Chaco Creates Service for Access to Rules and Laws in Plain Language

Law No. 3796-A was published in the Chaco Official Gazette on May 19, 2023, creating the “Citizenship Access Service to Rules and Laws in Plain Language”.

The law defines “Plain Language” as that which uses “simple and direct expressions in information, avoiding technical wording and complex writing, to make the message easier to understand” and clarifies that the aim of the service is that “all citizens can know and understand provincial rules and laws even without previous technical legal knowledge”.

Thus, a webpage administered by the province will publish, among others, the Chaco Constitution, laws, decrees, and resolutions in plain language. Chaco’s Ombudsman’s Office will write guidelines to apply plain language.

Finally, the law orders the three branches of the province to adopt all the appropriate measures (whether administrative, legislative, or others) to use plain language in their communications and publications. The law also invites the municipalities to adhere to it.

This law is relevant because it seeks to bring the provincial state closer to the citizenship for individuals to find what they are looking for, understand what they find, and use the information for what they need. These three principles of plain language are fundamental for the adequate access to justice, particularly of those in vulnerable situations, an essential task of pro bono.