[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 112 (Wednesday, July 31, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H5207-H5209]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          GOVERNMENT CUSTOMER SERVICE IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2013

  Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1660) to require the establishment of Federal customer 
service standards and to improve the service provided by Federal 
agencies, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1660

       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 ``Government Customer Service 
     Improvement Act of 2013''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Agency.--The term ``agency''--
       (A) means an Executive agency (as defined under section 105 
     of title 5, United States Code) that provides significant 
     services directly to the public or other entity; and
       (B) does not include an Executive agency if the President 
     determines that this Act should not apply to the Executive 
     agency for national security reasons.
       (2) Customer.--The term ``customer'', with respect to an 
     agency, means any individual or entity that is directly 
     served by an agency.

     SEC. 3. DEVELOPMENT OF CUSTOMER SERVICE STANDARDS.

       (a) Government-Wide Standards.--
       (1) In general.--The Director of the Office of Management 
     and Budget shall develop Government-wide standards for 
     customer service delivery, which shall be included in the 
     Federal Government Performance Plan required under section 
     1115 of title 31, United States Code.
       (2) Requirements.--The standards developed under paragraph 
     (1) shall include--
       (A) Government-wide goals for continuous service 
     improvements and efforts to modernize service delivery; and
       (B) where appropriate, Government-wide target response 
     times for telephone calls, electronic mail, mail, benefit 
     processing, and payments.
       (b) Agency Standards.--
       (1) In general.--The Performance Improvement Officer for 
     each agency shall establish customer service standards in 
     accordance with the Government-wide standards developed under 
     subsection (a), which shall be included in the Agency 
     Performance Plans required under section 1115 of title 31, 
     United States Code.
       (2) Requirements.--Agency standards established under 
     paragraph (1) shall include, if appropriate--
       (A) target call wait times during peak and non-peak hours;
       (B) target response times for correspondence, both by mail 
     and electronic mail;
       (C) procedures for ensuring all applicable metrics are 
     incorporated into service agreements with nongovernmental 
     individuals and entities;
       (D) target response times for processing benefits and 
     making payments; and
       (E) recommendations for effective publication of customer 
     service contact information, including a mailing address, 
     telephone number, and email address.
       (c) Customer Service Input.--
       (1) Establishment.--The Director of the Office of 
     Management and Budget shall establish a Customer Service 
     Feedback Pilot Program. The pilot program shall include 
     participation by the Internal Revenue Service and a minimum 
     of two additional agencies selected by the Director and shall 
     continue for a period of at least three years. The Director 
     shall require participating agencies to implement a customer 
     service feedback system to collect information from customers 
     of the agency regarding the quality of customer service 
     provided by the agency, including--
       (A) information on the extent to which agency performance 
     complies with the Government-wide standards developed under 
     subsection (a); and
       (B) feedback on the quality of customer service provided by 
     the agency employee or employees with whom the customer 
     interacted.
       (2) Limitation.--An agency may not publish or make 
     publically available information collected under the feedback 
     system that is specific to a named employee.
       (3) Additional information in performance report.--In 
     developing the performance report made available by the 
     agency under section 1116 of title 31, United States Code, 
     each agency--
       (A) shall include the information collected under this 
     subsection; and
       (B) may include aggregate data collected under paragraph 
     (1)(B) without including names of specific agency employees.
       (4) Report to congress on customer service feedback pilot 
     program.--Not later than two years after the implementation 
     of the Customer Service Feedback Pilot Program established 
     under this subsection, the Comptroller General shall submit 
     to Congress a report assessing the pilot program and a 
     recommendation on whether such program should be expanded 
     Government-wide.
       (d) Annual Performance Update.--The Director of the Office 
     of Management and Budget shall include achievements by 
     agencies in meeting the customer service performance 
     standards developed under subsection (a) in each update on 
     agency performance required under section 1116 of title 31, 
     United States Code.

     SEC. 4. PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL.

        Compliance with customer service standards developed under 
     this Act shall be included in employee appraisal systems 
     establish by agencies, including the performance appraisal 
     systems referred to in chapter 43 of title 5, United States 
     Code.

     SEC. 5. SERVICE IMPROVEMENT UNIT PILOT PROGRAM.

       (a) Established.--The Director of the Office of Management 
     and Budget shall establish a pilot program, to be known as 
     the Service Improvement Unit Pilot Program (in this section 
     referred to as the ``pilot program''), to provide assistance 
     to agencies that do not meet the Government-wide standards 
     developed under section 3.

