IEC Journal

FOUND: Women's black jacket

A woman’s black jacket, size small (Anne Klein) was left in suite where the IEC presentation was given.  It is hanging on the coat rack for now.  The owner should call Rose Marie to arrange pick up at (202) 272.0006.

 

February 2012 Presentation Materials: Ethics & Govt Lawyers

Here is the handout for today's IEC presentation, ETHICS & THE GOVERNMENT LAWYER.  Download Ethics & Govt Lawyer handout (02-02-2012)

Please try to bring a copy with you to today's presentation.

February 2nd Meeting

Our February 2nd meeting topic is professional responsibility for Government employees.  Our speaker will be Jack Marshall, the founder and president of ProEthics, Ltd., and the primary writer and editor of the ethics community blog, "Ethics Alarms" (www.ethicsalarms.com).  His articles and essays have appeared in numerous national and regional publications, and he has spoken on leadership and ethics topics before a variety of audiences in both the private and public sectors.  We are pleased to have Mr. Marshall with us for our February meeting, and are certain that, whether litigators or administrative attorneys, we'll all benefit from attending this session.

We will meet at the United States Access Board, 1331 F Street, N.W. (between 13th and 14th Streets, near Metro Center station) from 12:15 - 1:30.  As always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register.  Ethics officials who are not on our roster but who wish to attend this meeting can pre-register by contacting Patrick.Carney@fcc.gov not later than Monday, January 30th.  Those who are neither on the roster nor pre-registered can still be admitted by showing a Government ID upon arrival at USAB.

Reminder: Big Meeting on Thursday, Jan. 5

What looks like an exceptional IEC meeting will be held Thursday, January 5. The topics will be personal conflicts of interest and post-Government employment restrictions.

It will be a joint meeting with the Washington Metropolitan Area Corporate Counsel Association (WMACCA). Instructors include Professor Kathleen Clark, of Washington University School of Law, Mike Kallens, of Booz Allen Hamilton, and Pat Carney, of the FCC, Jeff Green, of DOD, and Steve Epstein, of Boeing.

Our December 12 post has the details.

2011 Travel Regulations Update: Presentation Material

Here is the power point presentation from Lenny Loewentritt's December 1, 2011, Travel Regulations Update presentation.  Download 2011 IEC Travel Presentation. 

January 5, 2012 Meeting

Our January 5th session will be a joint meeting with the Washington Metropolitan Area Corporate Counsel Association (WMACCA) on "New Challenges and New Regulations for Government and Contractor Ethics Officers."  The IEC and the Government Contractors Forum of WMACCA are joining forces to address two ethics and compliance issues we all encounter: personal conflicts of interest and post-Government employment restrictions.

Our first panel will feature Professor Kathleen Clark, of Washington University School of Law, Mike Kallens, of Booz Allen Hamilton, and Pat Carney, of the FCC, who will discuss recent developments in personal conflicts of interest rules for Government and contractor employees (including the new FAR rules).  Our second panel will feature Jeff Green, of DOD, and Steve Epstein, of Boeing, who will cover current "revolving door" issues (including the new DFARS rule).  We are working on obtaining CLE credit from the Virginia Bar for attendance at this meeting.

The meeting will run from 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm, and will be held at the Boeing Building, 1200 Wilson Blvd. in Rosslyn, VA.  (From the Rosslyn Metro Station on Moore Street, turn right and walk to the corner; the Boeing Building is directly across the street.)

This will be a brown-bag event, so feel free to bring lunch.  Coffee and soft drinks will be provided.  The building contractor, Aramark, will also provide lunch for those desiring to purchase it.  The cost is $13 for a box lunch w/gourmet sandwich (ham, tuna, turkey or veggie), chips and a cookie.  Cash or checks made payable to Aramark, with "IEC Meeting" noted, are acceptable.

WMACCA has set up a link on their c-vent system so those wishing to come can RSVP and indicate if they wish to purchase a box lunch.  We encourage advance notice to assist with planning, but it is not required.  The link is: http://www.cvent.com/d/jcqk3c/1Q.  RSVPs and lunch orders by December 21st would be appreciated, but it is not necessary to RSVP in order to attend.

 

As promised, here are the materials shared by the Department of State and USAID from the recent presentation.

• State's creating an MOU chart  Download Creating-MOU chart (State) 
• State's how to identify partners Download Idenitfying partners (State)
• State's chart on the P3 life-cyle Download Ppp-life-cycle
• State's Guidelines for Partnership Download State Guidelines for Partnership
• USAID's Partnership Best Practices Download Partnership Due Diligence - Best Practices (USAID)

December 1st Meeting: Travel Regulations Update

At our December 1st meeting we are pleased to once again have Lenny Loewentritt, of GSA, who will provide us an update on developments in the travel world.  Lenny's presentations are always highly informative and extremely well attended, so plan to be with us on the 1st.  In the meantime, we wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving!

