Senate Bill sb0710c2

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    Florida Senate - 2001                     CS for CS for SB 710

    By the Committees on Judiciary; Governmental Oversight and
    Productivity; and Senator Crist




    308-1887-01

  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 CS for SB 710
    308-1887-01




  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 either through a centralized

28  complaint-intake call center or directly to a department

29  employee or employees designated to resolve customer

30  complaints.

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    Florida Senate - 2001                     CS for CS for SB 710
    308-1887-01




  1         (e)  Develop a process for review by upper-level

  2  management of any customer complaints not resolved by the

  3  department employee or employees designated to resolve

  4  customer complaints.  In evaluating the appropriateness of

  5  response time, management may consider periodic, high volume

  6  inquiries as a justifiable cause of delay.

  7         (f)  Develop customer satisfaction measures as part of

  8  the department's performance measurement system.

  9         (g)  Employ a system by which customer complaints and

10  resolutions of those complaints are tracked.

11         (h)  Provide statistical data on customer complaints

12  and resolutions of those complaints, and on customer

13  satisfaction measures in annual reports or other performance

14  publications, and use this data when conducting management and

15  budget planning activities.

16         (i)  Provide training to employees on improving

17  customer service and on the role of the department employee or

18  employees designated to resolve customer complaints.

19         (j)  Include in the departmental strategic plan a

20  program outline or goal regarding customer service.

21         (k)  Conduct interdepartmental discussions on methods

22  of providing and improving customer service.

23         (5)  OPERATING HOURS.--Departments shall be staffed and

24  open to the public for business on all regular business days.

25         (6)  FUNDING.--Departments shall use available

26  resources to achieve the purposes of this section.

27         (7)  FAILURE TO COMPLY.--No cause of action shall arise

28  in favor of any person due to a department's failure to comply

29  with any provision of this section.

30         (8)  EXCEPTIONS.--This section does not apply to a

31  person who uses or requests services or information from a

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    Florida Senate - 2001                     CS for CS for SB 710
    308-1887-01




  1  department when such service or information is related to that

  2  person's:

  3         (a)  Pending or current criminal prosecution;

  4         (b)  Current incarceration;

  5         (c)  Pending administrative action; or

  6         (d)  Current lawful state or local government custody.

  7         Section 2.  This act shall take effect October 1, 2001.

  8

  9          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
10                            CS/SB 710

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12  Clarifies that in addition to providing telephonic or
    electronic access to a department employee to resolve customer
13  complaints, the provision of such access may also be made
    through a centralized intake call center.
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    Provides that the provisions of the Florida Customer Services
15  Act does not apply to persons requesting information related
    to their current incarceration in lieu of their current
16  sanctions for a criminal offense.

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