Number: 118-18
Date: January 29, 2025
The President Signs H.R. 5887,
the “Government Service Delivery Improvement Act”
On January 4, 2025, the President signed H.R. 5887, the “Government Service Delivery Improvement Act” (Public Law 118-231). The House suspended the rules and passed the bill on May 21, 2024, by voice vote. The Senate passed the bill on December 21, 2024, without amendment by unanimous consent.
The law amends Chapter 3 of title 5, U.S.C., by adding new subchapter III Federal Government Service Delivery, and includes the following provisions of interest to the Social Security Administration (SSA).
- Requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to designate or appoint a senior official within OMB as the Federal Government Service Delivery Lead to coordinate governmentwide efforts to improve government service delivery1 by agencies, particularly with respect to high impact service providers. Among other things, the individual’s duties include:
- consulting with each lead agency service delivery official to develop and oversee the implementation of government-wide service delivery standards, polices, and guidelines for federal agencies’ services and programs;
- ensuring agencies’ congressional budget justifications identify service delivery initiatives, including the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (21st Century IDEA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 note; Public Law 115–336); and
- ensuring agencies’ websites are consistent with the objectives of this subchapter, the 21st Century IDEA, and other applicable laws.
- Requires the head of each federal agency to be responsible for the government service delivery of the agency.
- Requires the head of each federal agency, no later than one year after enactment, to designate or appoint a senior official as the Lead Agency Service Delivery Official to implement the new subchapter. Among other things, the individual’s duties include:
- reporting directly to the head or deputy head of the agency;
- possessing sufficient operational authority to implement the agency’s service delivery improvements;
- submitting an implementation plan, at the direction of the Federal Government Service Delivery Lead, for improving the agency’s service delivery;
- assisting with the implementation of 21st Century IDEA; and
- assisting with incorporation of the service delivery requirements under this subchapter into agency plans (e.g., annual performance or strategic plans).
Effective Date – Unless otherwise stated, these provisions are effective upon enactment.
Funding – The law does not provide funding to implement these requirements and requires the head of each agency to comply with the Act using existing funding.
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