between customer experience and 
                employee engagement, including--
                            ``(i) cultural strengths and weakness among 
                        the workforce that either enable high-quality 
                        customer experience or render high-quality 
                        customer experience difficult;
                            ``(ii) capability, resource, or statutory 
                        challenges, tradeoffs, constraints, or risks 
                        related to employee engagement; and
                            ``(iii) the voice of employees and the 
                        extent to which agencies regularly solicit, 
                        consider, and respond to employee feedback;'';
                            (iii) by redesignating subsection (h) as 
                        subsection (i);
                            (iv) by inserting after subsection (g) the 
                        following:
    ``(h) Agencies and components of agencies, particularly high-impact 
service providers (as defined in section 321 of title 5), are 
encouraged to develop more detailed customer experience action plans in 
coordination with the Office of Management and Budget.''; and
                            (v) in subsection (i), as so redesignated, 
                        by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the 
                        following:
            ``(3) `customer experience', the term `employee 
        engagement', and the term `Federal customer' have the meanings 
        given such terms in section 321 of title 5;''.
                    (B) Technical and conforming amendments.--
                            (i) Section 1122(a)(1)(D) of title 31, 
                        United States Code, is amended by striking 
                        ``section 1115(h)'' and inserting ``section 
                        1115''.
                            (ii) Section 6401(2)(A) of title 31, United 
                        States Code, is amended by striking ``section 
                        1115(h)'' and inserting ``section 1115''.
            (2) Agency performance reporting.--Section 1116(a) of title 
        31, United States Code, is amended by inserting ``, which shall 
        include customer experience as a central component'' after 
        ``performance''.
            (3) Federal government and agency priority goals.--Section 
        1120(a)(1)(B) of title 31, United States Code, is amended--
                    (A) in clause (iv), by striking ``and'' at the end;
                    (B) in clause (v), by adding ``and'' at the end; 
                and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(vi) customer experience.''.
            (4) Transparency of programs, priority goals, and 
        results.--Section 1122(c) of title 31, United States Code, is 
        amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (8), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in paragraph (9), by striking the period at the 
                end and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(10) an assessment of overall trust in the Federal 
        Government and customer experience, including an assessment 
        of--
                    ``(A) agency and sector-specific (such as health) 
                considerations, progress, and achievements;
                    ``(B) shortcomings and where more progress must be 
                made;
                    ``(C) external constraints; and
                    ``(D) human-level case studies of high 
                performance.''.

SEC. 8. ADEQUATELY RESOURCING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND EMPLOYEE 
              ENGAGEMENT.

    (a) Including Customer Experience in Federal Citizen Services 
Fund.--
            (1) In general.--Section 323 of title 40, United States 
        Code, is amended--
                    (A) by striking the section heading and inserting 
                ``Federal Citizen Services Fund''; and
                    (B) in subsection (a), by striking ``purpose of'' 
                and all that follows and inserting ``purpose of--
            ``(1) disseminating Federal Government information to the 
        public;
            ``(2) improving--
                    ``(A) customer experience (as defined in section 
                321 of title 5);
                    ``(B) mechanisms for public participation in the 
                Federal Government; and
                    ``(C) communication of the Federal Government to 
                the public, including tailored messaging and human-
                centered stories of the impact of the Federal 
                Government, including through human-centered design 
                practices; and
            ``(3) other related purposes.''.
            (2) Conforming amendment.--The table of sections for 
        chapter 3 of title 40, United States Code, is amended by 
        striking the item relating to section 323 and inserting the 
        following:

``323. Federal Citizen Services Fund.''.
    (b) OMB Transfer Authority.--
            (1) In general.--With the approval of the Director, the 
        head of an agency may transfer funds available to the agency 
        from appropriations to finance customer experience activities.
            (2) Amount.--The amounts transferred by the head of an 
        agency under paragraph (1) may not exceed $10,000,000 in a 
        fiscal year.
            (3) Aggregate limitation.--The total amount of transfers 
        approved by the Director under paragraph (1) may not exceed 
        $50,000,000 in a fiscal year.
            (4) Notification.--Not later than 30 days before the date 
        on which the head of an agency executes a transfer authorized 
        under paragraph (1), the head of the agency shall notify the 
        Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
            (5) Sunset.--The authority to make a transfer under this 
        subsection shall terminate on September 30, 2026.

