[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2689 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2689

 To improve the service delivery of agencies and public perception of 
              agency interactions, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 18, 2023

   Ms. Porter (for herself, Mr. Connolly, Mr. Mfume, Ms. Norton, Ms. 
 Titus, Mr. Kilmer, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Mr. Case, Ms. Jayapal, Mr. 
Cartwright, and Mr. Phillips) introduced the following bill; which was 
   referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, and in 
addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, Ways and Means, Natural 
    Resources, Agriculture, Energy and Commerce, Education and the 
 Workforce, Veterans' Affairs, Homeland Security, Small Business, and 
   Armed Services, 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 the service delivery of agencies and public perception of 
              agency interactions, 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 Government Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENT OF SERVICE DELIVERY OF AGENCIES AND PUBLIC 
              PERCEPTION OF AGENCY INTERACTIONS.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the agencies subject to the requirements of this Act 
        should--
                    (A) improve their understanding of customers;
                    (B) reduce administrative hurdles and paperwork 
                burdens to minimize the time it takes to process 
                benefits, enhance transparency, and create greater 
                efficiencies across Government;
                    (C) improve public perception of agency 
                interactions by systematically identifying and 
                resolving the root causes of any challenge experienced 
                by the public with respect to such interactions, 
                regardless of whether the source of any such challenge 
                is statutory, regulatory, budgetary, technological, or 
                process-based; and
                    (D) to engender public trust, ensure that the 
                efforts of the agency appropriately maintain or enhance 
                protections afforded under law and the policies of the 
                agency, including protections related to civil rights, 
                civil liberties, privacy, confidentiality, and 
                information security; and
            (2) the Federal Government should--
                    (A) make improving service deliveries and public 
                perception of agency interactions fundamental 
                priorities; and
                    (B) measure performance empirically and by on-the-
                ground results for the people of the United States, 
                especially for experiences of the people of the United 
                States with services delivered by agencies.
    (b) Reforms To Improve Agency Service Delivery and Customer 
Experience.--
            (1) Reforms.--In order to improve the overall economy, 
        efficiency, and management of government operations and 
        activities, reduce the paperwork of agencies, and provide high-
        quality services to the public--
                    (A) the Secretary of State shall redesign the 
                passport renewal process to allow for a fully online 
                renewal application that does not require any physical 
                documents to be mailed;
                    (B) the Secretary of the Treasury shall design and 
                deliver new online tools and services of the Internal 
                Revenue Service to--
                            (i) expand electronic filing options for 
                        taxpayers;
                            (ii) provide the option for taxpayers to 
                        receive customer support via secure email; and
                            (iii) provide the option for taxpayers to 
                        schedule customer support telephone call-backs;
                    (C) the Secretary of the Interior shall design and 
                deliver a centralized, modernized electronic permitting 
                system to accept and process applications for permits;
                    (D) the Secretary of Agriculture shall design and 
                deliver new online tools and services--
                            (i) for online purchasing under the special 
                        supplemental nutrition program for women, 
                        infants, and children under section 17 of the 
                        Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786);
                            (ii) to simplify enrollment and 
                        recertification for nutrition assistance 
                        programs such as the supplemental nutrition 
                        assistance program (commonly known as SNAP) and 
                        the program described in clause (i), including 
                        expanding the use of direct certification; and
                            (iii) for a simplified process for applying 
                        for direct loans under subtitle A or B of the 
                        Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act;
                    (E) the Secretary of Labor shall--
                            (i) update existing rules and policies, 
                        consistent with applicable law and to the 
                        extent practicable, to allow individuals 
                        entitled to medical treatment under any Federal 
                        workers' compensation program to conduct their 
                        routine medical treatment appointments using 
                        telehealth platforms; and
                            (ii) update rules, policies, and procedures 
                        to eliminate, consistent with applicable law 
                        and to the extent practicable, requirements for 
                        workers' compensation claimants to submit 
                        physical documents, but to retain the option 
                        for physical submission for claimants who 
                        cannot otherwise submit them;
                    (F) the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
                shall--
                            (i) continue to design and deliver new, 
                        personalized online tools and expanded customer 
                        support options for individuals entitled to 
                        benefits under part A of title XVIII of the 
                        Social Security Act or enrolled under part B of 
                        such title;
                            (ii) strengthen requirements for maternal 
