,,ii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #afaf ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #bb1 #bjai,ms4 ,baldwin 7for herself and ,mr4 ,van ,hollen7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,finance ,a ,,bill ,to amend title ,,vii of the ,social ,security ,act to improve the ,social ,security ,administration's procedures to close or reduce access to field offices1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,maintain ,access to ,vital ,social ,security ,services ,act of #bjai4 #b4 ,field offices 7a7 ,in general ,title ,,vii of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #gja et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #gad4 ,field offices 7a7 ,in general ,the ,commissioner shall operate a sufficient number of field offices and employ an adequate number of personnel at each field office to-- 7#a7 provide comprehensive1 convenient1 and accessible services to the public2 7#b7 meet current and projected workloads1 including consideration of anticipated workload or population changes identified through a service area review2 and 7#c7 minimize wait times at each field office4 7b7 ,procedure ,to close or reduce access to a field office 7#a7 ,in general 7,a7 ,requirement to follow procedure ,the ,commissioner may not take any action described in subparagraph 7,b7 with respect to a field office except in accordance with this subsection4 7,b7 ,covered actions ,the actions described in this subparagraph with respect to a field office are the following3 7i7 ,permanently closing a field office1 including by ending or electing not to renew a lease for a field office4 7ii7 ,ending1 or electing not to renew1 a lease for any field office4 7iii7 ,consolidating the field office with one or more other field offices4 7iv7 ,any other action that would impose a new limitation on public access or reduce in person services at a field office4 7#b7 ,notification of anticipated action 7,a7 ,in general ,not later than #ij days before the date on which the ,commissioner intends any action described in paragraph 7#a77;,b7 with respect to a field office to take effect1 the ,commissioner shall promulgate a public notification of such action that includes the following information3 7i7 ,an identification of the field office4 7ii7 ,the date on which such action is intended to take effect4 7iii7 ,the reasons for taking such action1 including1 if applicable1 the reasons for rejecting any available alternative actions such as relocation of the field office and the role1 if any1 played by the ,general ,services ,administration in contributing to such decision4 7iv7 ,the date1 time1 and location of the public hearings to be held pursuant to paragraph 7#c74 7v7 ,any alternative means of receiving assistance related to social security which may be used by individuals served by the field office4 7vi7 ,contact information1 including by phone and internet1 by which individuals may inquire for more information related to such action4 ,in promulgating a notification under this paragraph1 the ,commissioner shall post such notification at the affected field office and other nearby field offices1 mail such notification to residents in the area served by such field offices1 publish such notification in newspapers printed in such area1 or take such other actions as the ,commissioner determines to be necessary4 7,b7 ,congressional notification ,as soon as practicable and not later than #ahj days before the date on which the ,commissioner intends any action described in paragraph 7#a77;,b7 with respect to a field office to take effect1 the ,commissioner shall provide written notification to each member of ,congress and ,senator whose constituents are served by such field office4 7,c7 ,local government notification and involvement ,as soon as practicable and not later than #ahj days before the date on which the ,commissioner intends any action described in paragraph 7#a7 7,b7 with respect to a field office to take effect1 the ,commissioner shall provide written notification to any unit of local government within the service area of such field office and provide the opportunity for local governments to propose alternatives for such action4 7#c7 ,opportunity for public comment 7,a7 ,public hearing ,not earlier than #cj days and not later than #abj days after a notification is published under paragraph 7#b7 with respect to any action described in paragraph 7#a77;,b7 with respect to a field office1 the ,commissioner shall hold not fewer than two public hearings in the geographic area served by the field office1 at which the ,commissioner shall-- 7i7 present the reasons for taking such action1 including the criteria used to select the field office for such action and1 if applicable1 the reasons for rejecting any available alternative actions such as relocation of the field office within the area served2 7ii7 describe the ,social ,security ,administration's plan to mitigate disruption in service for the community served by the field office1 including any special needs of the community and any anticipated impact on vulnerable populations such as the elderly1 individuals with disabilities1 and those with language or mobility challenges2 and 7iii7 provide an opportunity for public comment1 including an opportunity to recommend alternatives to such action4 7,b7 ,submission of written comments ,the ,commissioner shall accept written comments from the public relating to such action during the period described in subparagraph 7,a71 which shall be posted on the website of the ,social ,security ,administration4 