Trust in Government Act of 2023

I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 2689 To improve the service delivery of agencies and public perception of agency interactions, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 18, 2023 Ms. PORTER (for herself, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. MFUME, Ms. NORTON, Ms. TITUS, Mr. KILMER, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, Mr. CASE, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, and Mr. PHILLIPS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, Ways and Means, Natural Resources, Agriculture, Energy and Commerce, Education and the Work- force, Veterans’ Affairs, Homeland Security, Small Business, and Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic- tion of the committee concerned A BILL To improve the service delivery of agencies and public perception of agency interactions, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Trust in Government 4 Act of 2023’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:44 Apr 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2689.IH H2689 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 2689 IH SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENT OF SERVICE DELIVERY OF AGEN- 1 CIES AND PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF AGENCY 2 INTERACTIONS. 3 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con- 4 gress that— 5 (1) the agencies subject to the requirements of 6 this Act should— 7 (A) improve their understanding of cus- 8 tomers; 9 (B) reduce administrative hurdles and pa- 10 perwork burdens to minimize the time it takes 11 to process benefits, enhance transparency, and 12 create greater efficiencies across Government; 13 (C) improve public perception of agency 14 interactions by systematically identifying and 15 resolving the root causes of any challenge expe- 16 rienced by the public with respect to such inter- 17 actions, regardless of whether the source of any 18 such challenge is statutory, regulatory, budg- 19 etary, technological, or process-based; and 20 (D) to engender public trust, ensure that 21 the efforts of the agency appropriately maintain 22 or enhance protections afforded under law and 23 the policies of the agency, including protections 24 related to civil rights, civil liberties, privacy, 25 confidentiality, and information security; and 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:44 Apr 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2689.IH H2689 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 2689 IH (2) the Federal Government should— 1 (A) make improving service deliveries and 2 public perception of agency interactions funda- 3 mental priorities; and 4 (B) measure performance empirically and 5 by on-the-ground results for the people of the 6 United States, especially for experiences of the 7 people of the United States with services deliv- 8 ered by agencies. 9 (b) REFORMS TO IMPROVE AGENCY SERVICE DELIV- 10 ERY AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.— 11 (1) REFORMS.—In order to improve the overall 12 economy, efficiency, and management of government 13 operations and activities, reduce the paperwork of 14 agencies, and provide high-quality services to the 15 public— 16 (A) the Secretary of State shall redesign 17 the passport renewal process to allow for a fully 18 online renewal application that does not require 19 any physical documents to be mailed; 20 (B) the Secretary of the Treasury shall de- 21 sign and deliver new online tools and services of 22 the Internal Revenue Service to— 23 (i) expand electronic filing options for 24 taxpayers; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:44 Apr 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2689.IH H2689 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 2689 IH (ii) provide the option for taxpayers to 1 receive customer support via secure email; 2 and 3 (iii) provide the option for taxpayers 4 to schedule customer support telephone 5 call-backs; 6 (C) the Secretary of the Interior shall de- 7 sign and deliver a centralized, modernized elec- 8 tronic permitting system to accept and process 9 applications for permits; 10 (D) the Secretary of Agriculture shall de- 11 sign and deliver new online tools and services— 12 (i) for online purchasing under the 13 special supplemental nutrition program for 14 women, infants, and children under section 15 17 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 16 U.S.C. 1786); 17 (ii) to simplify enrollment and recer- 18 tification for nutrition assistance programs 19 such as the supplemental nutrition assist- 20 ance program (commonly known as SNAP) 21 and the program described in clause (i), in- 22 cluding expanding the use of direct certifi- 23 cation; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:44 Apr 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2689.IH H2689 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 2689 IH (iii) for a simplified process for apply- 1 ing for direct loans under