SEC. 9. CHIEF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE OFFICER OF THE UNITED STATES.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 30 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Director shall establish the Office of 
Customer Experience.
    (b) Chief Customer Experience Officer.--The Office of Customer 
Experience shall be led by the Chief Customer Experience Officer of the 
United States, who shall be appointed by the Director.
    (c) Qualifications.--The Chief Customer Experience Officer of the 
United States shall have demonstrated training and experience in--
            (1) complex inter-organizational coordination;
            (2) management;
            (3) establishing customer experience programs within 
        service delivery organizations;
            (4) customer experience disciplines, such as product 
        management, understanding the true needs of customers, 
        experience and perception measurement, and human-centered 
        design research;
            (5) employee engagement; and
            (6) public communications or marketing.
    (d) Functions.--The Chief Customer Experience Officer of the United 
States shall--
            (1) serve as a voice for the public within senior level 
        interagency policy processes, including by--
                    (A) advocating for the means to solicit and respond 
                to public feedback and human-centered design insights 
                to inform program and service design and delivery;
                    (B) enhancing public participation in the planning, 
                execution, and evaluation of agency programs; and
                    (C) providing the public with timely and compelling 
                communication about the impact of the policy and 
                programs of the Federal Government that is tailored to 
                regional or demographic considerations;
            (2) serve as the chief official responsible for improving 
        public trust in the Federal Government, including by, in 
        consultation with the heads of agencies--
                    (A) establishing ambitious Government-wide, sector-
                specific (such as health), and agency targets; and
                    (B) identifying Government-wide focal points, 
                including call centers, and agency and Government-wide 
                public websites using human-centered design practices;
            (3) in collaboration with the Deputy Director for 
        Management--
                    (A) establish priorities, goals, and targets that 
                are cross-agency, sector-specific (such as health), 
                experience-specific (such as retirement), Government-
                wide, and agency-specific;
                    (B) assess needs and opportunities to improve 
                customer experience; and
                    (C) convene Chief Operating Officers, or equivalent 
                officials, of agencies through meetings of the 
                President's Management Council, or similar means to--
                            (i) align resources with priorities;
                            (ii) assign responsibility; and
                            (iii) ensure accountability;
            (4) in collaboration with the heads of the agencies listed 
        in section 323(c)(1) of title 5, United States Code--
                    (A) develop a Government-wide service delivery 
                strategy to serve as a focal point for the public and 
                include customer service standards in the strategy, as 
                appropriate;
                    (B) capture and develop Government-wide and sector-
                specific best practices for--
                            (i) customer experience;
                            (ii) employee engagement;
                            (iii) design of websites and interactive 
                        portals, online forms, social media, and other 
                        digital platforms of agencies; and
                            (iv) communication;
                    (C) encourage cross-agency efforts relating to 
                improving customer experience; and
                    (D) pilot and implement innovative technologies and 
                strategies from human-centered design to improve 
                customer experience;
            (5) identify--
                    (A) life moments of Federal Government customers in 
                which agencies have a role; and
                    (B) other key focal points or interactions that are 
                particularly salient for interaction of the public with 
                the Federal Government;
            (6) in collaboration with the heads of agencies and State 
        and municipal governments, develop innovative and collaborative 
        means to improve how the Federal Government meets the current 
        and future needs of the public;
            (7) develop a framework to help agencies accurately assess 
        the true costs, benefits, and costs of inaction with respect to 
        improving customer experience, taking into account the many 
        benefits of improved public engagement, including receiving 
        more accurate and timely public data inputs; and
            (8) in collaboration with the heads of relevant agencies, 
        develop good practices on customer experience and employee 
        engagement, including through engagement and dialogue with 
        advocacy groups, private sector organizations, and foreign 
        government officials.

SEC. 10. INTEGRATING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE INTO THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF 
              KEY AGENCY OFFICIALS.

