Statement on Departmental Consumer Representation Plans.

THIS MORNING I received an interim report from Virginia Knauer and Jim Lynn on the status of the Departmental Consumer Representation Plans. I am pleased with the progress made to date.

Last April, as you may recall, I requested each of the departments and agencies in the executive branch to analyze their entire decisionmaking process to determine where additional consumer input might be helpful in making Federal agencies more responsive to the needs of the American consumer.

The plans developed by these departments and agencies will be published this month in the Federal Register. Following publication, there will be a major effort to disseminate copies of these plans to all interested consumers as well as other interested groups.

So there will be no delay, however, in this effort to open up to the public the decisionmaking processes of the executive branch, I have instructed each department and agency to move ahead at once on putting these plans into effect. Adjustments can be made later as circumstances warrant.

In January we intend to hold public meetings in at least 10 cities across the country to explain how these plans work for the benefit of consumers and to seek suggestions and ideas for ways to make the departments and agencies of the Federal Government more effective and responsive to public concerns.

I am convinced we can resolve by better administration what Congress is attempting to accomplish by new laws and a costly new Government agency. The steps we have taken will prove to be responsive to the needs of the American consumer and the concerns of the American public.