S. 574 (111th): Plain Writing Act of 2009

Introduced:
Mar 11, 2009 (111th Congress, 2009–2010)
Sponsor:
Sen. Daniel Akaka [D-HI]
Status:
Died (Reported by Committee)

The bill’s title was written by the bill’s sponsor. S. stands for Senate bill.

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Status

This bill was introduced on April 1, 2009, in a previous session of Congress, but was not enacted.

Progress
Introduced Mar 11, 2009
Referred to Committee Mar 11, 2009
Reported by Committee Apr 01, 2009
Cosponsors
6 cosponsors (4D, 2R) (show)
Committees

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

The committee chair determines whether a bill will move past the committee stage.

Full Title

A bill to enhance citizen access to Government information and services by establishing that Government documents issued to the public must be written clearly, and for other purposes.

Summary

No summaries available.

Text

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Last updated Mar 11, 2009.
6 pages

Primary Source

View on THOMAS (The Library of Congress)

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Citation

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GovTrack’s Bill Summary

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Library of Congress Summary

The summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress.

12/9/2009--Reported to Senate amended.
Plain Writing Act of 2009 - Requires each executive agency to use plain writing in every document (other than a regulation) issued to the public, including documents and other text released in electronic form.
Requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue guidance on implementing such requirements to agencies as a circular.
Authorizes agencies, pending issuance of such guidance, to follow the writing guidelines developed by the Plain Language Action and Information Network or their own guidance as long as it is consistent with such guidelines.
Requires each agency head to report to specified congressional committees on how the agency intends to:
(1) communicate the requirements of this Act to employees;
(2) train employees in plain writing;
(3) meet the plain writing requirement;
(4) ensure ongoing compliance with this Act; and
(5) designate a senior official to be responsible for implementing this Act. Requires:
(1) agency heads to report on compliance to OMB; and
(2) OMB to report on the progress of agencies to such committees.
Declares that:
(1) there shall be no judicial review of compliance with this Act; and
(2) no provision of this Act shall be construed to create any enforceable right or benefit.

House Republican Conference Summary

The summary below was written by the House Republican Conference, which is the caucus of Republicans in the House of Representatives.

No summary available.

House Democratic Caucus Summary

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The bill contains the following citations to other parts of U.S. law:

United States Code

The United States Code is the compilation of permanent laws enacted by Congress. Temporary and other non-permanent laws do not appear in the United States Code. (About half of the United States Code is the law itself, called positive law. The other half is merely a compilation of the laws but has no legal significance.)