Plain Language is perhaps most important in government agencies because of their need to communicate with a wide public. But government agencies have long used technical jargon in even the simplest of documents, with some writers seeming to actively avoid the use of common, everyday words. Since the 1990’s many groups such as PLAIN (Plain Language Association International) have advocated the use of plain language in government.
The Clinton Administration made plain language one of their initiatives during the late 90’s. For example, in June 1998, President Bill Clinton issued a memo calling for executive departments and agencies to use plain language in all government documents (plainlanguage.gov). This memorandum eventually led to the formation of PLAN (Plain Language Action Network). The role of PLAN is to provide training in plain language documentation to government agencies. The Plain Language in Government Communications Act of 2007 (H.R. 3548) represents another example of Plain Language in government. This bill also aims to use plain language in all documents issued to the public (opencongress.org). Both bills strive to help the public understand the processes taking place in their government agencies.
The National Institutes of Health, under the department of Health and Human Services, is one of the leading government agencies in the plain language movement. NIH provides information on their website about the medical and scientific research they conduct. Recently, they have divided up this information in tabs for doctors/researchers and patients. The information for patients is written at an easy reading level, does not include jargon that the average patient would not understand, and has a calmer tone.
Initiatives to make plain language a mandate for all government documents allow for transparency between government and the public. Documents written in plain language will allow constituents to better understand the legislative process, and other changes being made by their government officials.