Plain Language in Government Writing

This presidential memorandum directs all executive department and agency heads to use plain language in government documents that explain benefits, services, or compliance requirements, with phased deadlines through 2002. It also requests independent agencies to comply and tasks the National Partnership for Reinventing Government with issuing guidance.

Federal Register Open PDF 63 FR 31885

Impact dates

Jan 1, 2002
All pre-existing non-regulatory documents must be in plain language
Jan 1, 1999
Use plain language in all proposed and final rulemaking documents in Federal Register
Oct 1, 1998
Use plain language in all new non-regulatory documents explaining benefits/services/compliance

Key directives

Use plain language in all new documents explaining benefits/services/compliance by October 1, 1998
Use plain language in all proposed and final rulemaking published in Federal Register by January 1, 1999
Convert all pre-October 1, 1998 non-regulatory documents to plain language by January 1, 2002
National Partnership for Reinventing Government to issue guidance
Independent agencies asked to comply

Who is ordered

Timeline

Immediate

Memorandum issued to agency heads

Near term (90d)

Plain language required in all new non-regulatory documents by October 1, 1998

Long term

Plain language required in all proposed and final rulemaking by January 1, 1999
All pre-existing non-regulatory documents must be in plain language by January 1, 2002

Risks & tensions

No enforcement mechanism specified; memorandum explicitly states it confers no legally enforceable rights
Resource constraints for rewriting existing documents by 2002 deadline
Subjective standard of 'plain language' may create compliance uncertainty
'Common sense' and 'customer feedback' as guidance tools lack specificity