12/10/2020

This Legal Advisory reminds executive branch employees of the gifts and fundraising rules relevant to 2021 Presidential Inaugural events.

12/07/2020

This Legal Advisory addresses recurring questions about the gifts analysis for virtual events. The Legal Advisory clarifies that ethics officials should analyze virtual events under the same framework as in-person events.

10/29/2020

This Legal Advisory provides guidance on the post-Government employment restrictions applicable to employees who signed the Ethics Pledge under E.O. 13770. The advisory expands on the post-Government employment guidance included in LA-17-03.

10/22/2020

This Legal Advisory provides guidance on certain types of communications, made without an intent to influence, that OGE views as permissible under 18 U.S.C. § 205(a)(2). The Legal Advisory clarifies that submitting certain applications or forms on behalf of another is permissible if employees’ submissions consist of factual information and seek routine action that do not contain an appreciable element of dispute.

10/06/2020

This Legal Advisory provides answers to frequently asked questions for employees engaged in crowdsourced fundraising. The advisory addresses a range of topics, including determining when gifts are based on an employee's official position and accepting donations from fundraising campaigns started by others.

09/24/2020

This Legal Advisory provides guidance on recurring book deals issues relevant to incoming and outgoing employees that OGE did not directly address in OGE DAEOgram DO-08-006. Specifically, this Advisory shares guidance provided by OGE since 2008 relating to the ability of employees, during government service, to: (1) receive compensation for updating a textbook or other book that was initially written prior to government service; (2) engage in promotional activities as part of a book deal; and (3) try to sell a book idea or “shop a book around.”

07/20/2020

OGE has completed its annual survey of prosecutions involving the conflict of interest criminal statutes and other related statutes for calendar year 2019.

06/25/2020

This Legal Advisory discusses the recent amendments to the gifts and travel reimbursements reporting thresholds at 5 C.F.R. §§ 2634.304 and 2634.907(g) and the widely attended gathering (WAG) gift exception ceiling for nonsponsor gifts of free attendance at 5 C.F.R. § 2635.204(g)(3).

05/01/2020

This Legal Advisory reminds agency ethics officials that under 18 U.S.C. § 208, an employee may not participate in any particular matter that would have a direct and predictable effect on the financial interests of a company in which the employee (or any imputed person) owns stock, not merely those particular matters that would affect the stock price.

03/03/2020

This Legal Advisory shares recently-updated and newly-developed resources relating to agency supplemental ethics regulations. These resources are designed to assist agency ethics officials who might have questions regarding supplemental ethics regulations, or who have an interest in adopting or modifying such regulations for their agencies.

01/06/2020

This Legal Advisory identifies the 2020 thresholds for: (1) determining which senior employees are subject to the post-employment restrictions; (2) identifying which officers and employees must file public financial disclosure reports; and (3) implementing the outside employment and outside earned income restrictions for certain covered noncareer employees.