We will meet at the U. S. Access Board, at 1331 F Street, N.W. (on the north side of F Street, between 13th and 14th Streets, near the Metro Center station) from 12:15 - 1:30.  As always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register for this meeeting.  Ethics officials who are not on the roster but who wish to pre-register can do so by contacting patrick.carney@fcc.gov not later than Monday, November 28th.  Those who are neither on the roster nor pre-registered will still be admitted by showing a Government ID upon arrival at the building.

Public-Private Partnership (P3) Presentation Materials

As promised, here are the relevant materials from the wonderful presentation on Public-Private Partnerships by  by USAID and State Department officials.

• Power Point Presentation: Download Dept State Public Private Partnership
• Dept. of State, P3 website: http://www.state.gov/t/pm/wra/partners/
• USAID website: http://idea.usaid.gov/
• USAID fact sheet on difference between P3 and Global Development Alliances: http://idea.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/PPPs_vs_GDAs.pdf

More to come. Or if you have P3 resources to share, please email them to us. 

November 3rd Meeting

At our November 3rd meeting we are pleased to host a panel presentation by USAID and State Department ethics officials on public/private partnerships -- focusing on some case studies and methods of achieving success.  This will be a good opportunity to learn about an increasingly important subject area, so please plan to attend.

We will meet at the U. S. Access Board, at 1331 F Street, N.W. (on the north side of F Street, between 13th and 14th Streets, near Metro Center Station) from 12:15 - 1:30.  As always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-rgister for this meeting.  Ethics officials who are not on the roster but who wish to attend can pre-register by contacting patrick.carney@fcc.gov not later than Monday, October 31st. 

October 6th Meeting

At our October 6th meeting we are pleased to present, Ray Sheehan, our long-time Federal ethics colleague, who will discuss the history of the conflict of interest statutes.  Ray is always an outstanding speaker -- both informative and entertaining.  You won't want to miss this meeting!  Immediately following Ray's presentation there will be a brief discussion of possible IEC programs for next year.  You are encouraged to stay and participate in this discussion.  Remember, the IEC is only as good as its members make it!

 

We will meet at the U. S. Access Board, 1331 F Street, N.W. (on the north side of F Street, between 13th and 14th Streets, near the Metro Center station) from 12:15 - 1:30.  As always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register.  Ethics officials who are not on our roster but who wish to attend can pre-register by contacting Patrick.Carney@fcc.gov not later than Monday, October 3rd.

 

We also wish to take this opportunity to extend our congratulations and appreciation to OGE on the success of the 18th National Government Ethics Conference, earlier this month.  The overwhelming consensus is that this was the best conference yet.  The effort that our OGE colleagues, and everyone else involved, expended on this event was obvious to all and is sincerely appreciated.

OSC Argues MSPB Decision in Air Marshal Case May Silence Whistleblowers

Federal Times posted an article addressing a 2009 Merit Systems Protection Board case that effectively upheld the firing of an air marshal who spoke to the media about his agency’s plan to cut air marshal cross-country trips, despite, in his opinion, a great risk to the public in light of post-9/11 dangers. He argued that the Transportation Security Administration improperly labeled the information he shared as SSI (sensitive but not classified) and did so retroactively after he was fired. The MSPB determined the information was properly designated as SSI and declined to review the case. The Office of Special Counsel recently opined that the MSPB improperly expanded a narrow exception to whistle-blower protection rules when it upheld the air marshal’s firing. In its argument to the MSPB, OSC states that when Congress spelled out what revelations would be excepted from whistle-blower protections, it specifically did not include rules and regulations of the kind the air marshal revealed. Because the information he revealed was not specifically prohibited by the Civil Service Reform Act, OSC argues that TSA committed a prohibited personnel practice by firing him.

July 7th Meeting: Emerging Trends in FACA

At our Thursday, July 7th meeting we are pleased to present Alice McKenna, Senior Counsel, General Law Division, Office of the Assistant General Counsel, Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Department of Commerce and Robert Flaak, Director, Office of Committee and Regulatory Management, GSA Office of Government-wide Policy, who will address "Emerging Trends in FACA."  This is always a challenging area for ethics counselors, so you’ll want to make sure your agency is represented at this meeting.

 

We will meet from 12:15-1:30 in the OTS auditorium, at 1700 G Street, N.W. (the corner of 17th and G streets, across from the Old Executive Office Building, next to the White House).  As always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register for this meeting.  Ethics officials who are not on our roster but who wish to attend can pre-register by contacting Patrick.Carney@fcc.gov not later than Tuesday, July 5th.  Those who are neither on the IEC roster nor pre-registered can still be admitted by showing a Government ID to OTS Security personnel.

 

For long-term planning purposes: As previously announced, please note that meeting will be our last to take place at the OTS.  We will meet on August 4 at the U.S. Access Board, Suite 800 (Conference Room), 1331 F St., NW. 

 

For slightly longer-term planning:  Please also note that there will not be an IEC meeting in September in order to avoid conflicting with OGE’s 18th National Government Ethics Conference, which will be held September 13th - 15th in Orlando, Florida, at the Orlando World Center Marriott.