[[Page H5208]]

       (b) Personnel.--The heads of agencies with expertise in 
     change management, process improvement, and information 
     technology innovation shall detail employees to the Office of 
     Management and Budget to work on the pilot program, based on 
     the expertise and skills required to address service 
     improvement goals.
       (c) Responsibilities.--Under the pilot program, the Office 
     of Management and Budget shall work with agencies that are 
     not meeting the customer service standards developed under 
     section 3 to improve and modernize service delivery to 
     develop solutions, including--
       (1) evaluating the efforts of the agency to improve service 
     delivery;
       (2) developing a plan to improve within existing resources 
     and by drawing on expertise and assistance from other 
     agencies (including the Office of Management and Budget) 
     where necessary;
       (3) monitoring implementation by the agency of the plan 
     developed under paragraph (2) until the customer service 
     standards are met; and
       (4) submitting to the Director of the Office of Management 
     and Budget monthly reports on the progress being made to 
     improve service at the agency until the customer service 
     standards are met.
       (d) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of 
     Management and Budget shall submit to Congress a report on 
     the accomplishments and outcomes of the pilot program and any 
     recommendations relating to achieving the customer service 
     standards developed under section 3.
       (e) Support.--The Administrator of General Services shall 
     provide administrative and other support in order to 
     implement the pilot program under this section. The heads of 
     agencies shall, as appropriate and to the extent permitted by 
     law, provide at the request of the Director of the Office of 
     Management and Budget up to 2 personnel authorizations who 
     have expertise in change management, process improvement, and 
     information technology innovation to support the pilot 
     program.
       (f) Termination.--The authority to carry out the pilot 
     program shall terminate 2 years after the date of enactment 
     of this Act.

     SEC. 6. RETIREMENT REPORTING.

       (a) Definition.--In this section, the term ``agency'' has 
     the meaning given that term in section 551 of title 5, United 
     States Code.
       (b) Reports.--
       (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2) and 
     not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this 
     Act, and every month thereafter, the Director of the Office 
     of Personnel Management shall submit to Congress and the 
     Comptroller General of the United States, and issue publicly 
     (including on the website of the Office of Personnel 
     Management), a report that--
       (A) for each agency, evaluates the timeliness, 
     completeness, and accuracy of information submitted by the 
     agency relating to employees of the agency who are retiring; 
     and
       (B) indicates--
       (i) the total number of applications for retirement 
     benefits, lump sum death benefits, court ordered benefits, 
     phased retirement, and disability retirement that are pending 
     action by the Office of Personnel Management; and
       (ii) the number of months each such application has been 
     pending.
       (2) Suspension of reporting requirement.--Paragraph (1) 
     shall not apply to the Director of the Office of Personnel 
     Management for any month immediately following an 18-month 
     period in which the average processing time of applications 
     described in paragraph (1)(B) reaches 90 days or less.
       (c) Modernization Timeline.--The Director of the Office of 
     Personnel Management shall establish--
       (1) a timetable for the completion of each component of the 
     customer-focused retirement processing system of the Office 
     of Personnel Management, including all data elements required 
     for accurate completion of adjudication; and
       (2) the date by which all Federal payroll processing 
     entities will electronically transmit all personnel data to 
     the Office of Personnel Management.
       (d) Budget Request.--The Office of Personnel Management 
     shall include a detailed statement regarding the progress of 
     the Office of Personnel Management in completing the 
     customer-focused retirement processing system of the Office 
     of Personnel Management in each budget request of the Office 
     of Personnel Management submitted as part of the preparation 
     of the budget of the President submitted to Congress under 
     section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code.

     SEC. 7. NO INCREASE IN EXPENDITURES.

       No additional funds are authorized to carry out this Act. 
     This Act shall be carried out using amounts otherwise 
     authorized or appropriated.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Meadows) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. 
Lynch) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina.


