Washington, Jan 29 - Today a House subcommittee unanimously passed Rep. Bruce Braley’s (D-Iowa) Plain Language in Government Communications Act (HR 3548), a bill that would require the federal government to write documents like tax returns, federal college aid applications, and Veterans Administration forms in simple, easy-to-understand language. 

 The Subcommittee on Information Policy, part of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, considered the bill today and passed it by a unanimous, bipartisan vote.

 The bill now moves to the full Oversight Committee for consideration.

 “The subcommittee’s passage of the Plain Language Act today is the first step in making government more accessible and accountable to American taxpayers,” Braley said.  “There’s no reason why the federal government can’t write their forms and other public documents in a way we can all understand. 

 “I’m going to keep pushing to pass the Plain Language bill into law, so American taxpayers can more easily work with and understand their government.”

Braley introduced the Plain Language Act last September.