The Plain Writing Act of 2010 requires federal agencies to write "clear Government communication that the public can understand and use."
The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to complying with the law. Our plain writing webpage includes:
- An overview of the law.
- A summary of the Department's goals.
- Plain language contact information.
We had multiple plain language achievements in fiscal year 2023.
Agency Activities and Accomplishments
- We continue to implement the recommendations of the Office of Compliance Initiatives' (OCI) comprehensive review of the Department's enforcement agencies' compliance assistance materials and tools to determine whether they are current, easily accessible, and understandable.
- We continue to host an intranet page with information and resources on plain language for all staff.
- We continue to promote and share our one-page plain language quick reference guide to all staff through our new plain language intranet page. The reference guide is easy to use and provides at-a-glance plain language tips and resources.
- Our inter-agency plain language working group continued to meet regularly to discuss plain language developments, review agency materials, and develop resources.
- In FY 2023, an internal subject matter expert provided tailored plain language trainings for several agencies, working groups and communities of practice. The trainings covered the main plain language principles, examples and resources.
- All new employees take a mandatory online plain language training within 90 days of starting their position, and in January of 2023 we launched a revamped online plain language training previously offered only to new employees. All DOL employees must now take the training every three years. In FY 2023, 15,091 Department employees (including contractors) completed the training and received a completion certificate.
Evaluation
Since 2012, the Center for Plain Language has evaluated federal agencies for compliance with the Plain Writing Act. Due to the lack of volunteers, they did not publish a 2023 report.
S. Marisela Douglass, Senior Official for Plain Language
Laura McGinnis, Office of Public Affairs