    (a) Performance Improvement Officers and the Performance 
Improvement Council.--Section 1124 of title 31, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(2)--
                    (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) through (F) 
                as subparagraphs (C) through (G), respectively;
                    (B) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the 
                following:
                    ``(B) in consultation with agency staff responsible 
                for customer experience and communications, advise the 
                head of the agency and the Chief Operating Officer, or 
                an equivalent official, on the agency contribution to 
                public trust in Government, including through customer 
                experience, mechanisms for public participation in 
                Government, and communication with the public on agency 
                performance, consistent with subparagraph (G);'';
                    (C) in subparagraph (D), as so redesignated, by 
                inserting ``, with an emphasis on customer experience'' 
                before the semicolon;
                    (D) in subparagraph (E), as so redesignated, by 
                inserting ``and soliciting voluntary customer 
                experience feedback'' after ``agency performance'';
                    (E) in subparagraph (F), as so redesignated, by 
                striking ``and'' at the end;
                    (F) in subparagraph (G), as so redesignated, by 
                striking the period at the end and inserting ``; and''; 
                and
                    (G) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(H) in collaboration with other relevant 
                officials, revise and update the website of the agency 
                and develop and implement proactive public outreach 
                strategies that emphasize human-level stories of 
                impact, geographic or demographic considerations of the 
                target audience, and human centered design, in 
                collaboration with other agency officials and support 
                agencies, including the United States Digital Service 
                and the General Services Administration.''; and
            (2) in subsection (b)(2)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ``, 
                especially related to customer experience'' before the 
                semicolon;
                    (B) in subparagraph (D), by inserting ``especially 
                customer experience, and barriers to developing and 
                enhancing public trust in Government,'' after 
                ``performance issues,''; and
                    (C) in subparagraph (H) by inserting ``and customer 
                experience'' after ``performance improvement 
                experiences''.
    (b) Agency Chief Human Capital Officers.--Section 1401(1) of title 
5, United States Code, is amended by inserting ``, with an emphasis on 
enhancing employee engagement (as defined in section 321)'' before the 
semicolon.
    (c) Authorities and Functions of Chief Human Capital Officers.--
Section 1402(a)(4) of title 5, United States Code, is amended to read 
as follows:
            ``(4) the hiring and performance management authorities for 
        developing and advocating a culture of continuous learning and 
        employee engagement (as defined in section 321) to attract and 
        retain employees with superior abilities, motivation, and pride 
        in their work who will contribute to overall agency performance 
        and customer experience (as defined in section 321), which 
        shall be delegated to the Chief Human Capital Officer by the 
        Director of the Office of Personnel Management;''.
    (d) Chief Information Officer Authorities.--Section 11319(d)(1) of 
title 40, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (C), (D), (E), (F), (G), 
        and (H) as subparagraphs (D), (E), (F), (G), (H), and (I), 
        respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following:
                    ``(C) to improve customer experience (as defined in 
                section 321 of title 5) through targeted information 
                technology improvement and analytics;''.
    (e) Program Management Improvement Officer and Program Management 
Policy Council.--Section 1126 of title 31, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(2)(B)--
                    (A) in clause (i)--
                            (i) in subclause (I), by striking ``and'' 
                        at the end;
                            (ii) in subclause (II), by striking the 
                        period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
                                    ``(III) training that emphasizes 
                                customer experience.''; and
                    (B) in clause (iii), by striking ``career paths and 
                career'' and inserting ``employee engagement, career 
                paths, and career''; and
            (2) in subsection (b)(2)(C)--
                    (A) in clause (i), by striking ``career development 
                and'' and inserting ``employee engagement, career 
                development, and''; and
                    (B) in clause (ii), by inserting ``, including 
                customer experience'' after ``project management''.
    (f) Chief Data Officers and Chief Data Officer Council.--
            (1) Chief data officers.--Section 3520(c) of title 44, 
        United States Code, is amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (7), by inserting ``, including 
                data use relating to customer experience and employee 
                engagement'' after ``data use''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (12), by inserting ``, including 
                data use relating to customer experience and employee 
                engagement'' after ``data use''.
            (2) Chief data officer council.--Section 3520A(b)(3) of 
        title 44, United States Code, is amended by inserting ``, 
        including policymaking relating to customer experience and 
        employee engagement'' after ``policymaking''.

SEC. 11. CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE OFFICERS FOR AGENCY COMPONENTS.

