[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 181 (Tuesday, November 7, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7066-S7069]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             FEDERAL AGENCY CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE ACT OF 2017

  Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 220, S. 1088.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 1088) to require the collection of voluntary 
     feedback on services provided by agencies, and for other 
     purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill, 
which had been reported from the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs, with amendments, as follows:
  (The parts of the bill intended to be stricken are shown in boldface 
brackets and the parts of the bill intended to be inserted are shown in 
italics.)

                                S. 1088

       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 ``Federal Agency Customer 
     Experience Act of 2017''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
       (1) the Federal Government serves the people of the United 
     States and should seek to continually improve public services 
     provided by the Federal Government based on customer 
     feedback;
       (2) the people of the United States deserve a Federal 
     Government that provides efficient, effective, and high-
     quality services across multiple channels;
       (3) many agencies, offices, programs, and Federal employees 
     provide excellent service to individuals, however many parts 
     of the Federal Government still fall short on delivering the 
     customer service experience that individuals have come to 
     expect from the private sector;

[[Page S7067]]

       (4) according to the 2016 American Customer Satisfaction 
     Index, the Federal Government ranks among the bottom of all 
     industries in the United States in customer satisfaction;
       (5) providing quality services to individuals improves the 
     confidence of the people of the United States in their 
     government and helps agencies achieve greater impact and 
     fulfill their missions; and
       (6) improving service to individuals requires agencies to 
     work across organizational boundaries, leverage technology, 
     collect and share standardized data, and develop customer-
     centered mindsets and service strategies.
       (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
     all agencies should strive to provide high-quality, 
     courteous, effective, and efficient services to the people of 
     the United States and seek to measure, collect, report, and 
     utilize metrics relating to the experience of individuals 
     interacting with agencies to continually improve services to 
     the people of the United States.

     SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
     Administrator of General Services.
       (2) Agency.--The term ``agency'' has the meaning given the 
     term in section 3502 of title 44, United States Code.
       (3) Covered agency.--The term ``covered agency'' means an 
     agency or component of an agency that is required by the 
     Director to collect voluntary feedback [under] for purposes 
     of section 6, based on an assessment of the components and 
     programs of the agency with the highest impact on or number 
     of interactions with individuals or entities.
       (4) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
     the Office of Management and Budget.
       (5) Voluntary feedback.--The term ``voluntary feedback'' 
     has the meaning given the term in section 3502 of title 44, 
     United States Code, as added by section 4 of this Act.

     SEC. 4. APPLICATION OF THE 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 (13)(D), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (B) in paragraph (14), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting ``; [and] or''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(15) the term `voluntary feedback' means any submission 
     of information, opinion, or concern that is--
       ``(A) voluntarily made by a specific individual or other 
     entity relating to a particular service of or transaction 
     with an agency; and
       ``(B) specifically solicited by that agency.''; 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 ``; and''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(E) by an agency that is voluntary feedback.''.

     SEC. 5. GUIDELINES FOR VOLUNTARY FEEDBACK.

       Each agency that solicits voluntary feedback shall ensure 
     that--
       (1) responses to the solicitation of voluntary feedback 
     remain anonymous and shall not be traced to specific 
     individuals or entities;
       (2) individuals and entities who decline to participate in 
     the solicitation of voluntary feedback shall not be 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 feedback will 
     contribute to improved customer service;
       (6) solicitations of voluntary feedback are limited to 1 
     solicitation per interaction with an individual or entity;
       (7) to the extent practicable, the solicitation of 
     voluntary feedback is made at the point of service with an 
     individual or entity;
       (8) instruments for collecting voluntary 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 feedback 
     from individuals and entities.

     SEC. 6. CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE DATA COLLECTION.

