CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
HOUSE AMENDMENT
Bill No. HB 1047
Amendment No. (for drafter's use only)
CHAMBER ACTION
Senate House
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5 ORIGINAL STAMP BELOW
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11 The Committee on General Appropriations offered the following:
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13 Amendment (with title amendment)
14 Remove from the bill: Everything after the enacting clause
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16 and insert in lieu thereof:
17 Section 1. Florida Customer Service Standards Act.--
18 (1) SHORT TITLE.--This section may be cited as the
19 "Florida Customer Service Standards Act."
20 (2) PURPOSE.--It is the purpose of this section to
21 direct state departments to practice and employ all the
22 measures set forth in this section.
23 (3) DEFINITIONS.--As used in this section, the term:
24 (a) "Customer" means any member of the public who uses
25 or requests services or information provided by a state
26 department or who is required by statute to interact with the
27 department. The term does not include those persons who are
28 currently under criminal prosecution or who are in the custody
29 or control of, or under the supervision of, the state or any
30 political subdivision or agency, or who are currently subject
31 to administrative action at the time the person uses or
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HOUSE AMENDMENT
Bill No. HB 1047
Amendment No. (for drafter's use only)
1 requests services or information from that particular
2 department.
3 (b) "Department" means a principal administrative unit
4 within the executive branch of state government, as defined in
5 chapter 20, and shall also include the Public Service
6 Commission.
7 (4) MEASURES TO BE IMPLEMENTED.--State departments
8 shall:
9 (a) Designate an employee or employees in the
10 department who shall be responsible for facilitating the
11 resolution of customer complaints, including any customer
12 complaints regarding unsatisfactory treatment by department
13 employees.
14 (b) Provide available information, except information
15 which is confidential pursuant to any other state or federal
16 law, and accurate responses to questions and requests for
17 assistance in a prompt manner.
18 (c) Acknowledge receipt of a telephonic or electronic
19 question or request by the end of the next business day.
20 (d) Provide direct local or toll-free telephonic or
21 direct electronic access to the department employee or
22 employees designated to resolve customer complaints.
23 (e) Develop a process for review by upper-level
24 management of any customer complaints not resolved by the
25 department employee or employees designated to resolve
26 customer complaints. In evaluating the appropriateness of
27 response time, management may consider periodic, high volume
28 inquiries as a justifiable cause of delay.
29 (f) Develop customer-satisfaction measures as part of
30 the department's performance-measurement system.
31 (g) Employ a system by which customer complaints and
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HOUSE AMENDMENT
Bill No. HB 1047
Amendment No. (for drafter's use only)
1 resolutions of those complaints are tracked.
2 (h) Provide statistical data on customer complaints
3 and resolutions of those complaints, and on
4 customer-satisfaction measures in annual reports or other
5 performance publications, and use this data when conducting
6 management and budget-planning activities.
7 (i) Provide training to employees on improving
8 customer service and on the role of the department employee or
9 employees designated to resolve customer complaints.
10 (j) Include in the departmental strategic plan a
11 program outline or goal regarding customer service.
12 (k) Conduct interdepartmental discussions on methods
13 of providing and improving customer service.
14 (5) AGENCY OPERATING HOURS.--Departments shall be
15 staffed and open to the public for business on all regular
16 business days.
17 (6) FUNDING.--Departments shall use available
18 resources to achieve the purposes of this section.
19 (7) FAILURE TO COMPLY.--No cause of action shall arise
20 in favor of any person due to a department's failure to comply
21 with any provision of this section.
22 Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 2000.
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26 And the title is amended as follows:
27 On page 1, lines 2-10,
28 remove from the title of the bill: all of said lines
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30 and insert in lieu thereof:
31 An act relating to state government; creating
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HOUSE AMENDMENT
Bill No. HB 1047
Amendment No. (for drafter's use only)
1 the "Florida Customer Service Standards Act";
2 specifying measures that state departments are
3 directed to implement with respect to
4 interaction with their customers; specifying
5 that failure to comply with the act does not
6 constitute a cause of action; providing an
7 effective date.
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9 WHEREAS, confidence in the government's ability to
10 solve problems has been deteriorating for the past three
11 decades; in 1963, the national public's confidence level rated
12 75 percent, compared to 1993, when confidence levels rated as
13 low as 17 percent, and
14 WHEREAS, there is a need for customers to be treated
15 with courtesy and respect, to have simplified access to
16 services, to have services that are efficient, to have
17 communications that are clear and easily understood, and to
18 save money, and
19 WHEREAS, the State of Florida is dedicated to improving
20 the service standards practiced by state departments and
21 agencies, NOW, THEREFORE,
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