Regulatory Planning and Review

On January 18, 2011, President Obama signed Executive Order 13563 “Improving Regulations and Regulatory Review”. The purpose of the EO is to ensure that Federal regulations seek more affordable and less intrusive means to achieve policy goals. The President also issued a memorandum to the heads of Executive Agencies and Departments calling for more transparency and accountability in regulatory compliance and the need to reduce burdens on small businesses whenever possible. As part of our immediate implementation of this strategy, this web page is created to make Department of State information publicly available, easily accessible, downloadable, and searchable online.

Implementing the Plain Writing Act of 2010

On October 13, 2010, the President signed into law the Plain Writing Act of 2010. The Act calls for writing that is clear, concise and well-organized. In his January 21, 2009, Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government, President Obama emphasized the importance of establishing “a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration.” The Department of State recognizes that plain writing is a courtesy to our readers and is our standard for written communications.


The Department of State recognizes the importance of public participation and collaboration. Our goal is to write more clearly and to provide the opportunity for regulatory review and comment through this Internet site. We ask you to use the links of this site for our periodic retrospective review of our existing significant regulations and for our proposed rules.

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