KHANNA, LOUDERMILK, DONALDS, AND TIMMONS INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN BILL TO IMPROVE THE DELIVERY OF GOVERNMENT SERVICES
Washington, DC – Representatives Ro Khanna (CA-17), Byron Donalds (FL-19), Barry Loudermilk (GA-11), and William Timmons (SC-04) introduced The Government Service Delivery Improvement Act, which aims to improve the public’s experience with government services by increasing accountability and coordination across the federal government agencies.
The federal government provides services and benefits that touch nearly every American's life, including small business loans, passport processing, airport security, food safety inspection, and countless more. While the internet has created expectations for digital services, many agency systems remain outdated.
This legislation prompts the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to designate or appoint a senior official at OMB whose primary responsibility is to lead and coordinate the improvement of delivering government services to the public. The bill also requires agency heads to be responsible for improving government services, building better trust with the public, and designating a senior agency official to drive changes.
“The federal government has an obligation to efficiently and effectively deliver quality services that Americans rely on including Social Security, retirement benefits, Medicare health coverage, veterans programs, student loans and grants. With growing frustration over government dysfunction, Congress should help bring service delivery across agencies into the 21st century. The Government Service Delivery Improvement Act is a bipartisan solution that will directly help constituents by making the delivery of government services more efficient and reliable,” said Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA).
“For too long, our nation’s bloated federal bureaucracy has acted as an unaccountable, antiquated, and Byzantine institution. This is why I am proud to support Rep. Khanna’s bipartisan proposal. We must ensure that our government prioritizes the input of the American people by adopting a modernized and innovative customer-centric approach to service,” said Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL).
“It is unacceptable that the federal government consistently ranks among the lowest in customer satisfaction when compared to the private sector, and that federal regulation stands in the way of improvement. The American people expect a high level of service and professionalism from our federal agencies, given they handle some of the most sensitive aspects of our lives. This is why I have worked on legislation to improve agency customer service every year I’ve been in Congress, and why I am helping lead this effort in the House of Representatives with Congressman Khanna,” said Congressman Barry Loudermilk (R-GA).
“America is experiencing a crisis in public trust of government. One of the best ways to earn the public's trust back is through improved services from federal agencies. Whether it’s veterans who need health care, taxpayers who seek assistance from the IRS or college students who apply for financial aid, the public deserves user-friendly federal services. This important legislation would help our government improve the customer experience and become more responsive, efficient, and, above all, trustworthy,” said Max Stier, President and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service.
“Whether you are filing for disaster relief support, or simply trying to renew your passport, accessing government services and benefits should be simple, seamless and secure. The government has made improving customer experience “CX” a top priority for federal agencies via executive orders and bipartisan legislation, including the enactment of the 21st Century IDEA law. Adobe applauds Rep. Ro Khanna and Rep. William Timmons' bipartisan legislation to improve government-wide coordination and implementation of CX policies that will enhance the public’s experience with government,” said Jace Johnson, Vice President of Global Policy, Accessibility and Ethical Innovation, Adobe Inc.
“The Government Service Delivery Improvement Act would help to advance the digital transformation and IT modernization of government by encouraging the use of commercial software solutions, improving coordination across government, and imposing more accountability for better service delivery. The Software Alliance appreciates the bipartisan leadership of Reps. Timmons, Donalds, Loudermilk, and Khanna to facilitate the use of enterprise technology to improve government services for taxpayers,” said the BSA, Software Alliance.
“As our society turns increasingly to digital services, it is critical that government lead the way in advancing digital services that are accessible, available, and accountable to the American people. The 21st Century IDEA Act laid the groundwork for a transformation to modernize agency websites, enhance availability of digital services as government transitions away from paper-based forms, and create a trustworthy and transparent digital experience across the government. Yet this vision has not been fully realized. We applaud Rep. Ro Khanna for introducing the Government Service Delivery Improvement Act (GSDIA) to further the objectives of the 21st Century IDEA Act. The GSDIA will achieve this by designating specific federal officials with responsibility to continuously improve and enhance the digital delivery of government services. This is an important step towards making government work better for its people,” said Paul Lekas, Senior Vice President for Global Public Policy & Government Affairs, Software & Information Industry Association.
"ADI supports the Government Service Delivery Act and its efforts to promote use of commercial cloud based solutions to deliver modern government services to the American people. We urge quick passage of this important legislation,” said Alliance for Digital Innovation.
"Over the last few years, government’s focus on ensuring world-class customer experience has moved to the forefront of policy debates with the issuance last year of the President’s executive order on improving customer experience. This action follows enactment of the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act in 2018, for which implementation guidance was issued just last month. To carry these priorities forward, it is critical that government has the right operational and organizational structure at the Office of Management and Budget and within all federal agencies to ensure improving customer experience and service is properly prioritized and accounted for in agency budget submissions. We applaud the leadership of Reps. Khanna and Timmons in introducing the Government Service Delivery Improvement Act, and look forward to working with them as this critical legislation moves through the legislative process,” said Matt Chong, Vice President of Federal, Qualtrics.