Image: mtkang/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffA Senate report says the Plain Language Act’s requirements for clear communications by federal agencies needs to be expanded and updated to take into account changes since that law was passed in 2010.
S-4577, recently passed by the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, would broaden the scope of content covered by the 2010 law to require that nearly all information, guidance, instructions, and other public information are stated in plain writing.
It also would require agencies to ensure that the information they put out “improves citizen experience, incorporates customer feedback as appropriate, and meets other compliance requirements,” says a committee report which clears the way for a vote in the full Senate.
The report says the law currently generally covers only documents related to federal government benefits and services, and that it measures effectiveness only through annual reporting by individual agencies. The law further does not take into account clarity and usefulness of “communications with persons who are disabled, who are not proficient in English, or who may be from a historically underserved or disadvantaged background.”
By directing agencies to put in place processes to collect citizen feedback and suggestions on the information presented by agencies, the bill would help assure that official agency documents, forms, and webpages “will continue to improve the actual user experience, rather than the static content initially approved by a federal manager,” it says.
Decisions on Federal Workplace Issues Remain Before Congress
At FBI, the Higher the Level, the Lesser the Penalty for Sexual Misconduct, Senator Says
Reminder on Revised Leave Policies for Voting
Review of Marijuana Policy Could Have Implications for Federal Workplace
Enrollee Share of FEHB Premiums to Rise 8.7 Percent on Average for 2023
OPM Addresses Drivers of Premium Hikes, Upcoming Coverage Changes in FEHB
Effort to Ban a New Schedule F Ratchets Up in Congress
Administration Urged to Extend Waiver in Loan Forgiveness Program
See also,
Employees Value TSP, Annuity, FEHB Most Highly, Survey Finds
Did FERS Actually End the CSRS “Golden Handcuffs” Effect?
Report Assesses Impact of Repealing Windfall, Offset Provisions
With FERS Annuity Indexed for Inflation, Fed Retirees Faring Better