7#d7 ,public report on hearing ,not later than #ae days before the date on which any action described in paragraph 7#a77;,b7 with respect to a field office takes effect1 the ,commissioner shall prominently publish on the website of the ,social ,security ,administration a written report that describes the action the ,commissioner intends to take with respect to the field office after giving full consideration to1 any alternatives proposed by local governments pursuant to paragraph 7#b77;c7 and any public comments received during the period described in paragraph 7#c77;,a74 ,such report shall include a response by the ,commissioner to each unique written comment received during such period4 ,not later than #c days after such report has been published1 the ,commissioner shall notify each person who submitted written comments under paragraph 7#c77;,b74 ,the ,commissioner shall submit a copy of such report to each member of ,congress identified pursuant to paragraph 7#b77;,b71 the ,committees on ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,senate1 the ,committee on ,ways and ,means of the ,house of ,representatives1 and the ,committee on ,finance of the ,senate4 7#e7 ,approval by ,inspector ,general of the ,social ,security ,administration ,no action described in paragraph 7#a77;,b7 may go into effect until the ,inspector ,general of the ,social ,security ,administration has determined that the ,commissioner substantially and procedurally complied with all applicable laws1 regulations1 and guidelines with respect to such action4 4 7b7 ,moratorium ,the ,commissioner may not take any action described in section #gad7;b77#a77;,b7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #iad7;b77#a77;,b77 with respect to a field office until the date that is #cj days after the date on which the ,inspector ,general of the ,social ,security ,administration provides a written determination that the amendments made by subsection 7a7 have been fully implemented by the ,social ,security ,administration1 except that in the case of such an action related to health and safety reviewed by the ,inspector ,general1 such action may take effect for a period not to exceed #cj days unless the ,commissioner provides public notice explaining the need to extend such period4 #c4 ,annual budget 7a7 ,in general ,section #gjd7;b77#a77;,b7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ijd7;b77#a77;,b77 is amended by striking subparagraph 7,a7 and all that follows through the end and inserting the following3 subparagraph 7,a7-- 7i7 an itemization of the amount of funds required by the ,social ,security ,administration for the fiscal year covered by the budget to support efforts to combat fraud committed by applicants and beneficiaries2 and 7ii7 a list of any field offices with respect to which the ,social ,security ,administration intends to take any action described in section #gad7;b77#a77;,b7 during the fiscal year covered by the budget4 4 7b7 ,display on website ,section #gjd7;b77#a7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ijd7;b77#a77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7,c7 ,not later than #g days after the submission of an annual budget prepared pursuant to subparagraph 7,a71 the ,commissioner shall make available on the website of the ,social ,security ,administration the information described in clause 7ii7 of subparagraph 7,b74 4 #d4 ,recommendations of ,social ,security ,advisory ,board ,section #gjc7;b77#d7 of title ,,vii of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ijc7;b77#d77 is amended by striking public and inserting public1 taking into account the impact of closing field offices on the quality of service to individuals with disabilities or language barriers or other vulnerable populations4 #e4 ,report to ,congress ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,commissioner shall submit to the ,committee on ,ways and ,means of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,finance of the ,senate a report that-- 7#a7 includes a list of all field offices closed during the #e-year period ending on the date of enactment of this ,act1 the reason for each such closure1 and any impacts of each such closure on wait-times and staffing at nearby affected field offices2 7#b7 describes the role played by the ,government ,services ,administration 7,,gsa7 in each of the field office closings in identifying any available alternative actions such as relocation of the field office1 including a detailed description of-- 7,a7 the number of alternative locations identified by the ,,gsa during each closure procedure2 7,b7 whether the ,,gsa sought input 7and the means by which that input was solicited7 on alternative locations from ,state or local public officials or the public in the affected service area 7including how many days1 weeks1 months1 or years prior to the closing the ,,gsa sought such input7 and the most common cited reasons for not finding suitable alternative locations prior to closing a field office2 and 7,c7 any recommendations for how to improve the transparency and adequacy of the process for soliciting and determining the appropriateness of alternative space for relocation prior to closing a field office2 and 7#c7 describes a plan-- 7,a7 to ensure that field offices are receiving sufficient resources to maintain at least the level of constituent services provided in the previous fiscal year2 and 7,b7 to adequately address the increasing number of individuals projected to use field offices during the #aj-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this ,act4