                             General Leave

  Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from North Carolina?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Americans depend on Federal agencies for certain vital services. 
Failure by Federal agencies and employees to process in a timely manner 
requests for help or information can result in frustration and 
financial hardship.
  Poor customer service should not be tolerated at the IRS any more 
than it is at the private sector companies that must continually earn 
the right to serve its clients.
  H.R. 1660 helps ensure our government is more responsive to the 
public by establishing customer service standards and performance 
expectations for each agency. It will enable citizens to provide direct 
feedback concerning specific agency employees--including at the IRS--
and have that feedback considered in employee evaluations that impact 
the awarding of bonuses.
  H.R. 1660 puts taxpayers first by holding Federal workers accountable 
for their interactions with the public.
  I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.
  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1660, the 
Government Customer Service Improvement Act, and I yield myself such 
time as I may consume. I thank Representative Cuellar, my friend from 
Texas, for his leadership and his persistence in advocating for this 
bill.
  The Federal Government provides services that significantly impact 
the American people. There are many dedicated Federal employees who 
perform their jobs with professionalism and distinction.
  But there are areas in need of improvement. For instance, the 
Department of Veterans Affairs takes an average of 243 days to process 
a disability claim, and that is unacceptable.
  This legislation would require the Office of Management and Budget to 
establish government-wide standards for customer service delivery, 
including target response times for phone calls, emails, letters, 
benefits processing, and payments.
  I thank the chairman of the full committee for working with me during 
the committee's consideration of this bill. The bill we are considering 
today includes a pilot project to evaluate customer feedback systems. 
This was a compromise that will provide a more limited application than 
requiring every agency to institute their own individual feedback 
system. I hope the chairman will continue to work with us and all 
Members on both sides in moving this bill as we go through this 
legislative process. It is important that we ensure that the bill can 
achieve its intended purposes without negatively impacting the ability 
of Federal employees to do their jobs.
  H.R. 1660 is a good government bill in the truest sense.
  At this point, I would like to yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar), the principal sponsor of this 
bill.
  Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank the gentleman from 
Massachusetts for his time, the gentleman from North Carolina also, and 
I certainly want to thank Chairman Issa, Ranking Member Cummings, and 
the staff, both the Democratic and Republican staff, for helping pass 
this bill out of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and all 
the work and the compromises we worked out to make sure that we got a 
bipartisan bill.
  The primary goal of the Federal Government is to serve taxpayers. 
Currently, U.S. law does not require Federal agencies customer service 
standards, which is long overdue.
  Every day taxpayers interact with the Federal Government on a regular 
basis, whether it is through the passport services to travel, student 
loans through the Direct Loan Program to pay for higher education, 
health insurance under Medicare to get benefits, or Social Security for 
retirement planning. All these services are vital to operate a good 
government, especially in times when Americans are relying more on 
these types of services.
  Too often we hear veterans are waiting months to get critical medical

[[Page H5209]]

services or Federal employees experience long waits for their 
retirement benefits. These are just two examples, but millions of 
Americans rely on Federal agencies for vital services, which is why we 
must usher in a new chapter to accelerate response time and overall 
performance for better customer experience.
  With only one-third of Americans holding a favorable opinion of the 
Federal Government, according to a 2012 report from the Pew Research 
Center, this is a necessity that we must change. The bill is simple and 
necessary.
  First of all, H.R. 1660 improves customer service standards across 
the board. It does this by requiring the Office of Management and 
Budget, the OMB, to develop performance standards to determine whether 
Federal agencies are providing high-quality customer service and 
improving service delivery to agency customers.
  Second, the bill raises the bar for enhancing quality and access for 
customer service. This is accomplished by requiring agencies to collect 
information from their customers regarding the quality of service and 
ensures that there is customer feedback, which will be used to develop 
the standards.
  This bill also requires the development of a customer service 
feedback system, the results of which must be included in annual 
performance reports. Just like the private sector strives to provide 
excellent customer service in business, the Federal Government should 
also embed better service to bring efficiency.
  H.R. 1660 has no cost.
  This bill also has precedent. We passed this last session, and now we 
are hoping that with enough time that we are passing this, we'll get it 
over to the Senate so we can get it passed.
  This effort to examine agency customer service is also bicameral. 
Senator Warner and Senator Johnson dropped a companion bipartisan bill, 
as well.
  H.R. 1660 seeks to operate a better Federal Government to provide the 
taxpayers--who fund them--better quality service, which they deserve.
  I thank you for the time, and I encourage my colleagues to support 
and pass this bill.
  Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Texas 
for his foresight in bringing forth this bill. I certainly appreciate 
the fact that we need to be providing better customer service to those 
who call in and talk to employees on a regular basis. I commend the 
gentleman from Texas for that.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LYNCH. At this point, I have no further speakers, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, we have had some vigorous debate. Really 
what this is about is the American people back home. It is about doing 
the responsible thing for them to see that government actually works 
and that we are willing to stand up with the people back home to do 
what is best and right and return government back to ``we the people.''
  It has been great to hear some of the arguments from my colleagues 
opposite. I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts, the passion with 
which he has argued these points; and I look forward to working with 
him in a bipartisan way on some of these issues that he has 
highlighted.
  I urge all the Members to join me in support of this bill, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Meadows) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1660, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________