Lawmakers advanced two pieces of legislation that could bolster the delivery of citizen services and improve the way Congress engages citizens before they adjourned for summer recess.
On July 31, the Senate unanimously passed the Creating Advanced Streamlined Electronic Services for Constituents Act, or CASES. The bill, which was introduced by Sens. Tom Carper, D-Del., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, would revise the Privacy Act of 1974 to give constituents the option to electronically authorize congressional offices to engage federal agencies. The bill was introduced in the House by Reps. Joe Kennedy III, D-Mass., and Garret Graves, R-La., and passed in February.
The bill could dramatically reduce the time it takes for lawmakers to intervene on behalf of their constituents, eliminating the current requirement that lawmakers obtain written authorization from constituents before they act.
President Trump must sign the bill before it becomes law.
“When the American taxpayers we represent need assistance with Social Security, Medicare, Veterans Affairs or any other federal agency, they should be able to get the help and information they need quickly and easily,” Carper said in a statement. “This bipartisan, bicameral bill will help to ensure that elected officials like myself can be even more effective at one of our most important responsibilities—advocating for our constituents.”
Meanwhile, the Federal Agency Customer Experience, or FACE Act, cleared the Senate on July 25. The bill was introduced in May by Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H, and James Lankford, R-Okla., and shared key tenets of previou ..
Support the originator by clicking the read the rest link below.
