Official website of the Department of Homeland Security
On October 13, 2010, President Obama signed the Plain Writing Act into law. OMB issued final guidance to implement the law on April 13, 2011.
The purpose of the act is “to improve the effectiveness and accountability of Federal agencies to the public by promoting clear Government communication that the public can understand and use.” The law heralds a complete change in federal communications culture. From now on, clarity will be the primary objective in writing. Documents will be judged based on their simplicity, precision, and usefulness to stakeholders on all levels.
DHS stakeholders have submitted a high-level draft of recommended plans for DHS to implement the Act’s requirements to the designated DHS Senior Official for Plain Writing, DHS Executive Secretary Phil McNamara. Mr. McNamara will be assisted by the Deputy Senior Official for Plain Writing, Gail Kaufman, who works in the DHS Office of Policy, and by other officials throughout the Department.
Learn More
- View the DHS Initial Plan to Implement the Plain Writing Act of 2010 Requirements
- DHS Plain Writing Act Leadership
- Provide Feedback on Plain Writing at DHS
DHS Plain Writing Act Leadership
Designated Senior Official for Plain Writing:
Phil McNamara
Executive Secretary, Office of the Secretary
Designated Deputy Senior Official for Plain Writing:
Gail Kaufman
Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of Policy
Provide Feedback on Plain Writing at DHS
DHS values your comments and welcomes your feedback about how we provide all internal and external stakeholders (for example, other government agencies, private businesses, citizens, and our own employees) with documents and materials that are clearly written.
If there are specific documents that you wish to cite as an opportunity for improvement, please include as much information about the document as possible for us to research it, including (if available) web link, form number, and document title and the specific information you found difficult.
Although all correspondence to this e-mail box will be monitored and shared with leadership, we will not be staffed to respond to individual inquiries.