                        health quality measurement, including--
                                    (I) measuring perinatal quality and 
                                patient care experiences; and
                                    (II) evaluating the measurements by 
                                race and ethnicity to better identify 
                                inequities in maternal health care 
                                delivery and outcomes;
                            (iii) to the maximum extent permitted by 
                        law, support coordination between the Medicare 
                        program under title XVIII of the Social 
                        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.), the 
                        Medicaid program under title XIX of such Act 
                        (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.), the Children's Health 
                        Insurance Program under title XXI of such Act 
                        (42 U.S.C. 1397aa et seq.);
                            (iv) to the maximum extent permitted by 
                        law, propose ways to streamline State benefit 
                        program enrollment and renewal processes in 
                        order to reduce administrative burden on 
                        customers and remove barriers to enrollment and 
                        renewal, including by eliminating face-to-face 
                        interview requirements and requiring 
                        prepopulated electronic renewal forms, to 
                        ensure eligible individuals are automatically 
                        enrolled in and retain access to such benefit 
                        programs;
                            (v) develop guidance for covered entities 
                        and business associates of such entities as 
                        such terms are defined in section 160.103 of 
                        title 45, Code of Federal Regulations, on 
                        providing telehealth in compliance with HIPAA 
                        privacy regulation (as defined in section 
                        1180(b)(3) of the Social Security Act) to 
                        improve patient experience and convenience 
                        following the end of the COVID-19 public health 
                        emergency; and
                            (vi) test methods to automate patient 
                        access to electronic prenatal, birth, and 
                        postpartum health records (including laboratory 
                        results, genetic tests, ultrasound images, and 
                        clinical notes) to improve patient experiences 
                        in maternity care and health outcomes;
                    (G) the Secretary of Education shall--
                            (i) submit to Congress a plan for providing 
                        eligible recipients of Federal financial aid 
                        under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 
                        1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.), with the option 
                        to receive information about relevant 
                        recommendations for benefits and services 
                        provided by the Federal Government that such 
                        recipients may qualify for (including 
                        healthcare subsidies, broadband support, and 
                        food assistance) to connect such recipients 
                        with support to lower additional economic 
                        barriers to postsecondary education completion; 
                        and
                            (ii) design and make available to the 
                        public a centralized loan repayment portal 
                        through the website of the Department of 
                        Education that enables a borrower of any loan 
                        made under part D of title IV of the Higher 
                        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087a et 
                        seq.), regardless of loan servicer, to make 
                        payments on such loan;
                    (H) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall provide 
                digital services through a single, integrated, and 
                equitable digital platform on VA.gov and an appropriate 
                mobile application of the Department of Veterans 
                Affairs;
                    (I) the Secretary of Homeland Security shall design 
                and deliver--
                            (i) innovative technologies at airport 
                        security checkpoints to reduce passenger wait 
                        times;
                            (ii) new opportunities for customers to 
                        connect with the Transportation Security 
                        Administration, including as appropriate, 
                        through--
                                    (I) online chat;
                                    (II) improved communications during 
                                additional screenings; and
                                    (III) additional mechanisms to 
                                provide customer feedback; and
                            (iii) a streamlined, online disaster 
                        assistance application;
                    (J) the Administrator of the Small Business 
                Administration shall develop and implement a 
                streamlined, online disaster assistance application;
                    (K) the Commissioner of Social Security shall--
                            (i) develop a mobile-accessible, online 
                        process so that any individual applying for or 
                        receiving services from the Social Security 
                        Administration can upload forms, documentation, 
                        evidence, or correspondence associated with 
                        their transaction without the need for service-
                        specific tools or traveling to a field office;
                            (ii) consistent with applicable law and to 
                        the extent practicable, maintain a public 
                        policy of technology neutrality with respect to 
                        acceptable forms of electronic signatures;
                            (iii) consistent with applicable law and to 
                        the extent practicable, revise any necessary 
                        regulations, forms, instructions, or other 
                        sources of guidance (to include the Program 
                        Operations Manual System of the Social Security 
