Goodbye to Gobbledygook?Goodbye to Gobbledygook?
Congress proclaimed that the Plain Writing Act of 2010 (the Act)1 will improve the effectiveness and accountability of the IRS and other [f]ederal agencies to the public by promoting clear [g]overnment communication that the public can understand and use.2 The Act applies to letters, publications, forms, notices and instructions. Federal agencies have one year to comply with the law estimated to cost
Conrad Teitell
Congress proclaimed that the Plain Writing Act of 2010 (the Act)1 will “improve the effectiveness and accountability of the IRS and other [f]ederal agencies to the public by promoting clear [g]overnment communication that the public can understand and use.”2 The Act applies to letters, publications, forms, notices and instructions. Federal agencies have one year to comply with the law — estimated to cost the government about $5 million a year to implement. So the plain writing will be in red ink.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), giving the first guidance on the Act, directs that “communication between agencies and the public must be attuned to how people process information. A lack of clarity may prevent people fro...
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