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Le responsable affirme que la nouvelle mesure est efficace.

Le responsable affirme que la nouvelle mesure est efficace.
The official affirms that the new measure is effective.
From Lesson 177:Reported statements (il dit que)·French

Questions & Answers about Le responsable affirme que la nouvelle mesure est efficace.

Since this is reported speech, do we need to change the tense of the verb est?
Not in this case! Because the introductory verb affirme is in the present tense, the tense in the reported statement doesn't change. If the official's original words were 'The measure is effective' (present tense), it stays est (present tense) in reported speech.
Can we leave out que and just say Le responsable affirme la nouvelle mesure est efficace, like we drop 'that' in English?
No, you can never omit que in French! While English speakers frequently drop 'that' in reported speech ('He says he is coming'), French always requires que (or qu' before a vowel) to connect the two parts of the sentence.
Why is responsable translated as 'official' instead of 'responsible'?
Responsable can be an adjective meaning 'responsible', but here it is used as a noun (le responsable). When used as a noun, it refers to the 'person in charge' — which translates well to a manager, a director, or, as in this context, an official.
Why does the adjective nouvelle come before the noun mesure?
Most French adjectives come after the noun, but nouvelle is one of the common exceptions. You might remember the acronym BANGS for adjectives that go before the noun: Beauty, Age, Number, Goodness, and Size. Because nouvelle describes 'Age' (it means 'new'), it is placed right before mesure.

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