                        Administration) to remove requirements that 
                        members of the public provide physical 
                        signatures; and
                            (iv) to the maximum extent permitted by 
                        law, support applicants and beneficiaries to 
                        identify other benefits for which they may be 
                        eligible and integrate Social Security 
                        Administration data and processes with those of 
                        other Federal and State entities whenever 
                        possible;
                    (L) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the 
                Administrator of General Services shall collaborate to 
                provide seamless integration of Login.gov accounts to 
                allow customers to access any websites and applications 
                of the Department, and other customer-facing digital 
                products and to eliminate outdated and duplicate 
                customer sign-in options;
                    (M) the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of 
                Defense, the Secretary of Education, and the Director 
                of the Office of Personnel Management shall collaborate 
                to enable a more streamlined Public Service Loan 
                Forgiveness process for eligible borrowers, including 
                those who serve in the United States Armed Forces or as 
                civil servants, or who work for eligible nonprofit 
                organizations;
                    (N) the Director of OMB, acting through the 
                Administrator of the United States Digital Service, 
                shall collaborate with agencies in the executive branch 
                and Tribal governments to conduct research and document 
                challenges related to accessing grant programs to which 
                the Tribal governments are entitled, and shall propose 
                ways to streamline processes and reduce administrative 
                burdens for Tribal government customers; and
                    (O) the Director of OMB, acting through the 
                Administrator of the United States Digital Service, the 
                Administrator of General Services, and the Postmaster 
                General, shall develop ways to update mailing address 
                records across Government so that members of the public 
                may change their respective mailing addresses for 
                purposes of all Government services only once, through 
                the United States Postal Service.
            (2) Ongoing accountability for improving federal service 
        delivery and improving trust in government.--Not later than 180 
        days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 90 
        days thereafter--
                    (A) the head of each agency subject to a 
                requirement under subsection (a) shall certify in 
                writing to the Director of OMB that the requirement has 
                been satisfied; and
                    (B) the Director of OMB shall--
                            (i) in coordination with each head of an 
                        agency identified under paragraph (1), submit 
                        in writing to Congress, reports on the status 
                        of the progress of agencies in satisfying the 
                        requirements required by subsection (a), until 
                        such time as those requirements have been 
                        satisfied; and
                            (ii) with respect to each agency subject to 
                        a requirement under subsection (a), certify in 
                        writing to Congress that the head of each 
                        agency has satisfied the requirement.
    (c) OMB Guidance.--
            (1) Agency customer experience initiatives.--Not later than 
        270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
        Director of OMB shall designate a team of individuals within 
        the Office of Management and Budget to lead and support 
        agencies initiatives to improve public perception of agency 
        interactions, including by facilitating the decision-making 
        processes of such agencies that are needed to--
                    (A) achieve the purposes of this Act;
                    (B) coordinate the activities of high impact 
                service providers as described in this Act; and
                    (C) develop strategies for the integration of 
                services and development of products involving multiple 
                agencies as described in this Act.
            (2) Guidance of omb.--Not later than 1 year after the 
        enactment of this Act, the Director of OMB shall update 
        guidance issued by the Director and supporting processes (such 
        as information collection reviews or data sharing approvals) as 
        necessary and applicable, to implement the provisions of this 
        Act.
    (d) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Customer.--The term ``customer'' means any person or 
        governmental entity that interacts with an agency of the 
        executive branch, either directly or through a federally funded 
        program administered by a contractor, nonprofit, State or local 
        government, or other entity of the Federal Government/executive 
        branch.
            (2) Public perception of agency interactions.--The term 
        ``public perception of agency interactions'' means the 
        perception of the public regarding interactions with the 
        agency, including interactions with the agency through a 
        contractor, non-profit, or other Federal entity, and the 
        overall satisfaction of the public regarding such interactions.
            (3) Director of omb.--The term ``Director of OMB'' means 
        the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
            (4) Service delivery.--The term ``service delivery'' means, 
        with respect to all points of the agency-to-customer delivery 
        process, an action of the agency related to providing a benefit 
        or service to a customer of such entity, including providing a 
        benefit or service to a customer that is related to an 
        application for a benefit or loan, health care or small 
        business counseling, requests for documents, such as a passport 
        or Social Security card, filing taxes or declaring a good, 
        using resources such as a park or historical site, or seeking 
        information such as notices about public health or consumer 
        protection.
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