July 21, 1993 DO-93-021 MEMORANDUM TO: Designated Agency Ethics Officials FROM: Stephen D. Potts Director SUBJECT: Program Assistance Division 1993 Agency Survey The Program Assistance Division within the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) has recently expanded its Desk Officer program. The Division now employs ten Desk Officers to provide ethics support to the approximately 120 Federal executive branch departments and agencies. With the expansion, new possibilities exist for the Desk Officers to assist agencies. To explore these possibilities, Program Assistance is conducting a survey of the agencies soliciting suggestions for additional services that it can render. The main objective of the Program Assistance Division is to render, through a Desk Officer system, more timely and consistent assistance to the departments and agencies. This assistance includes consulting with and providing advice to agency ethics officials on various substantive ethics issues; assisting, when requested, in systems development and ethics training; processing routine correspondence and reports from the agencies; and reviewing public financial disclosure reports. In addition, the Desk Officers act as the main contact point for agencies to obtain information concerning ethics matters from OGE. Finally, the Desk Officers provide OGE with a valuable base of current knowledge of each individual agency's ethics program. Program Assistance will use the information from this survey to develop programs on an executive branch-wide level or by individual agency need. Any request outside the scope of the Desk Officer program will be relayed to the appropriate OGE division. The Desk Officers will respond personally to each of the suggestions from their agencies. This interaction should benefit both Program Assistance and the agencies by increasing the effectiveness of the Desk Officer system. The Division would appreciate a response by August 13, 1993. An envelope is attached for your convenience. If you have any questions, please contact your assigned Desk Officer or Tom Zorn, Chief, Program Assistance Division. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Attachment _______________________________________________________________________ (TEBBS note: For information purposes only. Do not submit this format.) OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS PROGRAM ASSISTANCE DIVISION 1993 AGENCY SURVEY AGENCY NAME:_____________________________________________ YOUR NAME:_______________________________________________ YOUR TELEPHONE NUMBER:___________________________________ 1. In prior years, the Desk Officers of OGE's Program Assistance Division (PAD) held brown bag lunches with several groups of DAEOs from agencies with similar missions. In groups of four or five, they came together informally with the Desk Officer to discuss ethics issues and program concerns. Viewing these lunches as a way to encourage dialogue among agencies, the Desk Officers would like to initiate these lunches on a regular basis. If you would like to participate, please list in order of preference those topics you would like to discuss: _______OGE/agency coordination _______Standards of conduct _______Criminal statutes _______Financial disclosure _______Ethics training _______Ethics counseling _______Other issues: ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ _______I would not be interested in participating. 2. With recent increased staffing, PAD staff members will be available on a limited basis to assist agencies with their training needs. If you would like such assistance, please list in order of preference the type of training assistance that would most benefit your staff: _______Standards of conduct _______Review of financial disclosure statements _______Criminal statutes _______Training for special Government employees and advisory committee members _______Post employment training _______Assistance with annual employee training _______Training for regional staff _______Other: ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ _______I am not interested in training assistance. 3. In order to assist you and also to understand better your agency's program, PAD staff members would like to do more work on-site with your ethics staff. How can we assist you? Please list in order of preference and also give us your ideas: _______Setting up financial disclosure tracking systems _______Assistance in implementing OGE, IG, and GAO audit report recommendations _______Briefing agency officials on the needs of the ethics program _______Speaking at agency/regional training sessions _______Preparation of the annual training plan _______Other: ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ 4. In what other areas would you like Desk Officers to provide assistance?