Calling All Americans!
The Federal Government is committed to making it easier for the public to engage with their Government, and to harnessing their knowledge, needs, and lived experiences to improve how Government works for them and with them.
Share your ideas to help us build a more inclusive, responsive, transparent, and accountable Government.
Ends May 17, 2024
Your take on the possibilities
It’s time to remember that “We the People” are the government — you and I. Not some force in a distant capital. Not some powerful force that we have no control over. It’s us. It’s “We the People.”
— PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN
Federal laws and Executive directives require agencies to frequently consult with the public to shape policies and actions. However, these consultation efforts may be perceived as inaccessible or disconnected from stakeholder interests and priorities.
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) wants your ideas to develop a Federal framework, guidelines, and leading practices for public participation and community engagement (PPCE) activities to help Federal agencies more broadly and meaningfully engage with you and your communities.
PPCE activities include notice and comment processes, Requests for Information, consultations, listening sessions, customer feedback surveys, user research, crowdsourcing, and other activities carried out by Federal agencies to consult with the public to inform regulations, policies, program and service design, and other actions.
The Federal Government is seeking your input on...
Experiences
What is the Federal Government doing well when you participate in or try to participate in government PPCE activities?
What challenges, including any physical or digital accessibility barriers, have you encountered when you participate in or try to participate in Federal Government PPCE activities?
What might the Federal Government do to make it easier or more likely for you to participate and engage with the Federal Government to inform government decision-making?
What is your understanding of how individuals and organizations can engage with the Federal Government to inform government decision-making? What can the Federal Government do to broaden and diversify reach?
Content
What types of content could OMB include in a Federal framework for PPCE that would be effective and informative for Federal agencies?
How might OMB facilitate agencies adopting and effectively applying such practices?
What are effective ways for the Federal Government to provide updates to the public about the feedback it receives during, and decisions made after, PPCE activities?
What goals and objectives should OMB consider when developing a Federal framework for PPCE?
What guidance might OMB provide to agencies for developing their own goals, objectives, and metrics for participation and engagement?
Process
What specific steps could OMB take that involve the Federal Government and the public, especially members of underserved communities, to ensure collaborative development of a Federal framework for PPCE?
A Federal framework for PPCE will help agencies:
Respond
Make Your Voice Heard!
OMB seeks feedback on:
- Experiences of individuals and organizations, including from underserved communities, with participating in Federal Government PPCE activities that inform government decision-making;
- Content (e.g., methods, approaches, tools, and practices) to incorporate in a Federal framework for PPCE; and
- How OMB might continue to pursue a collaborative process to co-develop such a framework with the public.
Provide written feedback
Submit public comment
ENDS MAY 17, 2024
On March 20, OMB published a Request for Information (RFI) to seek public feedback through the Federal Register. The RFI includes multiple questions related to experiences, content, and process. (Respondents do not have to answer every question.)
OR
Complete a simple form
ENDS MAY 17, 2024
Alternatively, you may submit input on the questions in the RFI through a simple online form. (This form asks the same questions as the RFI. Respondents do not have to answer every question.)
Provide verbal feedback
Attend a listening session
VARIOUS DATES
In addition to, or in lieu of, submitting written feedback through either method above, consider attending a virtual event hosted by the Federal Government to learn more and / or provide live input.
Dates and registration information to follow.