       (a) Collection of Responses.--The head of each covered 
     agency (or a designee), assisted by and in coordination with 
     the Chief Performance Officer or other senior accountable 
     official for customer service of the covered agency, shall 
     collect voluntary feedback with respect to services of or 
     transactions with the covered agency.
       (b) Content of Questions.--
       (1) Standardized questions.--The Director, in coordination 
     with the Administrator, shall develop a set of standardized 
     questions for use by covered agencies in collecting voluntary 
     feedback under this section that address--
       (A) overall satisfaction of individuals or entities with 
     the specific interaction or service received;
       (B) the extent to which individuals or entities were able 
     to accomplish their intended task or purpose;
       (C) whether the individual or entity was treated with 
     respect and professionalism;
       (D) whether the individual or entity believes they were 
     served in a timely manner; and
       (E) any additional metrics as determined by the Director, 
     in coordination with the Administrator.
       (2) Additional questions.--In addition to the questions 
     developed under paragraph (1), the Chief Performance Officer 
     or other senior accountable official for customer service at 
     a covered agency may develop questions relevant to the 
     specific operations or programs of the covered agency.
       (c) Additional Requirements.--To the extent practicable--
       (1) each covered agency shall collect voluntary feedback 
     across all platforms or channels through which the covered 
     agency interacts with individuals or other entities to 
     deliver information or services; and
       (2) voluntary feedback collected under this section shall 
     be tied to specific transactions or interactions with 
     customers of the covered agency.
       (d) Reports.--
       (1) Annual report to the director.--
       (A) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, and not less frequently than annually 
     thereafter, each covered agency shall publish on the website 
     of the covered agency and submit to the Director, in a manner 
     determined by the Director, a report that includes the 
     voluntary feedback required to be collected under this 
     section.
       (B) Centralized website.--The Director shall--
       (i) include and maintain on a publicly available website 
     links to the information provided on the websites of covered 
     agencies under subparagraph (A); and
       (ii) for purposes of clause (i), establish a website or 
     make use of an existing website, such as the website required 
     under section 1122 of title 31, United States Code.
       (2) Aggregated report.--Each covered agency shall publish, 
     on a regular basis, an aggregated report on the solicitation 
     of voluntary feedback sent to individuals or entities, which 
     shall include--
       (A) the intended purpose of each solicitation of voluntary 
     feedback conducted by the covered agency;
       (B) the appropriate point of contact within each covered 
     agency for each solicitation of voluntary feedback conducted;
       (C) the questions or survey instrument submitted to members 
     of the public as part of the solicitation of voluntary 
     information; and
       (D) a description of how the covered agency uses the 
     voluntary feedback received by the covered agency to improve 
     the customer service of the covered agency.

     SEC. 7. CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE SCORECARD REPORT.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 15 months after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 10 years, 
     the Comptroller General of the United States shall make 
     publicly available and submit to the Committee on Homeland 
     Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the 
     Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the House of 
     Representatives a scorecard report assessing the quality of 
     services provided to the public by each covered agency.
       (b) Contents.--The report required under subsection (a) 
     shall include--
       (1) a summary of the information required to be published 
     by covered agencies under section 6(d); and
       (2) an analysis of administrative and legislative barriers 
     to improving service delivery by covered agencies.

  Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I further ask unanimous consent that the 
committee-reported amendments be agreed to, the McCaskill amendment at 
the desk be considered and agreed to, the bill, as amended, be 
considered read a third time and passed, and the motion to reconsider 
be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action 
or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee-reported amendments were agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 1580) was agreed to, as follows:

                     (Purpose: To improve the bill)

       On page 6, line 17, strike ``Chief Performance Officer'' 
     and insert ``Performance Improvement Officer''.
       On page 7, line 18, strike ``Chief Performance Officer'' 
     and insert ``Performance Improvement Officer''.
       On page 9, lines 22 and 23, strike ``date of enactment of 
     this Act, and annually thereafter for 10 years'' and insert 
     ``date on which all covered agencies have submitted the first 
     annual reports to the Director required under section 
     6(d)(1), and every 2 years thereafter until the date that is 
     10 years after such date''.
       On page 10, lines 3 and 4, strike ``quality of services 
     provided to the public by each covered agency'' and insert 
     ``data collected and reported by the covered agencies''.
       On page 10, strike lines 10 through 12 and insert the 
     following:

[[Page S7068]]

       (2) a description of how each covered agency will use the 
     voluntary feedback received by the covered agency to improve 
     service delivery.

  The bill (S. 1088), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a 
third reading, was read the third time, and passed, as follows:

                                S. 1088

       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 ``Federal Agency Customer 
     Experience Act of 2017''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
       (1) the Federal Government serves the people of the United 
     States and should seek to continually improve public services 
     provided by the Federal Government based on customer 
     feedback;
       (2) the people of the United States deserve a Federal 
     Government that provides efficient, effective, and high-
     quality services across multiple channels;
       (3) many agencies, offices, programs, and Federal employees 
     provide excellent service to individuals, however many parts 
     of the Federal Government still fall short on delivering the 
     customer service experience that individuals have come to 
     expect from the private sector;
       (4) according to the 2016 American Customer Satisfaction 
     Index, the Federal Government ranks among the bottom of all 
     industries in the United States in customer satisfaction;
       (5) providing quality services to individuals improves the 
     confidence of the people of the United States in their 
     government and helps agencies achieve greater impact and 
     fulfill their missions; and
       (6) improving service to individuals requires agencies to 
     work across organizational boundaries, leverage technology, 
     collect and share standardized data, and develop customer-
     centered mindsets and service strategies.
       (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
     all agencies should strive to provide high-quality, 
     courteous, effective, and efficient services to the people of 
     the United States and seek to measure, collect, report, and 
     utilize metrics relating to the experience of individuals 
     interacting with agencies to continually improve services to 
     the people of the United States.

     SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
     Administrator of General Services.
       (2) Agency.--The term ``agency'' has the meaning given the 
     term in section 3502 of title 44, United States Code.
       (3) Covered agency.--The term ``covered agency'' means an 
     agency or component of an agency that is required by the 
     Director to collect voluntary feedback for purposes of 
     section 6, based on an assessment of the components and 
     programs of the agency with the highest impact on or number 
     of interactions with individuals or entities.
       (4) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
     the Office of Management and Budget.
       (5) Voluntary feedback.--The term ``voluntary feedback'' 
     has the meaning given the term in section 3502 of title 44, 
     United States Code, as added by section 4 of this Act.