subtitle A or B 2 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De- 3 velopment Act; 4 (E) the Secretary of Labor shall— 5 (i) update existing rules and policies, 6 consistent with applicable law and to the 7 extent practicable, to allow individuals en- 8 titled to medical treatment under any Fed- 9 eral workers’ compensation program to 10 conduct their routine medical treatment 11 appointments using telehealth platforms; 12 and 13 (ii) update rules, policies, and proce- 14 dures to eliminate, consistent with applica- 15 ble law and to the extent practicable, re- 16 quirements for workers’ compensation 17 claimants to submit physical documents, 18 but to retain the option for physical sub- 19 mission for claimants who cannot other- 20 wise submit them; 21 (F) the Secretary of Health and Human 22 Services shall— 23 (i) continue to design and deliver new, 24 personalized online tools and expanded 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:44 Apr 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2689.IH H2689 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 2689 IH customer support options for individuals 1 entitled to benefits under part A of title 2 XVIII of the Social Security Act or en- 3 rolled under part B of such title; 4 (ii) strengthen requirements for ma- 5 ternal health quality measurement, includ- 6 ing— 7 (I) measuring perinatal quality 8 and patient care experiences; and 9 (II) evaluating the measurements 10 by race and ethnicity to better identify 11 inequities in maternal health care de- 12 livery and outcomes; 13 (iii) to the maximum extent permitted 14 by law, support coordination between the 15 Medicare program under title XVIII of the 16 Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et 17 seq.), the Medicaid program under title 18 XIX of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.), 19 the Children’s Health Insurance Program 20 under title XXI of such Act (42 U.S.C. 21 1397aa et seq.); 22 (iv) to the maximum extent permitted 23 by law, propose ways to streamline State 24 benefit program enrollment and renewal 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:44 Apr 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2689.IH H2689 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 2689 IH processes in order to reduce administrative 1 burden on customers and remove barriers 2 to enrollment and renewal, including by 3 eliminating face-to-face interview require- 4 ments and requiring prepopulated elec- 5 tronic renewal forms, to ensure eligible in- 6 dividuals are automatically enrolled in and 7 retain access to such benefit programs; 8 (v) develop guidance for covered enti- 9 ties and business associates of such entities 10 as such terms are defined in section 11 160.103 of title 45, Code of Federal Regu- 12 lations, on providing telehealth in compli- 13 ance with HIPAA privacy regulation (as 14 defined in section 1180(b)(3) of the Social 15 Security Act) to improve patient experience 16 and convenience following the end of the 17 COVID–19 public health emergency; and 18 (vi) test methods to automate patient 19 access to electronic prenatal, birth, and 20 postpartum health records (including lab- 21 oratory results, genetic tests, ultrasound 22 images, and clinical notes) to improve pa- 23 tient experiences in maternity care and 24 health outcomes; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:44 Apr 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2689.IH H2689 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 2689 IH (G) the Secretary of Education shall— 1 (i) submit to Congress a plan for pro- 2 viding eligible recipients of Federal finan- 3 cial aid under title IV of the Higher Edu- 4 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et 5 seq.), with the option to receive informa- 6 tion about relevant recommendations for 7 benefits and services provided by the Fed- 8 eral Government that such recipients may 9 qualify for (including healthcare subsidies, 10 broadband support, and food assistance) to 11 connect such recipients with support to 12 lower additional economic barriers to post- 13 secondary education completion; and 14 (ii) design and make available to the 15 public a centralized loan repayment portal 16 through the website of the Department of 17 Education that enables a borrower of any 18 loan made under part D of title IV of the 19 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 20 1087a et seq.), regardless of loan servicer, 21 to make payments on such loan; 22 (H) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 23 provide digital services through a single, inte- 24 grated, and equitable digital platform on 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:44 Apr 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2689.IH H2689 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 2689 IH VA.gov and an appropriate mobile application 1 of the Department of Veterans Affairs; 2 (I) the Secretary of Homeland Security 3 shall design and deliver— 4 (i) innovative technologies at airport 5 security checkpoints to reduce passenger 6 wait times; 7 (ii) new opportunities for customers to 8 connect with the Transportation Security 9 Administration, including as appropriate, 10 through— 11 (I) online chat; 12 (II) improved communications 13 during additional screenings; and 14 (III) additional mechanisms to 15 provide customer feedback; and 16 (iii) a streamlined, online disaster as- 17 sistance application; 18 (J) the Administrator of the Small Busi- 19 ness Administration shall develop and imple- 20 ment a streamlined, online disaster assistance 21 application; 22 (K) the Commissioner of Social Security 23 shall— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:44 Apr 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2689.IH H2689 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 2689 IH (i) develop a mobile-accessible, online 1 process so that any individual applying for 2 or receiving services from the Social Secu- 3 rity Administration can upload forms, doc- 4 umentation, evidence, or correspondence 5 associated with their transaction without 6 the need for service-specific tools or trav- 7 eling to a field office; 8 (ii) consistent with applicable law and 9 to the extent practicable, maintain a public 10 policy of technology neutrality with respect 11 to acceptable forms of electronic signa- 12 tures; 13 (iii) consistent with applicable law and 14 to the extent practicable, revise any nec- 15 essary regulations, forms, instructions, or 16 other sources of guidance (to include the 17 Program Operations Manual System of the 18 Social Security Administration) to remove 19 requirements that members of the public 20 provide physical signatures; and 21 (iv) to the maximum extent permitted 22 by law, support applicants and bene- 23 ficiaries to identify other benefits for which 24 they may be eligible and integrate Social 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:44 Apr 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2689.IH H2689 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 2689 IH Security Administration data and proc- 1 esses with those of other Federal and State 2 entities whenever possible; 3 (L) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and 4 the Administrator of General Services shall col- 5 laborate to provide seamless integration of 6 Login.gov accounts to allow customers to access 7 any websites and applications of the Depart- 8 ment, and other customer-facing digital prod- 9 ucts and to eliminate outdated and duplicate 10 customer sign-in options; 11 (M) the Secretary of the Treasury, the 12 Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Edu- 13 cation, and the Director of the Office of Per- 14 sonnel Management shall collaborate to enable 15 a more streamlined Public Service Loan For- 16 giveness process for eligible borrowers, includ- 17 ing those who serve in the United States Armed 18 Forces or as civil servants, or who work for eli- 19 gible nonprofit organizations; 20 (N) the Director of OMB, acting through 21 the Administrator of the United States Digital 22 Service, shall collaborate with agencies in the 23 executive branch and Tribal governments to 24 conduct research and document challenges re- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:44 Apr 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2689.IH H2689 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 2689 IH lated to accessing grant programs to which the 1 Tribal governments are entitled, and shall pro- 2 pose ways to streamline processes and reduce 3 administrative burdens for Tribal government 4 customers; and 5 (O) the Director of OMB, acting through 6 the Administrator of the United States Digital 7 Service, the Administrator of General Services, 8 and the Postmaster General, shall develop ways 9 to update mailing address records across Gov- 10 ernment so that members of the public may 11 change their respective mailing addresses for 12 purposes of all Government services only once, 13 through the United States Postal Service. 14 (2) ONGOING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR IMPROVING 15 FEDERAL SERVICE DELIVERY AND IMPROVING 16 TRUST IN GOVERNMENT.—Not later than 180 days 17 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 18 every 90 days thereafter— 19 (A) the head of each agency subject to a 20 requirement under subsection (a) shall certify 21 in writing to the Director of OMB that the re- 22 quirement has been satisfied; and 23 (B) the Director of OMB shall— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:44 Apr 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2689.IH H2689 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 13 •HR 2689 IH (i) in coordination with each head of 1 an agency identified under paragraph (1), 2 submit in writing to Congress, reports on 3 the status of the progress of agencies in 4 satisfying the requirements required by 5 subs [Text truncated for display. 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