Good Neighbor Social Security Office and Community Protection Act of 2012 - Directs the Commissioner of Social Security to develop and publish: (1) financial guidelines that may be used to identify Social Security Administration field offices for possible closure, and (2) standardized closure procedures that meet certain requirements.
Requires such guidelines and procedures to provide that identification of an Administration field office for possible closure shall not require the Commissioner to begin closure procedures for it.
Requires the Commissioner to: (1) develop an office closure and service continuity proposal for any office so identified which the Commissioner decides to close that contains, among other specified items, the estimated cost of the closure; (2) notify state and local chief executive offices and the public before closure; (3) require the Commissioner to hold at least one hearing to take public comments before making a final decision to close a field office; (5) issue a final closure decision only after review of such comments and evaluation of any alternatives to closing the office; and (6) continue to operate an office proposed for closure in good faith and with the assumption of continued service until the notice of the Commisioner's final closure decision is made.
[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3489 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
112th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3489
To protect senior citizens, disabled persons, veterans, and other
beneficiaries and customers of the Social Security Administration by
reforming the process for closure of field offices.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
August 2, 2012
Mr. Brown of Massachusetts introduced the following bill; which was
read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To protect senior citizens, disabled persons, veterans, and other
beneficiaries and customers of the Social Security Administration by
reforming the process for closure of field offices.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Good Neighbor Social Security Office
and Community Protection Act of 2012''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that:
(1) As of March 2012, more than 61,000,000 Americans
received benefits from the Social Security Administration.
(2) Americans depend upon convenient access to Social
Security Administration field offices.
(3) The Social Security Administration faces growing
financial constraints consistent with the fiscal emergency
faced by the Nation.
(4) Americans rightly expect the Social Security
Administration to meet its financial objectives through methods
that preserve service standards to the highest degree possible.
(5) The Social Security Administration is in the process of
closing large numbers of field offices in an effort that is
expected to last several years.
(6) The Social Security Administration is closing field
offices without adequate community input and process
transparency.
(7) The shortcomings in the Social Security
Administration's process for closing field offices are due in
part to an absence of a statutorily defined field office
closure procedures that protect the interests of all interested
parties.
(8) Social Security beneficiaries and the communities
surrounding Social Security field offices deserve notice of
office closures, an opportunity to offer comment and have those
comments given due consideration, and a clear plan to minimize
service disruption from an office closure.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Administration.--The term ``Administration'' means the
Social Security Administration.
(2) Closure.--The term ``closure'' includes any
realignment, consolidation, or merger of an Administration
field office.
(3) Commissioner.--The term ``Commissioner'' means the
Commissioner of Social Security.
(4) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the 50 States,
the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the
United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the
Commonwealth of the Northen Mariana Islands.
SEC. 4. GUIDELINES AND STANDARDIZED PROCEDURES FOR CLOSURE OF SOCIAL
SECURITY ADMINISTRATION FIELD OFFICES.
(a) Guidelines for Identification of Offices for Possible
Closure.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this
Act, the Commissioner shall develop and publish--
(1) financial guidelines that may be used to identify
Administration field offices for possible closure; and
(2) standardized closure procedures that meet the
requirements of section 5.
(b) Non-Binding.--The financial guidelines and standardized closure
procedures developed under subsection (a) shall provide that
identification of an Administration field office for possible closure
shall not require the Commissioner to begin closure procedures for any
field office identified as a result of the application of such
guidelines or the initiation of such procedures.
SEC. 5. REQUIREMENTS FOR CLOSURE OF SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
FIELD OFFICES.
(a) Office Closure and Service Continuity Proposal.--In any case
where the Commissioner has identified an Administration field office
for possible closure as a result of the application of the financial
guidelines developed under section 4 and decides to initiate procedures
to close that field office, the Commissioner shall develop an office
closure and service continuity proposal for the office that contains
the following information:
(1) The financial justification for the proposed office
closure, with estimated savings in costs relating to real
estate, labor, and miscellaneous expenses.
(2) The estimated cost of the office closure.
(3) Data for monthly customer traffic at the office.
(4) The location of the two nearest Administration field
offices that would remain open after the office closure.
(5) The estimated travel time, by private vehicle and
public transit, from the Administration field office proposed
for closure and the two nearest Administration field offices
that would remain open after the office closure.
(6) The steps the Administration plans to take to mitigate
any hardship created by the office closure.
(7) The names and addresses of governmental agencies and
community organizations to be notified in accordance with
subsection (b).
(8) The postal and electronic addresses for which public
comments may be sent in accordance with subsection (c).
