Federal Maritime Commission

Plain Writing Act of 2010 Plan and Compliance Report

July 13, 2011

I. Senior Agency Official for Plain Writing:

Karen V. Gregory, Secretary, secretary@fmc.gov, 202-523-5725

II. Specific Types of Agency Communications that will be Made Available in a 

Format that is Consistent with the OMB Plain Writing Guidelines

Type of Communication, 

Document or Posting, and 

How it is Made Available to 

the Public

Intended User and Approximate 

Number of Potential Users

What Has 

Changed by 

Using Plain 

Writing

Information describing 

regulatory responsibilities and 

requirements for regulated 

entities, e.g., rulemaking 

preambles, website content and 

FAQs, and printed brochures.

• Entities regulated by the FMC - 6,000 

users.

• Members of the public impacted by 

the regulatory requirements –

unknown number of users.

This content is 

now being 

reviewed and 

revised.

Information describing 

complaint resolution resources 

available to members of the 

public, including informal 

dispute resolution services, 

ADR, small claims and formal 

docketed proceedings –

available via the FMC website

or printed materials.

• Members of the public engaged in 

shipment of goods in need of FMC 

complaint resolution services –

unknown number of users.

• Legal counsel representing members 

of the public or shipping industry –

approximately 50 regular users per 

fiscal year.

This content is 

now being 

reviewed and 

revised

Instructions for applying for an

FMC license for ocean 

transportation intermediaries.

• New entrants to the ocean 

transportation intermediary business 

– approximately 400 per fiscal year.

This content is 

now being 

reviewed and 

revised.

Instructions for applying to 

practice before the Commission 

as a non-attorney.

• Non-attorneys wishing to represent 

clients in matters before the 

Commission such as legal 

proceedings and license applications 

– approximately 15 per fiscal year.

This content is 

now being 

reviewed and 

revised.
III. Inform Agency Staff of Plain Writing Act’s Requirements

Agency staff will be informed of the plain language requirements through:

a. Training of key affected personnel as described below.

b. Information on the Act and compliance guidance will be posted on the

FMC intranet.

c. Email sent from the Senior Agency Official for Plain Writing to all 

employees providing basic advice and links to in-depth resources. 

IV. Training

The FMC has provided the following training:

Type of Training

Number of 

Employees 

Trained

Date

In house - overview of requirements 

presented to key staff.

15

June 30, 2011

Online training required of key staff. 15 By July 13, 2011

V. Ongoing Compliance/Sustaining Change

a. Agency contact for compliance issues: 

Karen V. Gregory, Secretary, or Rachel E. Dickon, Assistant 

Secretary, secretary@fmc.gov, 202 -523-5725

b. Documenting and reporting use of plain writing in agency 

communications: 

The Plain Writing Officer, or her staff, will review all communications 

before they are posted to the website or issued officially by the 

Commission. Each such communication which requires use of plain 

language will be tracked for inclusion in the annual compliance 

report.

c. Clearance process:

i. Each agency component will have at least one employee trained in 

Plain Writing who will be available to review documents produced 

that are subject to the plain language requirement. This training will 
reach over 10% of agency staff and is specifically targeted for those 

who regularly draft public information and reports.

ii. The Plain Writing Officer, or her staff, will review all 

communications before they are posted to the Commission’s 

Internet website or issued officially by the Commission. Revisions 

will be recommended as needed to ensure use of plain language.

VI. Agency’s Plain Writing Website

a. Website address: 

http://www.fmc.gov/about/plain_language_guidelines.aspx

b. Contact us : secretary@fmc.gov

c. The information included in the table above, and found on the FMC 

website, is subject to the requirements of the Plain Writing Act of 2010. 

The FMC is currently reviewing all website content for needed plain 

language revisions. Any comments or suggestions should be sent to:

secretary@fmc.gov.

d. Links to OMB and PLAIN are provided on the website

VII. Customer Satisfaction Evaluation after Experiencing Plain Writing 

Communications

The FMC will survey on a periodic basis to assess user satisfaction with the plain 

writing communications. This will be conducted informally through inquiries from 

Commission staff to users, and by measurement and tracking of inquiries received 

that request clarification on information that ought to be provided in plain language.