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February 17, 2005 DT-05-002
MEMORANDUM
TO: Designated Agency Ethics Officials
FROM: Carolyn W. Chapman Associate Director for Education
SUBJECT: Washington, DC Ethics Symposium
The U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) is offering a four-day ethics symposium in Washington, DC, March 14-17, 2005. This symposium is being offered to ethics officials in the Washington, DC vicinity. The symposium consists of plenary sessions and training courses. Attached are the symposium agenda and descriptions of the various programs offered.
The symposium takes place at the following location:
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Room 3M-2A & 2B (3rd Floor) 888 First Street, NE Washington, DC 20426 TEL: 202-502-8605
[Note, FERC is located 1 block from the Union Station metro (red line)]
If you are interested in attending the DC symposium, please contact Gwen Cannon-Jenkins at gcannon@oge.gov. You will receive a return response confirming your registration or notifying you that the symposium is full. Please provide Gwen with the following information about you:
* name * agency name * e-mail address * phone number * fax number
For any additional information about the symposium, please contact Sheila Powers, Training Coordinator at sapowers@oge.gov. The OGE staff looks forward to seeing you next month!
Attachments Washington, DC Symposium Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 888 First Street, NE - Room 3M-2A & 2B (3rd Floor) Washington, DC 20426 TEL: 202-502-8605
Monday, March 14, 2005 - Day 1
Tuesday, March 15, 2005 - Day 2
Wednesday, March 16, 2005 - Day 3
Thursday, March 17, 2005 - Day 4
WASHINGTON, DC ETHICS SYMPOSIUM March 14-17, 2005
SESSION DESCRIPTIONS:
§ 208 (b)(1) Waivers This session provides participants with hands-on experience of writing § 208(b)(1) waivers that comply with the requirements of 5 C.F.R. § 2640.301. The waivers focus on disqualifying financial interests arising from employee ownership of certain financial instruments.
Conflicting Financial Interests This session explains how to identify disqualifying financial interests as identified in 18 U.S.C. § 208. The course uses examples to illustrate concepts and real-world exercises to increase skills. The session also explains how to handle disqualifying financial interests by suggesting remedies to resolve conflicts, referring cases to the Inspector General and/or the Department of Justice, and notifying OGE of referrals.
Gifts This session explores the inherent pitfalls when Federal employees receive gifts from outside sources and identifies what constitutes prohibited gifts from outside sources. The session helps participants determine who employees may give gifts to and receive gifts from, and identify the general standards for gifts between employees. Participants differentiate the categories of gift exceptions, and discover the circumstances under which employees may solicit and/or make contributions for a gift. Session format includes lecture, practical exercises, brainstorming, discussion, and case studies.
Hatch Act While most federal employees may engage in political activity while they are off-duty, the Hatch Act prohibits employees from running for public office in partisan elections, from raising money for partisan candidates, and from engaging in political activity while on duty. This session provides information on how employees may be politically active without violating the Hatch Act.
Impartiality It isn't enough that employees avoid conflicts of interest under 18 U.S.C. § 208. They also must avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest. This session examines the various factors that ethics officials should consider when determining whether a reasonable person would question an employee's impartiality. Participants learn why it is important that they determine whether the employee's participation in a particular matter is defensible. They also examine the circumstances under which they can authorize an employee's participation despite an appearance problem.
Managing an Ethics Program Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is getting it right the first time. What makes an ethics program effective? What duties must the ethics official perform? How do you know that your advice is correct? How do you get them to listen to you? What are some traps to avoid? Learn the answers to these questions and more as you manage a first class ethics program.
Misuse of Position This session provides a broad overview of Subpart G. Attendees identify violations related to the four misuse of position standards: Public Office for Private Gain, Nonpublic Information, Government Property, and Official Time. Participants also complete activities to determine if misuse occurred and recommend corrective action. Course format includes lecture and practical exercise.
Post Employment This session provides an overview of the post-employment statute, 18 U.S.C. § 207, as well as a step-by-step methodology for analyzing post-employment situations. Session format includes lecture and practical exercises.
Seeking Employment This session enables participants to determine whether employees are participating personally and substantially in a particular matter that would have a direct and predictable effect on the financial interests of a prospective employer. They also learn how to determine whether the employees’ activities constitute seeking employment and identify appropriate remedies for possible conflicts. Course format includes lecture, brainstorming, practical exercises, independent reading, and case scenarios.
Training Tips Training Tips includes discussions about characteristics of effective and ineffective training programs. Participants learn how to help their employees retain and apply what they learn in class on the job, how to vary the instruction to keep employees interested and avoid boring them, and how to match various strategies and methods to the course objectives.
Travel The discussion focuses on the latest developments on the use of frequent traveler benefits by federal employees on official travel, the use of premium class accommodations, denied boarding compensation, latest changes to the regulations relating to acceptance of travel payments from non-federal sources, the use of the travel charge card, routing of travel, issues relating to conferences and providing refreshments, and the GSA airline city pairs contract. There is also an open discussion relating to any questions and issues that participants wish to raise involving travel and related ethics topics.
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