    (a) Designation.--
            (1) In general.--The head of an agency may designate 1 or 
        more Lead Customer Experience Officers for a component of the 
        agency that presents significant customer experience 
        opportunities or challenges.
            (2) High-impact service providers.--It is the sense of 
        Congress that, the head of an agency that is a high-impact 
        service provider should make a designation under paragraph (1).
            (3) Qualifications.--A Lead Customer Experience Officer of 
        a component of an agency designated under paragraph (1) shall 
        have demonstrated training and experience in--
                    (A) agency leadership;
                    (B) management;
                    (C) policy;
                    (D) customer experience;
                    (E) employee engagement;
                    (F) digital experience;
                    (G) public communications; or
                    (H) marketing.
    (b) Functions.--The Lead Customer Experience Officer of a component 
of an agency shall--
            (1) report directly to the head of the component or the 
        deputy head of the agency;
            (2) be included in the budget formulation process of the 
        component;
            (3) recommend modifications to policies of agencies to 
        incorporate customer experience as an essential priority, 
        including--
                    (A) rules (as defined in section 551 of title 5, 
                United States Code); and
                    (B) any other relevant policies;
            (4) issue directives, guidance, or policies for the 
        component on customer experience that articulate how strategy 
        and mission link to customer experience management and 
        outcomes;
            (5) participate in agency peer-learning and sharing and 
        ensure that customer experience practices are informed by good 
        practices from the private sector or other agencies;
            (6) in concert with agency-wide efforts and consistent with 
        guidance of the Office of Management and Budget, assess and 
        measure the overall public perceptions of the component;
            (7) coordinate the development, resourcing, and 
        implementation of customer experience priorities;
            (8) engage employees and contractors of the component in 
        customer experience and employee engagement, including through 
        process reforms, training, workshops, and other interventions 
        designed to shift the culture of the component to increasingly 
        focus on measuring customer experience and the outcomes that 
        the component produces, such as improved trust; and
            (9) serve as the liaison of the component to other 
        components of the agency, other agencies, and the Office of 
        Management and Budget on improving customer experience and 
        trust in the Federal Government.

SEC. 12. PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT VOLUNTARY CUSTOMER FEEDBACK REFORM.

    (a) Application of Paperwork Reduction Act to Collection of 
Voluntary Feedback.--Subchapter I of chapter 35 of title 44, United 
States Code (commonly known as the ``Paperwork Reduction Act''), is 
amended--
            (1) in section 3502--
                    (A) in paragraph (22), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in paragraph (23), by striking the period at 
                the end and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(24) the term `voluntary customer feedback' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 321 of title 5.''; and
            (2) in section 3518(c)(1)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``or'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period at 
                the end and inserting ``; or''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(E) by an agency that is voluntary customer 
                feedback.''.
    (b) Guidelines for Voluntary Customer Feedback.--Each agency that 
solicits voluntary customer feedback shall ensure that--
            (1) responses to the solicitation of voluntary customer 
        feedback remain anonymous and are not traced to specific 
        individuals or entities;
            (2) individuals and entities who decline to participate in 
        the solicitation of voluntary customer feedback are not treated 
        differently by the agency for purposes of providing services or 
        information;
            (3) the solicitation does not include more than 10 
        questions;
            (4) the voluntary nature of the solicitation is clear;
            (5) the proposed solicitation of voluntary customer 
        feedback will contribute to improved customer service;
            (6) solicitations of voluntary customer feedback are 
        limited to 1 solicitation per interaction with an individual or 
        entity;
            (7) to the extent practicable, the solicitation of 
        voluntary customer feedback is made at the point of service 
        with an individual or entity;
            (8) instruments for collecting voluntary customer feedback 
        are accessible to individuals with disabilities in accordance 
        with section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 
        794d); and
            (9) internal agency data governance policies remain in 
        effect with respect to the collection of voluntary customer 
        feedback from individuals and entities.

SEC. 13. EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATING AGENCY PERFORMANCE TO THE PUBLIC.

