The Office of Management and Budget is soliciting comments regarding two documents meant to help government agencies improve opportunities for public participation and community engagement when it comes to policy and program formulation.
Guidance for Public Engagement
The first document serves as a draft guidance that offers federal agencies with definitions and principles related to participation and engagement, a sample decision-making framework on when and how the public should be involved, and recommended steps on how public engagement can be broadened, according to a blog entry posted Tuesday on Performance.gov.
The draft guidance also calls on agencies to adopt leading engagement practices and offers steps that can be taken by the Federal Executive Councils to support the broadening of public participation and engagement.
Toolkit for Public Participation
The second document is a draft outline for a toolkit to be used by agencies in planning, implementing and assessing participation and engagement impacts. The same toolkit would serve to centralize materials that could help with public engagement.
Comments from the public will be used by OMB to develop the final guidance and toolkit. Interested parties have until Nov. 29 to respond.
