2 FAM 1200
ACTION AND CLEARANCE PROCEDURES
2 FAM 1210
GENERAL PROCESSING
(CT:GEN-500; 05-15-2018)
(Office of Origin: S/ES-EX)
2 FAM 1211 PRINCIPLES
(CT:GEN-354; 03-09-2009)
a. Action and clearance are the processes by which
the Department makes decisions. The processes place responsibility for action
upon one office while ensuring that the information and opinions of other
interested offices are brought to bear on the proposed action.
b. If action is frustrated by over burdensome
clearances, the results can be as bad as if no coordination had been
attempted. The action office should consult widely but give the right of
clearance only to those offices with a substantial interest in the proposed
action.
c. The action office, as a part of its responsibility
for completing action, has the duty to overcome delays and, if necessary, to
present a matter for final decision without the concurrence or dissent of a
delaying office.
2 FAM 1212 ASSIGNMENT OF ACTION
(CT:GEN-316; 02-01-2005)
The Executive Secretariat or an originating office assigns
action responsibility on the basis of the division of responsibilities set
forth in 1 FAM, Organization and Functions, and other guides. Any office may
propose to the action office a change of action responsibility.
2 FAM 1213 RESPONSIBILITY OF ACTION
OFFICE
(CT:GEN-354; 03-09-2009)
Action responsibility is a procedure for ensuring the
completion of all steps on an issue within the scope of the Departments
authority. The action office is responsible for:
(1) Preparing an action document after consulting the
necessary materials and people;
(2) Determining the clearing offices, with input from
the Executive Secretariat. Clearing offices may not add or delete clearances
without the approval of the action office and should seek to minimize multiple
clearances within their own bureau. The Executive Secretariat may require
certain minimal clearances when assigning action responsibility;
(3) Making the initial determination as to where the
final decision should be made;
(4) Obtaining clearances; and
(5) Overcoming delays and, if necessary, presenting
the matter to higher authority for decision without the concurrence or dissent
of a delaying office.
2 FAM 1214 CLEARANCE OR ADVICE
2 FAM 1214.1 Clearance
(CT:GEN-316; 02-01-2005)
Any office that has a substantial interest in a proposed
action should be a clearing office. A clearing office may concur in or dissent
from the proposed action. If a dissent is not reconciled, the action office
must submit the proposed action and the dissent for decision to an authority
superior to both offices.
2 FAM 1214.2 Advice
(CT:GEN-354; 03-09-2009)
An office with only a collateral interest is one that has
useful information or views to contribute but whose field of responsibility is
not vitally affected by the proposed action. Such an office must be consulted
regardless of whether it is included for clearance. If the office being
consulted dissents, the authorizing and clearing officers must be made aware of
the dissent. Drafting and action officers should reconcile differing views as
soon as possible or submit it to a higher authority.
2 FAM 1215 METHODS OF OBTAINING
CLEARANCES
(CT:GEN-354; 03-09-2009)
Obtain clearances by:
(1) Forwarding a copy of the document requiring
clearance (including relevant attachments) to each of the clearing offices.
This is the standard practice and is usually accomplished electronically;
(2) Seeking clearances without providing complete
documentation. Use this method only when the matter is already well understood
by the clearing officer and urgency prevents forwarding the document requiring
clearance and/or relevant attachments. It is usually accomplished telephonically,
and substantive clearance, vice clearance of a document in its entirety, can be
indicated as ok-(subs); and
(3) Submitting the document requiring clearance
(including relevant attachments) to a committee or a meeting. Use this method
only when the committee or the individuals present have authority to pass on
the action.
NOTE: You may use a combination of methods if
circumstances warrant doing so. Clearance is indicated by marking ok next to
the clearing officers name and office designation on a clearance page attached
to the action document. Info, and other notations will not be considered
clearances.
2 FAM 1216 OPERATION OF CLEARANCE
PROCEDURE
2 FAM 1216.1 Normal
(CT:GEN-354; 03-09-2009)
The procedure followed by the action officer will vary
with the circumstances, but normally the action officer will:
(1) Consult informally with officers in other
interested offices before preparing an action document;
(2) Ascertain the views or obtain the approval of the
action office before presenting an action document to other offices;
(3) Present an action document for clearance at the
lowest appropriate level, leaving to the clearing office the decision to refer
the matter to a higher level within its own organization, if necessary;
(4) Obtain a clearance from only one individual in any
one office;
(5) Obtain clearances from any bureaus or offices
required by the Executive Secretariat; and
(6) Present a document to an official above the
assistant secretary level only after obtaining the prior clearance of the
office of the assistant secretary of the bureau that has the action.
2 FAM 1216.2 Emergency
(CT:GEN-354; 03-09-2009)
In an emergency, normal clearance may be dispensed with,
but the action bureau assumes responsibility for departure from the prescribed
process. The action office must promptly inform the units omitted from the
clearance process of the action that has been taken.
2 FAM 1217 RESOLVING CLEARANCE
DIFFERENCES
(CT:GEN-354; 03-09-2009)
Process dissenting clearances as follows:
(1) A clearing office with dissents must notify the
action office promptly of its dissent and reasons for it. The clearing office
may submit a memorandum to the action office with copies to the other
interested offices;
(2) Attempts must be made to reconcile the
differences, first at the action officer level and then (if differences remain)
at the office and bureau levels;
(3) When differences cannot be resolved by informal
discussion, the action office is responsible for carrying the action proposal
on through the clearance process for the final decision by the authority
superior to the differing offices. In doing so, the action office must make
known to the other clearing offices and to the superior authority the dissent
and the memorandum of the dissenting office. Alternatively, the dissenting
office may seek to state its case directly to the superior authority; and
(4) Bureau staff assistants and/or principals special
assistants, after seeing that reasonable efforts have been made to resolve the
differences, must ensure that the differences are clearly set forth in a
separate memorandum or a joint/split memorandum when the proposed action is
presented to a superior officer for final decision.
2 FAM 1218 RESPONSIBILITY FOR REVIEW
AND APPROVAL OF CORRESPONDENCE
(CT:GEN-500; 05-15-2018)
a. Except for diplomatic and ceremonial correspondence,
the bureau or office originating the correspondence is responsible for:
(1) Reviewing, editing, and approving outgoing
correspondence;
(2) Ensuring completeness and accuracy of contents,
the proper security classification or administrative control designation, and
proper tone; and
(3) Complying with any relevant regulations,
guidelines, or procedures governing the correspondence (e.g., 5 FAM 200
(Correspondence), 5
FAM 470 (Access to and Use of Information), and 18 FAM 201.2 (Executive Orders, Proclamations, and other
Presidential Documents)).
b. The Secretariat Staff
(S/ES-S) is responsible for reviewing and coordinating diplomatic and
ceremonial correspondence, including correspondence with international
organizations and all outgoing Diplomatic Notes from the Department.
2 FAM 1219 FOLLOWUP ACTION
(CT:GEN-1030; 05-16-1977)
Responsibility for followup on an action rests with the
action office, unless it is specifically placed upon another office by the
authority taking final action.