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This act may be known and cited as the government services delivery improvement act.
The definitions in this section apply throughout this section and sections 3 through 5 of this act unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
"Government service delivery" means any action by a state entity related to providing a benefit or service to a state resident, business, or organization, such as a grantee or state, local, or tribal entity, including any such action of a contractor or nonprofit organization acting on behalf of the state entity or administering a state-funded program.
"Government service delivery channel" means the format or medium of an interaction or transaction with the state government, including in-person, through the mail or a digital service, by telephone, through a contact center, on a website, through outreach and communication, and through collaboration with a third party, or through other ways in which an individual or entity significantly interacts or engages with the state government.
"High impact service provider" means a state entity program identified by the director due to the scale and impact of the public-facing services of the program.
"State entity" means any state office or activity of the executive and judicial branches of state government, including state agencies, departments, offices, divisions, boards, commissions, institutions of higher education as defined in RCW 28B.10.016, and correctional and other types of institutions owned and operated by the state.
"State-funded program" means any program or service which receives at least 50 percent of its funding directly from the state.
The director shall designate or appoint a senior official as the Washington state government service delivery lead within Washington technology solutions who has the responsibility of coordinating government-wide efforts to improve government service delivery by state entities. The Washington state government service delivery lead shall:
Facilitate and coordinate government-wide efforts to improve government service delivery provided by state entities, particularly with respect to high-impact service providers and programs;
Carry out the duties and powers as prescribed by the director;
Serve as the lead, government-wide official responsible for supporting government service delivery;
Advise the director concerning the improvement of government service delivery provided by state entities;
In consultation with each lead state entity service delivery official and any other state entity stakeholder, as appropriate, develop and oversee the implementation of government-wide government service delivery standards, policies, and guidelines for services and programs provided by state entities. This shall include standards, policies, and guidelines to:
Understand the needs of an individual, business, or organization interacting with a state entity;
Solicit and consider voluntary feedback on the government service delivery by the state entity;
Assess government service delivery processes;
Consider the factors of ease, efficiency, transparency, accessibility, fairness, burden, and duration, including wait and processing times, with respect to government service delivery; and
Encourage the adoption of commercial products and services to measure and ensure holistic government service delivery channels and customer service satisfaction and customer experience;
Collect and report qualitative and quantitative information or data on government service delivery through existing reporting mechanisms;
Evaluate the quality of government service delivery, including through the establishment of performance metrics developed using the standards, policies, and guidelines developed pursuant to subsection (5) of this section and the information or data collected and reported pursuant to subsection (6) of this section;
Engage with stakeholders to identify leading practices in service design and delivery that would improve government service delivery across and within state entities; and
Coordinate with Washington technology solutions stakeholders and other executive agency stakeholders on government service delivery.
The head of each state entity shall be responsible for the government service delivery of the state entity which shall, at a minimum, include improving and enhancing government services to better achieve the mission of the state entity and build and maintain trust, transparency, and accountability.
Not later than 180 days after the effective date of this section, the head of each state entity shall designate or appoint a senior official of the entity, who may be the deputy head of the state entity, to implement sections 1 through 5 of this act. The designee or appointee shall:
Report directly to the head if the appointee or designee is the deputy head, or to the head or deputy head of the state entity for all other designees or appointees;
Possess sufficient operational authority to effectuate the implementation of government service delivery improvements within the state entity, particularly for high-impact service providers;
Coordinate and execute, as appropriate, under the direction of the head of the state entity and in collaboration with relevant state entity officials as appropriate, efforts to improve and enhance the government service delivery and government service delivery channels of the state entity;
At the direction of the Washington state government service delivery lead, submit an implementation plan for improving state entity government service delivery no later than one year from the effective date of this section;
Coordinate the collection and reporting of the data and information required, and use such data and information to improve government service delivery;
Facilitate collaboration among and between offices, and components within the state entity and with other state entities as appropriate, in coordination with the Washington state government service delivery lead, to improve and enhance government service delivery; and
Assist in the incorporation of the government service delivery requirements established under sections 1 through 5 of this act in state entity plans, such as strategic plans or annual performance plans.
The director shall provide an annual report to the office of the governor, office of the lieutenant governor, office of the speaker of the Washington state house of representatives, office of the secretary of the senate, and appropriations committees of the legislature no later than 90 days before the commencement of each regular legislative session, on government-wide current and future efforts to improve government service delivery by state entities.
Sections 1 through 5 of this act are each added to chapter 43.105 RCW.