    (a) 21st Century IDEA.--Section 6(4) of the 21st Century Integrated 
Digital Experience Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 note) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``customers, identify areas'' and inserting 
        ``customers, identify--
                    ``(A) areas'';
            (2) in subparagraph (A), as so designated, by adding 
        ``and'' at the end; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) opportunities to provide--
                            ``(i) a more engaging customer experience 
                        (as defined in section 321 of title 5, United 
                        States Code) through human-level content, such 
                        as stories of individual impact or multimedia 
                        testimonials; and
                            ``(ii) design improvements of websites and 
                        interactive portals, online forms, social 
                        media, and other digital platforms of agencies 
                        and the Federal Government;''.
    (b) USA.gov and Agency Websites.--
            (1) E-government act of 2002.--The E-Government Act of 2002 
        (44 U.S.C. 3501 note) is amended--
                    (A) in section 204(a)--
                            (i) in paragraph (1)--
                                    (I) by striking ``and promote an'' 
                                and inserting ``and promote--
                    ``(A) an'';
                                    (II) in subparagraph (A), as so 
                                designated, by striking the period at 
                                the end and inserting ``; and''; and
                                    (III) by adding at the end the 
                                following:
                    ``(B) a well-designed interactive experience for 
                visitors to the Internet-based system maintained under 
                subparagraph (A) that--
                            ``(i) is tailored to the needs of 
                        individual visitors;
                            ``(ii) includes context about the impact 
                        and achievements of the Federal Government, 
                        including human-level multimedia stories; and
                            ``(iii) offers visitors an opportunity to 
                        submit--
                                    ``(I) voluntary customer feedback, 
                                as defined in section 321 of title 5, 
                                United States Code; and
                                    ``(II) information about personal 
                                experiences with the Federal Government 
                                of visitors.''; and
                            (ii) in paragraph (2), by adding at the end 
                        the following:
                    ``(E) The inclusion of an interactive map of the 
                United States that--
                            ``(i) allows visitors of the integrated 
                        system to view the human-level impact of 
                        programs and policies of agencies, tailored by 
                        the geographic region and demographic profile 
                        of the visitor; and
                            ``(ii) links to the websites of agencies 
                        and components of agencies in order for 
                        visitors to obtain additional information.''; 
                        and
                    (B) in section 207(f)(1)--
                            (i) in the matter preceding subparagraph 
                        (A), by striking ``Not later than 2 years after 
                        the effective date of this title'' and 
                        inserting ``Not later than 2 years after the 
                        date of enactment of the Trust in Public 
                        Service Act'';
                            (ii) in subparagraph (A)--
                                    (I) in clause (iii), by striking 
                                ``and'' at the end;
                                    (II) in clause (iv), by striking 
                                ``and'' at the end; and
                                    (III) by adding at the end the 
                                following:
                            ``(v) historical context and stories about 
                        the impact and achievements of the agency; and
                            ``(vi) human-level stories of the impact of 
                        the agency, including multimedia testimonials 
                        from the public;''; and
                            (iii) by striking subparagraph (B) and 
                        inserting the following:
                    ``(B) minimum agency goals to assist public users 
                to--
                            ``(i) navigate agency websites, including--
                                    ``(I) the speed of retrieval of 
                                search results;
                                    ``(II) the relevance of the 
                                results;
                                    ``(III) tools to aggregate and 
                                disaggregate data; and
                                    ``(IV) security protocols to 
                                protect information; and
                            ``(ii) efficiently and easily obtain 
                        services of the agency and information to 
                        better understand the mission and impact of the 
                        agency and have an emotionally positive 
                        experience while obtaining those services and 
                        information, including--
                                    ``(I) measures to ensure the 
                                customer experience (as defined in 
                                section 321 of title 5, United States 
                                Code), of public users, which may 
                                include--
                                            ``(aa) task completion 
                                        rates;
                                            ``(bb) time taken to 
                                        complete a task;
                                            ``(cc) drop out points; and
                                            ``(dd) user comprehension 
                                        and satisfaction measurements;
                                    ``(II) visual presentations of 
                                curated testimonials segmented by 
                                geographic and demographic profiles; 
                                and
                                    ``(III) functionality that allows 
                                website visitors to submit voluntary 
                                customer feedback (as defined in 
                                section 321 of title 5, United States 
                                Code) or personal testimonials through 
                                text or multimedia functions; and
                    ``(C) instructions for agencies to assess the 
                minimum agency goals described in subparagraph (B) 
                through testing, focus groups, and voluntary customer 
                feedback (as defined in section 321 of title 5, United 
                States Code)''.
            (2) Agency reports.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
        of enactment of this Act, the head of each agency shall submit 
        to the Director a report on--
                    (A) any changes made to the website of the agency 
                and the digital experience of visitors to the website 
                of the agency in accordance with guidance issued under 
                section 207(f) of the E-Government Act of 2002 (44 
                U.S.C. 3501 note), as amended by this Act; and
                    (B) any collaboration or consultation relating to 
                the customer experience of the agency with an agency 
                described in section 323(c)(1) of title 5, United 
                States Code, as added by this Act.
            (3) OMB report.--Not later than 30 days after the date on 
        which the Director receives the reports from the heads of 
        agencies under paragraph (2), the Director shall submit to 
        Congress a report summarizing those reports.