     SEC. 4. APPLICATION OF THE 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 (13)(D), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (B) in paragraph (14), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting ``; or''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(15) the term `voluntary feedback' means any submission 
     of information, opinion, or concern that is--
       ``(A) voluntarily made by a specific individual or other 
     entity relating to a particular service of or transaction 
     with an agency; and
       ``(B) specifically solicited by that agency.''; 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 ``; and''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(E) by an agency that is voluntary feedback.''.

     SEC. 5. GUIDELINES FOR VOLUNTARY FEEDBACK.

       Each agency that solicits voluntary feedback shall ensure 
     that--
       (1) responses to the solicitation of voluntary feedback 
     remain anonymous and shall not be traced to specific 
     individuals or entities;
       (2) individuals and entities who decline to participate in 
     the solicitation of voluntary feedback shall not be 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 feedback will 
     contribute to improved customer service;
       (6) solicitations of voluntary feedback are limited to 1 
     solicitation per interaction with an individual or entity;
       (7) to the extent practicable, the solicitation of 
     voluntary feedback is made at the point of service with an 
     individual or entity;
       (8) instruments for collecting voluntary 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 feedback 
     from individuals and entities.

     SEC. 6. CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE DATA COLLECTION.

       (a) Collection of Responses.--The head of each covered 
     agency (or a designee), assisted by and in coordination with 
     the Performance Improvement Officer or other senior 
     accountable official for customer service of the covered 
     agency, shall collect voluntary feedback with respect to 
     services of or transactions with the covered agency.
       (b) Content of Questions.--
       (1) Standardized questions.--The Director, in coordination 
     with the Administrator, shall develop a set of standardized 
     questions for use by covered agencies in collecting voluntary 
     feedback under this section that address--
       (A) overall satisfaction of individuals or entities with 
     the specific interaction or service received;
       (B) the extent to which individuals or entities were able 
     to accomplish their intended task or purpose;
       (C) whether the individual or entity was treated with 
     respect and professionalism;
       (D) whether the individual or entity believes they were 
     served in a timely manner; and
       (E) any additional metrics as determined by the Director, 
     in coordination with the Administrator.
       (2) Additional questions.--In addition to the questions 
     developed under paragraph (1), the Performance Improvement 
     Officer or other senior accountable official for customer 
     service at a covered agency may develop questions relevant to 
     the specific operations or programs of the covered agency.
       (c) Additional Requirements.--To the extent practicable--
       (1) each covered agency shall collect voluntary feedback 
     across all platforms or channels through which the covered 
     agency interacts with individuals or other entities to 
     deliver information or services; and
       (2) voluntary feedback collected under this section shall 
     be tied to specific transactions or interactions with 
     customers of the covered agency.
       (d) Reports.--
       (1) Annual report to the director.--
       (A) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, and not less frequently than annually 
     thereafter, each covered agency shall publish on the website 
     of the covered agency and submit to the Director, in a manner 
     determined by the Director, a report that includes the 
     voluntary feedback required to be collected under this 
     section.
       (B) Centralized website.--The Director shall--
       (i) include and maintain on a publicly available website 
     links to the information provided on the websites of covered 
     agencies under subparagraph (A); and
       (ii) for purposes of clause (i), establish a website or 
     make use of an existing website, such as the website required 
     under section 1122 of title 31, United States Code.
       (2) Aggregated report.--Each covered agency shall publish, 
     on a regular basis, an aggregated report on the solicitation 
     of voluntary feedback sent to individuals or entities, which 
     shall include--
       (A) the intended purpose of each solicitation of voluntary 
     feedback conducted by the covered agency;
       (B) the appropriate point of contact within each covered 
     agency for each solicitation of voluntary feedback conducted;
       (C) the questions or survey instrument submitted to members 
     of the public as part of the solicitation of voluntary 
     information; and
       (D) a description of how the covered agency uses the 
     voluntary feedback received by the covered agency to improve 
     the customer service of the covered agency.

     SEC. 7. CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE SCORECARD REPORT.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 15 months after the date on 
     which all covered agencies have submitted the first annual 
     reports to the Director required under section 6(d)(1), and 
     every 2 years thereafter until the date that is 10 years 
     after such date, the Comptroller General of the United States 
     shall make publicly available and submit to the Committee on 
     Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and 
     the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the House 
     of Representatives a scorecard report assessing the data 
     collected and reported by the covered agencies.
       (b) Contents.--The report required under subsection (a) 
     shall include--
       (1) a summary of the information required to be published 
     by covered agencies under section 6(d); and
       (2) a description of how each covered agency will use the 
     voluntary feedback received by the covered agency to improve 
     service delivery.

[[Page S7069]]

  

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