SENATE BILL 867
By Stevens
HOUSE BILL 332
By Baum
HB0332
001847
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AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4 and
Title 8, relative to government services.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. This act is known and may be cited as the "Government Serves the People
Act."
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 3, Part 10, is amended by
adding the following new section:
(a) As used in this section:
(1) "Agency" means a department, agency, commission, board, or other
unit of state government;
(2) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of finance and
administration;
(3) "Government service delivery" means an action by an agency related
to providing a benefit or service to a state resident, business, or organization,
including any such action of a contractor or nonprofit organization acting on
behalf of the agency or administering a state-funded program;
(4) "Government service delivery channel" means the format or medium
of an interaction or transaction with an agency, including in-person, through the
mail, through a digital service, by telephone, through a contact center, on a
website, through outreach and communication, and through collaboration with a
third party, or through other ways in which an individual or entity significantly
interacts or engages with an agency; and
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(5) "High-impact service program" means an agency program identified
by the commissioner due to the scale and impact of the public-facing services of
the program.
(b) The commissioner shall designate a state official as the state of Tennessee
government service delivery coordinator within the department of finance and
administration whose responsibility is to coordinate government-wide efforts to improve
government service delivery by agencies. The coordinator shall:
(1) Facilitate and coordinate government-wide efforts to improve
government service delivery provided by agencies, particularly with respect to
high-impact service programs;
(2) Carry out the duties and powers prescribed by the commissioner;
(3) Serve as the coordinating, government-wide official responsible for
supporting government service delivery;
(4) Advise the commissioner concerning the improvement of government
service delivery provided by agencies;
(5) In consultation with each lead agency service delivery official and any
other agency stakeholder as appropriate, develop and oversee the
implementation of government-wide government service delivery standards,
policies, and guidelines for services and programs provided by agencies,
including standards, policies, and guidelines to:
(A) Understand the needs of an individual, business, or
organization interacting with an agency;
(B) Solicit and consider voluntary feedback on the government
service delivery by the agency;
(C) Assess government service delivery processes;
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(D) Consider the factors of ease, efficiency, transparency,
accessibility, fairness, burden, and duration, including wait and
processing times, with respect to government service delivery; and
(E) Encourage the adoption of commercial products and services
to measure and ensure holistic government service delivery channels and
customer service satisfaction and customer experience;
(6) Collect and report qualitative and quantitative information or data on
government service delivery through existing reporting mechanisms;
(7) Evaluate the quality of government service delivery, including through
the establishment of performance metrics developed using the standards,
policies, and guidelines developed pursuant to subdivision (b)(5) and the
information or data collected and reported pursuant to subdivision (b)(6);
(8) Engage with stakeholders to identify leading practices in service
design and delivery that would improve government service delivery across and
within agencies; and
(9) Coordinate with other executive agency stakeholders on government
service delivery.
(c)
(1) The commissioner shall identify each agency that must comply with
this section. Each agency that is selected shall designate an official to be
responsible for the government service delivery of the agency.
(2) The official selected in an agency shall:
(A) Possess sufficient operational authority to effectuate
implementation of government service delivery improvements within the
agency, particularly with respect to high impact service programs;
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(B) Coordinate and execute, as appropriate, under the direction of
the head of the agency, and in collaboration with relevant agency officials
as appropriate, efforts to improve and enhance the government service
delivery and government service delivery channels of the agency;
(C) At the direction of the state of Tennessee government service
delivery lead, submit an implementation plan for improving agency
government service delivery no later than one (1) year from the effective
date of this act;
(D) Coordinate the collection and reporting of the data and
information required and use such data and information to improve
government service delivery;
(E) Facilitate collaboration among and between offices, and
components within the agency and with other agencies as appropriate, in
coordination with the state of Tennessee government service delivery
coordinator, to improve and enhance government service delivery; and
(F) Assist in the incorporation of the government service delivery
requirements established under this section in agency plans, such as
strategic plans or annual performance plans.
(d) The commissioner or commissioner's designee shall provide an annual
report to the governor and the speakers of the senate and the house of representatives
on government-wide current and future efforts to improve government service delivery
by agencies.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.