12/24/1992

OGE reminds agencies that the recent changes to the gift thresholds are not reflected on the public financial disclosure form. OGE is revising the form to reflect the current thresholds.

12/22/1992

Eligible former senior employees may engage in representational activities before a component of their former department or agency if that component has been designated by the Director of OGE pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 207(h) as a separate agency or bureau within the department or agency.

12/10/1992

Loans between superiors and their subordinates are to be discouraged. Because of the debtor-creditor relationship, the subordinate would be a person with whom the superior would have a "covered relationship" within the meaning of 5 C.F.R. § 2635.502(b)(1).

12/10/1992

Pre-meeting activities, such as reviewing written materials, by advisory committee members in preparation for a meeting might rise to the level of personal and substantial participation under 18 U.S.C. § 208(a). Waivers under 18 U.S.C. § 208(b)(3) must be granted prior to such participation by an advisory committee member.

12/10/1992

A free subscription to a newsletter that is offered to all Federal employees is excluded from the definition of "gift" found at 5 C.F.R. § 2635.203.

11/04/1992

1990-91 Conflict of Interest Prosecution Survey

10/19/1992

OGE discusses the filing cycle for confidential financial disclosure (Oct 1 through Sep 30), the filing of the form by special Government employees, the designation of positions as filing positions, and several other issues.

10/05/1992

The honoraria ban applied to an employee who gave a ten-minute speech as a panelist at a symposium.

09/30/1992

The Standards of Conduct prohibit a Federal employee from soliciting funds or services from representatives of companies doing business with the Federal Government and using those funds for purposes of the private organization.

09/03/1992

Agencies are required to develop written procedures for reviewing, collecting, and evaluating the public and confidential financial disclosure systems.

08/25/1992

OGE announces that OMB and GSA have approved the new confidential financial disclosure form (SF 450).

07/31/1992

A charitable contribution made on behalf of a Federal employee may not qualify as a gift if it were made as part of a settlement. However, individual circumstances must be evaluated to determine whether such a contribution is consistent with the Standards of Ethical Conduct prohibiting gifts from outside sources.

07/30/1992

A series of articles produced in a magazine is excluded from the honoraria ban only if each article, of at least three, is intended to be part of a series and not a stand-alone piece.

07/23/1992

OGE discusses the methodology of determining whether a person falls within the statutory definition of "senior employee" or "very senior employee" for the purposes of 18 U.S.C. § 207(c) and (d).

06/02/1992

A noncareer member of the Senior Executive Service was deemed to have taken compensation from an outside position that involved a fiduciary relationship in violation of 5 U.S.C. app. § 502 and 5 C.F.R. § 2636.303(b) when he received payments from his medical practice while serving as a public official.

05/28/1992

OGE discusses the application of the honoraria ban to a District of Columbia employee who received payment for appearances made as a legal educator that did not involve his official duties.

05/01/1992

OGE discusses whether a senior Government employee could preclude conflict of interest questions under the "seeking employment" restriction by giving his resume to an employment search firm and asking that it not disclose to him the identity of those to whom the resume has been distributed.

04/09/1992

OGE summarizes the changes to the public financial disclosure system and to the qualified trust program which the new interim regulation implements. OGE also highlights the differences between the public financial disclosure system and the new confidential system.

04/06/1992

OGE advises on whether an individual can evade violating the honoraria ban by diverting funds to a third-party charitable organization.

03/27/1992

Authority to render opinions about who is and who is not a "procurement official" is specifically given to designated agency ethics officials or their delegatees by 41 U.S.C. § 423(k), not OGE.

03/26/1992

Certificates of Divestiture are available to parties who qualify as "eligible persons" under the Internal Revenue Code. Such certificates were not intended to be generally available to trustees of a trust which is eligible under the code section, but rather were intended to be available only where all alternative remedies were impracticable.

03/23/1992

The GAO regulations determining that frequent flyer miles received by employees during official travel are agency property do not conflict with OGE's previous advice concerning the acceptance of gifts.

03/17/1992

A federal employee who owns stock in a company that creates a conflict of interest under 18 U.S.C. § 208 may divest the stock or request a recusal, reassignment, or waiver.

03/16/1992

Certificates of divestitures are not available for previously divested investment holdings, but rather must be sought from OGE prior to the sale of such holdings.

03/12/1992

Where an agency has determined that an employee has a conflict of interest under 18 U.S.C. § 208 with the outside employment of his/her spouse, and has determined not to grant the employee a § 208(b)(1) waiver, OGE is not statutorily enabled to hear appeal or review of the employing agency’s discretion decision.

03/11/1992

An attorney who was a Federal employee is not restricted from representing a union in litigation against his former agency on a particular matter on which he did not participate personally and substantially.

03/11/1992

The acceptance of hospitality gifts by non-GSA employees must be determined on an agency-by-agency basis taking into account the possibility of appearances of impropriety.

02/26/1992

The incidental presentation of two non-monetary honorary awards by a university to Federal employees was unlikely to violate the gift regulations that were found in the new proposed Standards of Ethical Conduct at 5 C.F.R. part 2635.

02/25/1992

When Congress has specifically provided that the Federal Government must continue to pay employees their usual Government salaries during the time they are engaged in union activities, those employees should be considered "on the job" for purposes of pay and compensation. Any additional payments made by outside sources would violate 18 U.S.C. § 209.

02/25/1992

The amendment at 5 C.F.R. § 2636.203(a)(13) sets out specific requirements about the timing of payment for a series of speaking engagements. The amendment is not retroactive.