,,ii #aahth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #bhff ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #bj1 #bjbc ,mr4 ,peters 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,lankford1 and ,mr4 ,cornyn7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to improve the customer experience of the ,federal ,government1 ensure that ,federal services are simple1 seamless1 and secure1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,improving ,government ,services ,act4 #b4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,agency ,the term agency has the meaning given the term ,executive agency in section #aje of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#b7 ,customer ,the term customer means any individual1 business1 or organization1 including a grantee and a ,state1 local1 or ,tribal entity1 that interacts with an agency or program1 either directly or through a federally funded program administered by a contractor1 nonprofit organization1 or other ,federal entity4 7#c7 ,customer experience ,the term customer experience means1 with respect to a member of the public1 the general perception of and the overall satisfaction with interactions with an agency or a product or service of the agency4 7#d7 ,,cx ,action ,plan ,the term ,,cx ,action ,plan means the annual customer experience action plan described in section #c4 7#e7 ,designated entity ,the term designated entity means an agency or high-impact service provider designated by the ,director under section #c7;a74 7#f7 ,director ,the term ,director means the ,director of the ,office of ,management and ,budget4 7#g7 ,high-impact service provider ,the term high-impact service provider means a ,federal entity1 as designated by the ,director1 that provides or funds customer-facing services1 including ,federal services administered at the ,state or local level1 that have a high impact on the public1 whether because of a large customer base or a critical effect on those served4 7#h7 ,human-centered design ,the term human-centered design means an interdisciplinary methodology of putting individuals1 including those who will use or be impacted by a product or service1 at the center of any process to solve challenging problems4 7#i7 ,service delivery ,the term service delivery means any actions by the ,federal ,government relating to the provision of a benefit or service to a customer of an agency during each stage of the process of delivering the benefit or service to the customer1 including-- 7,a7 an application1 renewal1 or extension by a customer for a benefit or loan1 including health services for veterans and a small business loan2 7,b7 receipt by a customer of a service1 including-- 7i7 health care or small business counseling2 and 7ii7 guidance to support commerce1 transportation1 employment rules1 workplace safety1 or public safety1 including relating to ensuring clean water and consumer protection services2 7,c7 a request or renewal by a customer for a document or other item1 including a passport1 driver's license1 or ,social ,security card2 7,d7 a submission by a customer of a ,federal tax return2 7,e7 a declaration of goods by a customer2 7,f7 use by a customer of recreation resources and public spaces1 including a park1 historical site1 or museum2 7,g7 a request by a customer for information1 including a notice1 warning1 or guidance about public health1 safety1 consumer protection1 commerce1 transportation1 environment1 employment1 and workplace safety2 and 7,h7 a request by a customer for1 or use by a customer of1 data and research1 including for applying for funding1 conducting research1 maintaining and preserving artifacts1 and collecting1 analyzing1 reporting1 and sharing data4 7#aj7 ,voluntary customer feedback ,the term voluntary customer feedback means the submission by a customer of information1 an opinion1 appreciation1 or a concern following an interaction with an agency and relating to the interaction with the agency that is-- 7,a7 solicited by the agency and identified as voluntary at the time of solicitation2 and 7,b7 is voluntarily made by the customer4 #c4 ,comprehensive customer experience action plan 7a7 ,in general 7#a7 ,designation ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,director shall designate agencies and high-impact service providers to develop an annual customer experience action plan4 7#b7 ,submission of ,,cx ,action ,plans ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter1 at a time determined by the ,director1 the head of each designated entity shall submit to the ,director and to ,congress and make publicly available the ,,cx ,action ,plan of the designated entity4 7b7 ,,cx ,action ,plan contents ,the ,,cx ,action ,plan of a designated entity shall include-- 7#a7 a comprehensive customer experience strategy and corresponding implementation actions that adopt leading human-centered design practices that include-- 7,a7 conducting outreach to the public about the public services provided by the designated entity2 7,b7 providing assistance to members of the public enrolling in or navigating the services of the designated entity2 7,c7 streamlining and improving the accessibility of forms and digital experiences and ensuring the accessibility of services for customers with disabilities or limited ,english proficiency2 7,d7 eliminating unnecessary administrative burdens on customers2 7,e7 engaging in efforts to coordinate with other agencies to reduce the need for customers served by the designated entity to interact separately with multiple agencies2 7,f7 preventing fraud and improving fraud and spam reporting capabilities2 and 7,g7 incorporating best practices from the private sector1 including providing online services1 telephone call-back services1 and training to employees who provide customer service2 7#b7 information on the average amount of time it takes the designated entity to resolve a customer request and an identification and assessment of any backlog issues for key designated entity services1 including the resolution of requests for passport services1 veteran records1 determinations of ,social ,security benefits1 the processing of applications for ,federal retirement benefits1 and other similar services2 7#c7 an assessment of opportunities for the designated entity to-- 7,a7 co-locate the services of the designated entity with other ,federal services1 where appropriate and in response to demonstrated customer needs2 7,b7 increase the use of digital channels and self-service options1 while ensuring efficient multi-channel offerings1 in accordance with the #bast ,century ,integrated ,digital ,experience ,act 7#dd ,u4,s4,c4 #ceja note72 and 7,c7 increase the quantity and improve the quality of protections for personally identifiable information in customer data2 7#d7 actions to build the capacity of the designated entity to deliver leading services and manage customer experience1 including updating guidance and training materials for employees of the designated entity2 7#e7 specific proposals to improve customer experience and service delivery1 including-- 7,a7 progress on the delivery of the ,,cx ,action ,plan of the fiscal year in which the ,,cx ,action plan is submitted against the commitments of the ,,cx ,action ,plan of the prior fiscal year1 including the performance of priority services 7including wait and processing times1 customer feedback1 and the information described in paragraph 7#c772 and 7,b7 plans for the fiscal year following the submission of the ,,cx ,action ,plan2 and 7#f7 the medium- and long-term customer experience strategies of the designated entity1 including-- 7,a7 plans for the period of #c to #e fiscal years following the fiscal year of the submission of the ,,cx ,action ,plan2 and 7,b7 plans for the period of #e to #aj fiscal years following the fiscal year of the submission of the ,,cx ,action ,plan4 7c7 ,existing guidance ,in developing the ,,cx ,action ,plan1 each designated entity shall adhere to existing and additional guidance provided by the ,director4 #d4 ,oversight and annual report 7a7 ,in general ,the ,director shall-- 7#a7 ensure designated entity compliance with this ,act2 7#b7 facilitate sharing of leading practices between designated entities2 and 7#c7 review the comprehensive ,,cx ,action ,plans of designated entities for consistency with existing customer experience guidance4 7b7 ,annual report ,not later than #ahj days after the submission of all ,,cx ,action ,plans under section #c7;a71 and annually thereafter1 the ,director shall make public recommendations for opportunities to streamline or co-locate critical ,federal services4