21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5759: the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act--also known as the ``21st Century IDEA.''

Mr. Speaker, I first want to thank my colleague, Representative Ro Khanna, for his leadership on this important legislation

This bill is bipartisan. Because if there's one thing we can and should agree on--it's the federal government's duty and obligation to serving the American people as best we can.

It's been a privilege to co-lead on this effort to help make sure we do a better job.

We all know that there's a lot of room for improvement when it comes to meeting the needs of the constituents we were sent here to serve.

But the 21st Century IDEA homes in on a particular area where our federal government lags staggeringly behind: digital modernization and technology.

Why's this such a big issue? Because it's hurting our ability to ensure folks get timely and efficient help from agencies like the IRS or VA.

And even though the technology we need to mitigate this problem is already available-we aren't using it. But as times change, and as citizens' needs transform, it's our job to ensure we evolve the services we provide.

In today's world, this means ensuring that when citizens engage with the government, that interaction mirrors other modern, cost-effective experiences in their everyday lives.

With everything from hailing a cab, buying groceries, or ordering a pizza, we've shifted away from phone calls, walk-ins, or pickups, toward online orders and mobile apps that save us time and, often, money.

The same is true when it comes to federal agencies: Digitization increases the quality of service, promotes efficiency, and improves cost-effectiveness. In fact, recent data from the IRS shows that it costs an agency about $42 to help a customer on the telephone, and about $54 to respond to letters sent through the mail.

The same assistance costs only 22 cents when conducted online.

The 21st Century IDEA takes steps to catapult our federal government into the 21st Century by requiring specific efficiency-boosting and cost-saving improvements to government websites and digital services.

These improvements include, for example, ensuring that consumers can connect to government sites through a secure connection, that sites offer search functions, that sites provide consumers a personalization option, and that sites consolidate redundant material These changes will be overseen by a responsible agency official to ensure compliance.

On top of this, agencies will be required to make paper-based forms available digitally within one year, to provide a digital option as an alternative to in-person government services within two years, to submit a plan to increase the use of electronic signatures on contracts and related documents within 180 days, and to modernize their public- facing websites within one year.

Consumers will no longer be required to print and fill out forms that must then be either faxed or mailed in.

These digital improvements will drastically improve the way our federal agencies provide critical services to folks all across the country, including people with disabilities or those who live in rural areas with limited access to traditional, in-person assistance services all while saving countless taxpayer dollars.

I cannot stress it enough that the federal government is supposed to work for the American people. And we owe it to them to do a better job.

The tools we need to restore the United States' global leadership in technology and digital government are already at our fingertips. Now it's time to act.

I urge my colleagues to vote yes on H.R. 5759: the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act.

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