The day may soon be here when government documents can be understood by anyone.

On Nov. 1, a bill that pushed for plain English in government communications was introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii.

A previous push occurred in the House on Sept. 20, and the legislation was introduced by first-term House member and Iowa Democrat Bruce Braley.

The Plain Language in Government Communications Act, if passed, requires the government to use simple words so people can understand tax forms, college aid applications and other government documents.

Braley told the Washington Post using plain language would improve public services, save government agencies time from answering questions about document meanings and make agencies more accountable for their work.

Braley also said an office of the Veterans Affairs Department began a policy of simplifying a particular document’s language, and the number of telephone calls about the form dropped from 1,200 to 200 a year.

“It’s good,” said Michael Levine, attorney in Student Legal Services.

He said it would be beneficial if obligations in contracts or insurance policies are written in plain language.

“Anything that helps people understand legal rights is positive, and even should be encouraged,” Levine said.

A survey of more than 1,500 people on the Plain English Campaign Web site shows 91 percent of respondents had been confused when filling in an official form. Fifty-nine percent had even contacted a company to ask for explanations of a document.

“I think this is where misunderstanding occurs – people that have a need for a specialized type of service but don’t have a background great enough to comprehend its inner workings,” said Alexander Maxwell, sophomore in philosophy.

Immigrants to the United States may especially benefit from this bill. Some have issues with basic government documents, such as filing income tax returns.

“I agree to this bill. I do need to spend a lot of time to understand the wording”, said Hsin-Jan Fu, Taiwanese immigrant and graduate student in electrical and computer engineering.

“It first saves time. Second, I don’t need to spend extra money to use online tax software,” Fu said.

Maxwell thinks the act is a step in the right direction.

“If this is done well, this law will be a success,” he said.