3.2: Public Engagement Act
Pass a “Public Engagement Act.” Other Information:
The Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), while created as a safeguard against corruption, has come to pose major bureaucratic
barriers and imposes perverse incentives on agency coordinators. New legislation or executive guidance should be issued to
create constructive incentives and requirements, allowing Federal employees to take real advantage of public consultation.
FACA reform needs to involve Congressional committees (Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, House Oversight
and Government Reform Committee), OMB, and the GSA, which controls the FACA disclosure database. A new public participation
law should: a) provide broad authority for agencies to use a variety of models for civic engagement, including innovations
in public deliberation, online public involvement, and dialogue; b) require that agencies appoint a collaborative governance
specialist to build expertise and capacity and provide training; and c) authorize networks of public, private, and nonprofit
stakeholders to collaborate and provide for their accountability and transparency through civic engagement. This legal framework
would be one of the building blocks of a robust infrastructure—mechanisms, processes and governing structures that place citizens
in a meaningful and on-going role in policy development in the federal government.
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