Government Accountability

Plain Language in Government Communications Act of 2008

hmoroz — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:24:33 -0400

Legislation

The middle class

Supports

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Response rate to a Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) letter to veterans asking them to update their beneficiaries, written before the VBA switched the letter to plain language: 43%

Response rate to the VBA letter after the agency switched the letter to plain language: 65%

Amount saved by the VBA’s use of plain language in the same letter in staff time spent researching valid beneficiaries when veterans’ have not updated their beneficiaries, in dollars: 5 million

Amount of time to answer questions about a Federal Communications Commission regulation not written in plain language by experienced people affected by the regulation, in minutes: 2.43

Amount of time to answer questions about the same regulation written in plain language, in minutes: 1.5

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Middle Class Supports. Middle-class Americans should be able to easily understand communications from their government. Yet legalese is not confined to legislation and internal government memoranda. Americans who rely on Social Security benefits or veterans’ benefits to make ends meet, anyone who fills out tax paperwork, and any American who uses medication must interpret the convoluted technical language of benefits and tax documents and medicine warning labels. The audience-focused approach of the plain language standard would make benefits available to more Americans by making both application for federal benefits and eligibility requirement less confusing. Public access and transparency are key elements of good government and using plain, understandable language in government communications is a modest step toward both. The federal government would benefit because individuals and small businesses are more likely to comply with notices and instructions that they are able to understand easily and quickly. Additionally, the standard would reduce the customer support services that federal agencies must employ to explain obscure instructions. In general, the legislation would save time, money, and errors both inside of government and outside, benefiting middle-class Americans who rely on government services that are run effectively and efficiently.

Quotes from Experts

Beyond this Bill

Additional Resources

Examples of Plain Language, from PlainLanguage.gov

Center for Plain Language

Civil Rights Act of 2008

hmoroz — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:04:56 -0400

Legislation

The middle class

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Quotes from Experts

Beyond this Bill

Additional Resources

Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2008

atraub — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 16:31:29 -0500

Legislation

The middle class

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Quotes from Experts

Beyond this Bill

Additional Resources

Amendment To Strike Retroactive Immunity From Intelligence Legislation of 2008

atraub — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 15:30:53 -0500

Legislation

The middle class

Supports

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Year in which the United States Constitution established “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures”: 1791

Year Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was passed: 1978

Number of warrants the federal courts approved under the FISA in 2004: 1,758

Number of warrants courts rejected under FISA in 2004: 4

Date on which federal district court judge ruled that "the president of the United States ... has undisputedly violated the Fourth [Amendment] in failing to procure judicial orders" for unwarranted wiretap surveillance activities: August 17, 2006

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

The Middle Class Supports. Granting retroactive immunity to companies that illegally spied on citizens sets a dangerous precedent for corporations to trample the rights of middle-class Americans without having to face any consequences for breaking the law. Telecommunications companies, at the behest of the Bush Administration, illegally monitored American citizens’ private e-mail correspondence, phone calls, password protected web activity, and other communications. This violated Americans’ Fourth Amendment right against unwarranted searches and seizures, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and the contractual rights of private customers who signed privacy agreements with these companies. Our civil justice system allows regular Americans to hold corporations accountable when they violate cherished rights such as those outlined in our Constitution. Granting retroactive immunity would weaken middle-class Americans’ ability to take on powerful corporations for breaking the law. What’s more, retroactive immunity would weaken the ability of middle class consumers to trust that their contracts with corporations will be honored and that the legal system will treat their constitutional rights as more than symbolic. In short, granting retroactive immunity would severely undermine Americans faith in the legal system. Granting retroactive immunity also sets a dangerous precedent by giving the Administration unbridled power, under the guise of pursuing security interests, to pressure companies into violating Americans’ rights with impunity and to protect those corporations from liability for a range of other violations of the law.

Quotes from Experts

Beyond this Bill

Additional Resources

“The Case Against Retroactive Amnesty for Telecoms,” from the Electronic Frontier Foundation

“ACLU vs. AT&T and Verizon” updates on the lawsuits filed in August 2006 from the American Civil Liberties Union

Fair Elections Now Act of 2007

atraub — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 11:02:56 -0500

Legislation

The middle class

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Quotes from Experts

Beyond this Bill

Additional Resources

Accountability in Contracting Act of 2007

atraub — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 16:52:37 -0400

Legislation

The middle class

Supports

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Value of federal government contracts in 2006: $412.1 billion

Percentage of that money that was awarded through a “full and open” bidding process: less than half

Approximate value of federal contracts that went to just one company – the Halliburton Corporation – in 2005: $5.9 billion

Amount the federal government collected in 2006 from settlements and judgments in cases involving allegations that contractors defrauded the government: $3.1 billion

Amount the top 50 federal contractors spent on lobbying in 2006: $146 million

Amount these contractors donated to federal campaigns in 2006: $15 million

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

The Middle Class Supports. Whether it’s military contractors accepting kickbacks in Iraq, no-bid contracts with a guaranteed profit margin for companies cleaning up after Hurricane Katrina, or politically-connected businesses landing lucrative contracts to provide materials to the Department of Education, it is middle-class taxpayers who ultimately foot the bill. With spending on federal contracts reaching more than $400 billion in 2006 – more than double the level in 2000 – middle-class taxpayers have more incentive than ever to demand efficient spending. Yet lax oversight is provoking increased concern about waste, fraud, and profiteering. Combined with legislation that protects whistleblowers who reveal cases of fraud, this bill represents an important step toward making sure that taxpayer money is spent effectively and efficiently.

Quotes from Experts

Beyond this Bill

Additional Resources

Federal Contractor Misconduct Database, from the Project on Government Oversight

“Katrina Watch,” from the Center for Public Integrity

“More Dollars, Less Sense,” from the House Committee on Government Oversight

Federal spending contracts database, from OMB Watch

Government Accountability

Plain Language in Government Communications Act of 2008

Legislation

The middle class

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Related Blog: Header

Quotes from Experts

Related Blog: Text

Beyond this Bill

Related Blog: Link

Additional Resources

Civil Rights Act of 2008

Legislation

The middle class

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Related Blog: Header

Quotes from Experts

Related Blog: Text

Beyond this Bill

Related Blog: Link

Additional Resources

Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2008

Legislation

The middle class

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Related Blog: Header

Quotes from Experts

Related Blog: Text

Beyond this Bill

Related Blog: Link

Additional Resources

Amendment To Strike Retroactive Immunity From Intelligence Legislation of 2008

Legislation

The middle class

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Related Blog: Header

Quotes from Experts

Related Blog: Text

Beyond this Bill

Related Blog: Link

Additional Resources

Fair Elections Now Act of 2007

Legislation

The middle class

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Related Blog: Header

Quotes from Experts

Related Blog: Text

Beyond this Bill

Related Blog: Link

Additional Resources

Accountability in Contracting Act of 2007

Legislation

The middle class

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Related Blog: Header

Quotes from Experts

Related Blog: Text

Beyond this Bill

Related Blog: Link

Additional Resources