Federal employees’ performance reviews would be expanded to factor in the quality of the service they provide under a bill headed to the House floor with the blessing of good-government advocacy groups.

The Government Customer Service Improvement Act (H.R. 538), introduced in February 2011 by Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, was approved on April 18 by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

It would “establish improved customer service standards” for federal agencies by requiring the Office of Management and Budget to develop performance measures for gauging the quality of agency service. Each agency would name a “customer relations representative” to implement the policy and report feedback on the agency’s annual report executed under the 2010 Government Performance and Results Modernization Act. Under the bill, all performance appraisal systems then would include an element of customer service compliance.