The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) approved the Improving Government Services Act today by a vote of 10-1, with only Ranking Member Rand Paul, R-Ky., voting against the measure. The bill now heads to the Senate for further consideration.
The legislation, introduced by HSGAC Chairman Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, aims to improve and streamline the customer service (CX) that Federal agencies provide in person, online, and over the phone.
“The Improving Government Services Act would require Federal agencies that provide critical services to adopt customer service strategies that actually help them to better deliver results to the American people – saving the public hours of time that they spend on hold or from waiting in very long lines,” Sen. Peters said during the Oct. 25 mark up.
“The bill would require these agencies that are high-impact service providers to report on their annual customer service strategies and identify solutions for reducing administrative burdens, streamlining agency services, and addressing backlogs,” he continued. “Reducing backlogs and improving the delivery of government services, like passports and veterans’ benefits, are just a few examples of how this legislation could help make the lives of Americans better.”
“Several agencies, like the Department of Veterans Affairs, have already started implementing certain customer service strategies required in this bill leading to increased customer trust and satisfaction at the agency,” Sen. Peters said. “Using these agencies as examples, my bill would extend improvements governmentwide.”
Sen. Paul offered three amendments to the Improving Government Services Act – including a two-year sunset to the bill, a provision that would take away funding from initiatives like climate change, and an accountability arm that would fire five senior employees if their respective agencies did not make drastic improvements to their CX.
“This bill takes an executive order which sounds good on the face of it, wanting to improve customer service,” Sen. Paul argued. “The problem is when you look at the details of what the administration is currently doing, you see that it’s actually part of implementing the woke Biden DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) and climate policies without statutory authority.”
All three of the senator’s amendments were defeated by committee votes.
Also during today’s mark-up session, the committee unanimously passed the Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act that directs the Office of Management and Budget to submit to Congress an annual report on Federal agency projects that are over budget and behind schedule.
The bill was introduced in April by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa., and co-sponsored by Sens. Paul, Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Mike Braun, R-Ind. The legislation now heads to the full Senate for further consideration.
