On May 17, ABC joined an industry coalition in submitting comments to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget in response to the OMB’s request for information on public participation in federal agency policymaking. The OMB issued the request ahead of plans to develop a governmentwide framework, common guidelines and leading practices for public participation and community engagement.

In the comments, ABC calls on the OMB to ensure greater transparency in federal rulemaking across all agencies. Among other concerns, the comments urge the OMB to require agencies to properly engage with relevant trade associations, avoid making policy through supposedly nonbinding guidance documents, provide sufficient notice and comment periods for all rulemakings and prioritize the use of plain language in rulemakings to enhance accessibility for the general public.