SEC. 14. PARTICIPATORY GOVERNMENT AND CIVIC DIALOGUE ADVISORY COUNCIL.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Council.--The term ``Council'' means the Participatory 
        Government and Civic Dialogue Advisory Council.
            (2) State.--The term ``State'' means--
                    (A) a State;
                    (B) the District of Columbia;
                    (C) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and
                    (D) any other territory or possession of the United 
                States.
    (b) Establishment.--The Director, in coordination with the Chief 
Customer Experience Officer of the United States appointed under 
section 9(b), shall establish an advisory council to be known as the 
``Participatory Government and Civic Dialogue Advisory Council'' for 
the purpose of providing the recommendations described in subsection 
(e).
    (c) Membership.--
            (1) In general.--The Council shall consist of 22 members 
        appointed by the Director, of whom--
                    (A) 4 shall be representatives of a nonprofit 
                organization or foundation;
                    (B) 4 shall be representatives of agencies who have 
                the responsibility to foster, or relevant experience in 
                fostering, public participation in the prioritization 
                of the policy, regulation, execution, or evaluation of 
                the Federal Government;
                    (C) 4 shall be representatives of a State, local, 
                Tribal, or territorial government;
                    (D) 4 shall be representatives of academic or 
                research institutions;
                    (E) 4 shall be representatives of businesses; and
                    (F) 2 shall be representatives of media 
                organizations.
            (2) Geographic diversity.--The Director shall ensure that--
                    (A) the membership of the Council is geographically 
                diverse; and
                    (B) not more than 2 of the members described in 
                subparagraphs (A) through (E) of paragraph (1) 
                represent the same State.
            (3) Terms; vacancies.--
                    (A)  In general.--Subject to subparagraph (C), each 
                member of the Council shall be appointed for a term of 
                3 years.
                    (B) Term limits.--Members of the Council may be 
                appointed for not more than 2 consecutive terms.
                    (C) Initial terms.--The terms of the initial 
                members of the Council may be 1, 2, or 3 years in order 
                to establish a rotation in which the Director appoints 
                \1/3\ of the members of the Council each year.
                    (D) Vacancies.--Any member appointed to fill a 
                vacancy occurring before the expiration of the term for 
                which the member's predecessor was appointed shall be 
                appointed only for the remainder of that term. A member 
                may serve after the expiration of that member's term 
                until a successor has taken office.
    (d) Meetings.--The Director shall convene the Council not less 
frequently than biannually.
    (e) Duties.--The Council, on a continuous basis, shall provide to 
the Director written recommendations, including any recommendations 
relating to the 2-year plan required under subsection (h), that--
            (1) focus on furthering a virtuous cycle in which 
        responsive political institutions foster a healthy civic 
        culture of participation and responsibility to ensure that 
        political institutions are responsive and inclusive;
            (2) evaluate, and recommend improvements for, opportunities 
        for active and substantive public participation in the 
        prioritization, design, implementation, and evaluation of the 
        policies of the Federal Government in order to--
                    (A) enhance the quality of the policies of the 
                Federal Government; and
                    (B) increase the legitimacy of processes and 
                outcomes of the Federal Government;
            (3) identify opportunities created by digital platforms 
        to--
                    (A) facilitate and enhance the interaction between 
                the public and the Federal Government; and
                    (B) incorporate innovations in participatory 
                democracy gleaned from--
                            (i) agencies;
                            (ii) State, local, Tribal, and territorial 
                        governments; and
                            (iii) governments across the world;
            (4) evaluate, and recommend improvements for--
                    (A) civic dialogue and debate across the United 
                States, with an emphasis on bridging differences and 
                highlighting shared values; and
                    (B) efforts to counterbalance cynical, vitriolic, 
                and unproductive civil conversations on social media by 
                finding common ground; and
            (5) assess, and recommend improvement for, the role of the 
        Federal Government in using the convening power and resources 
        of the Federal Government to complement--
                    (A) private and philanthropic funding;
                    (B) civic education at all educational levels and 
                structures; and
                    (C) the media.
    (f) Compensation.--
            (1) In general.--Members of the Council may not receive 
        compensation for the performance of services for the Council.
            (2) Travel expenses.--Members of the Council shall be 
        allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 
        subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of agencies 
        under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States 
        Code, while away from their homes or regular places of business 
        in the performance of services for the Council.
            (3) Voluntary service permitted.--Notwithstanding section 
        1342 of title 31, United States Code, the Secretary may accept 
        the voluntary and uncompensated services of members of the 
        Council.
    (g) Permanence.--Section 14 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act 
(5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the Council.
    (h) 2-Year Plan.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Director, in consultation with the 
        Council and the heads of appropriate agencies, shall submit to 
        Congress a 2-year plan on participatory government and civic 
        dialogue.
            (2) Contents.--The plan required under paragraph (1) shall 
        include--
                    (A) a description of the problem relating to public 
                participation in the Federal Government and civic 
                dialogue;
                    (B) recommendations for agency and congressional 
                action to improve public participation in the Federal 
                Government, including--
                            (i) good practices;
                            (ii) a selection of illustrative mechanisms 
                        for agencies that can enable agencies to offer 
                        meaningful and impactful opportunities for 
                        public participation; and
                            (iii) a list of resources available to 
                        agencies to enable agencies to adopt and pilot 
                        recommendations;
                    (C) recommendations for agency and congressional 
                action to improve civic conversation in the United 
                States, including new--
                            (i) agency programs;
                            (ii) legislative authorities; or
                            (iii) funding; and
                    (D) a description of the concrete actions that 
                agencies should take relating to the mission of the 
                Council during the 2-year period beginning on the date 
                on which the plan is submitted under paragraph (1).
            (3) Development and implementation.--In developing and 
        implementing the plan required under paragraph (1), the 
        Director shall take into account other efforts of the Federal 
        Government to improve participatory government and civic 
        dialogue, including customer experience initiatives and broader 
        Federal Government communication.

