Senate Bill sb0710c1
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Florida Senate - 2001 CS for SB 710
By the Committee on Governmental Oversight and Productivity;
and Senator Crist
302-1530-01
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to state government; creating
3 the "Florida Customer Service Standards Act";
4 providing definitions; specifying measures that
5 state departments are directed to implement
6 with respect to interaction with their
7 customers; providing requirements regarding
8 operating hours; providing that failure to
9 comply with the act does not constitute a cause
10 of action; providing exceptions; providing an
11 effective date.
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13 WHEREAS, confidence in the government's ability to
14 solve problems has been deteriorating for the past three
15 decades; in 1963, the national public's confidence level rated
16 75 percent, compared to 1993, when confidence levels rated as
17 low as 17 percent, and
18 WHEREAS, there is a need for customers to be treated
19 with courtesy and respect, to have simplified access to
20 services, to have services that are efficient, to have
21 communications that are clear and easily understood, and to
22 save money, and
23 WHEREAS, the State of Florida is dedicated to improving
24 the service standards practiced by state departments, NOW,
25 THEREFORE,
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27 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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29 Section 1. Florida Customer Service Standards Act.--
30 (1) SHORT TITLE.--This section may be cited as the
31 "Florida Customer Service Standards Act."
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Florida Senate - 2001 CS for SB 710
302-1530-01
1 (2) PURPOSE.--It is the purpose of this section to
2 direct state departments to practice and employ all the
3 measures set forth in this section.
4 (3) DEFINITIONS.--As used in this section:
5 (a) "Customer" means any member of the public who uses
6 or requests services or information provided by a state
7 department or who is required by statute to interact with the
8 department.
9 (b) "Department" means a principal administrative unit
10 within the executive branch of state government, as set forth
11 in chapter 20, Florida Statutes, and also includes the Public
12 Service Commission.
13 (4) MEASURES TO BE IMPLEMENTED.--State departments
14 shall:
15 (a) Designate an employee or employees in the
16 department who shall be responsible for facilitating the
17 resolution of customer complaints, including any customer
18 complaints regarding unsatisfactory treatment by department
19 employees.
20 (b) Provide available information, except information
21 which is confidential pursuant to any other state or federal
22 law, and accurate responses to questions and requests for
23 assistance in a prompt manner.
24 (c) Acknowledge receipt of a telephonic or electronic
25 question or request by the end of the next business day.
26 (d) Provide local or toll-free telephonic or
27 electronic access to the department employee or employees
28 designated to resolve customer complaints.
29 (e) Develop a process for review by upper-level
30 management of any customer complaints not resolved by the
31 department employee or employees designated to resolve
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Florida Senate - 2001 CS for SB 710
302-1530-01
1 customer complaints. In evaluating the appropriateness of
2 response time, management may consider periodic, high volume
3 inquiries as a justifiable cause of delay.
4 (f) Develop customer satisfaction measures as part of
5 the department's performance measurement system.
6 (g) Employ a system by which customer complaints and
7 resolutions of those complaints are tracked.
8 (h) Provide statistical data on customer complaints
9 and resolutions of those complaints, and on customer
10 satisfaction measures in annual reports or other performance
11 publications, and use this data when conducting management and
12 budget planning activities.
13 (i) Provide training to employees on improving
14 customer service and on the role of the department employee or
15 employees designated to resolve customer complaints.
16 (j) Include in the departmental strategic plan a
17 program outline or goal regarding customer service.
18 (k) Conduct interdepartmental discussions on methods
19 of providing and improving customer service.
20 (5) OPERATING HOURS.--Departments shall be staffed and
21 open to the public for business on all regular business days.
22 (6) FUNDING.--Departments shall use available
23 resources to achieve the purposes of this section.
24 (7) FAILURE TO COMPLY.--No cause of action shall arise
25 in favor of any person due to a department's failure to comply
26 with any provision of this section.
27 (8) EXCEPTIONS.--This section does not apply to a
28 person who uses or requests services or information from a
29 department when such service or information is related to that
30 person's:
31 (a) Pending or current criminal prosecution;
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Florida Senate - 2001 CS for SB 710
302-1530-01
1 (b) Current sanction for a criminal offense;
2 (c) Pending administrative action; or
3 (d) Current lawful state or local government custody.
4 Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 2001.
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6 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
7 SB 710
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9 Clarifies that the bill applies to all departments set forth
in Chapter 20, F.S.
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Deletes the term "direct" in subsection (4)(d) to permit a
11 department to provide access to its employee designated to
handle complaints through a privatized call complaint center.
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Clarifies that the bill does not apply to requests related to
13 pending or current criminal prosecutions, nor related to
sanctions for criminal offenses
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