(b) Notices Required Prior to Final Closure Decision.--
(1) In general.--Not less than 90 days prior to the
proposed closure date for an Administration field office, the
Commissioner shall--
(A) provide copies of the office closure and
service continuity proposal developed for the
Administration field office to--
(i) the chief executive office of the State
in which field office proposed for closure is
located;
(ii) the chief executive officers for the
county and city government jurisdictions in
which the field office proposed for closure is
located; and
(iii) the head of the social services
agencies that receive Federal funds that are
located within a 10-mile radius of the field
office proposed for closure;
(B) publish the proposal in newspapers whose
circulation area includes areas served by the field
office proposed for closure; and
(C) broadcast the proposal over Federally licensed
radio stations whose broadcast area includes areas
served by the field office proposed for closure.
(2) Records.--The Commissioner shall maintain records of
the dates on which the notices, publications, and broadcasts
required under paragraph (1) are made.
(c) Public Comment Required Prior to Final Closure Decision.--
(1) In general.--The Commissioner shall hold at least 1
hearing at which public comments may be made prior making any
final decision to close an Administration field office. The
Commissioner also shall provide postal and electronic addresses
for which written comments regarding the proposed closure may
be submitted.
(2) Notice.--The date and time for the public comment
hearing on the proposed closure of an Administration field
office shall be included in the notices, publications, and
broadcasts required under subsection (b).
(3) Timing.--The public comment hearing shall be held at
least 21 days after notice of the date and time for the hearing
is made in accordance with paragraph (2) and at least 60 days
prior to the proposed closure date for the Administration field
office.
(4) Attendance.--The Regional Commissioner for the region
in which the Administration field office proposed for closure
is located shall attend the public comment hearing. Only in
cases where Regional Commissioner is, in good faith, unable to
attend the hearing, may a designated representative attend the
public comment hearing in lieu of the Regional Commissioner.
(5) Format.--The public comment hearing shall be conducted
as follows:
(A) The hearing shall begin with a presentation by
the Commissioner of the case for closure of the field
office.
(B) The hearing shall then provide at least 1 hour
following the conclusion of the presentation of the
case for closure for comments from elected officials.
(C) Following the conclusion of the period for
comment from elected officials, the hearing shall then
provide at least 1 hour for comments from the public.
(6) Records.--The Commissioner shall maintain a record of
the comments provided at the hearing and shall include in the
record any written comments received regarding the proposed
closure of the field office. The Commissioner shall publish the
record on the Administration Web site within 5 days after the
conclusion of the public comment hearing.
(d) Final Closure Decision.--
(1) In general.--The Commissioner shall issue a final
closure decision regarding an Administration field office only
after review of the comments received regarding the closure and
evaluation of any alternatives to closing the office that are
made at the public comment hearing or through written
submission.
(2) Notice.--Notice of the Commissioner's final closure
decision with respect to an Administration field office shall
be published on the Administration Web site and shall be
distributed, published, and broadcast in the same manner as
notice of the office closure and service continuity proposal is
made under subsection (b).
(3) Decision to close.--If the Commissioner's final closure
decision is to close a field office, the Commissioner shall
amend the office closure and service continuity proposal for
the field office to incorporate additional information obtained
during the public comment period.
(4) Timing.--Notice of the Commissioner's final closing
decision shall be provided at least 45 days prior to a closing
date for a field office.
(e) Additional Requirements.--The Commissioner shall continue to
operate an Administration field office proposed for closure in good
faith and with the assumption of continued service, until notice of the
Commissioner's final closure decision is made. The Commissioner shall
not take any action to close an Administration field office prior to
providing notice of the Commissioner's final closure decision,
including--
(1) terminating or providing notice to terminate any real
estate lease, rental, or similar arrangement;
(2) concluding agreements with collective bargaining units
related to the office closure;
(3) making expenditures related to the proposed office
closure, except those necessary to fulfill the requirements of
this Act; and
(4) entering into contracts related to the proposed office
closure, except those necessary to fulfill the process
requirements of this Act.
(f) Extensions of Time for Closure.--The Commissioner may--
(1) toll any time periods for action established by this
Act, provided that an equivalent delay in the proposed closing
date is made; and
(2) delay the proposed closing date for an Administration
field office at any time in the closing process, including, if
the final closure decision is to close the office, after making
that decision.
SEC. 6. NON-APPLICABILITY TO DISPOSAL OF REAL PROPERTY RELATED TO
CLOSED OFFICES.
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prevent or delay the
speedy disposal of surplus Government real property, including any
Administration field offices closed in accordance with the requirements
of this Act.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
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