SEC. 15. GAO REPORTS.

    (a) Report on Agency Efforts.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United 
        States shall submit to Congress a report that includes an 
        assessment of agency efforts to enhance customer experience and 
        improve communication with the public.
            (2) Contents.--To the extent relevant information is 
        available, the report required under paragraph (1) shall 
        include the following:
                    (A) An assessment of the extent to which selected 
                agencies actively assesses public confidence in the 
                agency and programs of those agency, including by 
                conducting surveys, convening focus groups, soliciting 
                voluntary customer feedback, making use of public data, 
                fostering public participation in the Federal 
                Government, and evaluating communication tools and 
                strategies.
                    (B) An assessment of the experience of agencies, 
                specific sectors, such as healthcare, and the Federal 
                Government as a whole in improving customer experience, 
                including whether guidance on customer experience, as 
                of the date of enactment of this Act, is sufficient to 
                support the efforts of agencies.
                    (C) An assessment of--
                            (i) agencies with high-performing customer 
                        experience, including strategies that enable 
                        successful efforts; and
                            (ii) agencies that have not adopted 
                        customer experience culture or initiatives and 
                        the challenges those agencies faced in that 
                        adoption.
                    (D) An assessment of the compliance of agencies 
                with requirements relating to customer experience, 
                digital experience, and communication (including 
                through websites), including requirements under--
                            (i) the 21st Century Integrated Digital 
                        Experience Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 note); and
                            (ii) other relevant authorities, including 
                        this Act.
                    (E) Any other matter the Comptroller General of the 
                United States determines important to assessing 
                customer experience or enhancing confidence in agencies 
                or the Federal Government as a whole.
    (b) Report on Best Practices.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United 
        States shall submit to Congress a report that includes an 
        examination of best practices in customer experience--
                    (A) across the Federal Government; and
                    (B) in State, local, Tribal, territorial, and 
                foreign governments.
            (2) Contents.--To the extent relevant information is 
        available, the report required under paragraph (1) shall 
        include the following:
                    (A) An examination of the experience of agencies 
                with sharing, disseminating, and adopting customer 
                experience best practices from other agencies and 
                recommendations for improvement.
                    (B) An examination of successful efforts by State, 
                local, and foreign governments to improve or create 
                high quality, integrated customer experience, 
                especially in the digital domain, in order to identify 
                useful lessons.
                    (C) Any other matter the Comptroller General of the 
                United States determines important to assessing 
                customer experience or enhancing confidence in agencies 
                or the Federal Government as a whole.
                                 <all>