 

June 2nd Meeting

At our Thursday, June 2nd meeting we are pleased to have as our speaker, Dave Maggi, of the Department of Commerce, who will give a presentation on "Outside Organizations and Ethics Rules: Service by Federal Employees with Employee Organizations, Professional Societies, Scientific Groups, and Other Groups."  Dave will discuss the application of the conflicts of interest statutes and the Standards of Ethical Conduct to service by employees with various outside organizations.  You’ll want to be present to for the discussion of this challenging topic.

 

As usual, we will meet from 12:15-1:30 in the OTS auditorium, at 1700 G Street, N.W. (the corner of 17th and G streets, across from the Old Executive Office Building, next to the White House).  As always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register for this meeting.  Ethics officials who are not on our roster but who wish to attend can pre-register by contacting Patrick.Carney@fcc.gov not later than Tuesday, May 31st.  Those who are neither on the IEC roster nor pre-registered can still be admitted by showing a Government ID to OTS Security personnel.

 

For long-term planning purposes: As previously announced, please note that July’s meeting will be our last to take place at the OTS.  We will meet on August 4 at the U.S. Access Board, Suite 800 (Conference Room), 1331 F St., NW. 

 

For slightly longer-term planning:  Please also note that there will not be an IEC meeting in September in order to avoid conflicting with OGE’s 18th National Government Ethics Conference, which will be held September 13th - 15th in Orlando, Florida, at the Orlando World Center Marriott.

April 7th Meeting

At our April 7th meeting Jeremy Ko and Adam Yonce, of the Securities and Exchange Commission, will give a presentation on some of the various financial products that ethics counselors may encounter in the course of their activities.  This presentation will be of help to those of us who are involved in assisting senior officials through the nomination process, reviewing employee financial disclosure forms, or providing general counseling on potential financial conflicts of interest.

 

As usual, we will meet from 12:15-1:30 in the OTS auditorium, at 1700 G Street, N.W. (the corner of 17th and G streets, across from the Old Executive Office Building, next to the White House).  As always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register for this meeting.  Ethics officials who are not on our roster but who wish to attend can pre-register by contacting Patrick.Carney@fcc.gov not later than Monday, April 4th.  Those who are neither on the IEC roster nor pre-registered can still be admitted by showing a Government ID to OTS Security personnel.

Contractor Ethics - FEMA Presentation Materials & Handouts (Mar. 2011)

Please remember to bring your own copies of the relevant handouts for the upcoming meeting. 

Power Point Presentation: Download FEMA Acq Ethics Brief 2011 (black white)

FEMA specific guidance:

• Download Contractor Logo on FEMA Publications and Documents to Congress
• Download Kor FEMA workplace 2007
• Download TRAINING EXAMPLES FOR VIOLATION GAMEREVISED3
• Download DHS Form 11000-6 NDA
• Download 2011_02_23_sourceseltechevalKethicsBW

Other references and resources:

• Download 31 USC 1349
• Download 48 CFR 37 114 contractorID themselvesFAR
• Download DO-06-023 wking with contractors
• Download Subpart 9 FAR OCI

 

March 3rd Meeting

At our March 3rd meeting we are pleased to have FEMA’s Paul Conrad as our featured speaker.  His presentation will follow-up on and complement last month’s presentation by Kathleen Clark on regulating contractor/employee ethics.  Professor Clark addressed this issue from a big picture, academic position.  Paul will be presenting the practical side of what he has experienced, and how FEMA has dealt with this issue, especially in the context of disaster relief which lends itself to the need for contractors. 

 

As usual, we will meet from 12:15-1:30 in the OTS auditorium, at 1700 G Street, N.W. (the corner of 17th and G streets, across from the Old Executive Office Building, next to the White House).  As always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register for this meeting.  Ethics officials who are not on our roster but who wish to attend can pre-register by contacting Patrick.Carney@fcc.gov not later than Monday, February 28th.  Those who are neither on the IEC roster nor pre-registered can still be admitted by showing a Government ID to OTS Security personnel.

"Ethics for an Outsourced Goverment" presentation materials (Feb. 2011)

Here is the power point presentation from Professor Kathleen Clark (Washington University in St. Louis School of Law) on "Ethics for an Outsourced Government," her draft report for the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS).  Download Ethics for an Outsourced Government (2-3-2011) IEC-rev

See also www.acus.gov/research/the-conference-current-projects/government-contractor-ethics/

Reminder: Thursday Meeting Features Fox & Fong

Don Fox, OGE General Counsel, OGE, and Bruce Fong, Chief of the Office of Special Counsel’s San Francisco Bay Area Field Office, will speak at the January 6 IEC meeting. Pat Carney's previous e-mail gives details.

GSA Travel Rules Presentation Materials (Dec. 2010)

Here is the power point presentation from Lenny Loewentritt's presentation on updates to the various travel regulations of importance to ethics officials.  Download 2010 IEC Travel Presentation (GSA)

December 2nd Meeting

Our December 2nd meeting will feature GSA’s Lenny Loewentritt, who will give us an update on the various travel regulations of importance to ethics officials.  Lenny is always one of our most popular speakers, and his presentations are invariably well received by all in attendance.  You’ll want to make sure your agency is represented at this meeting. 

 

As usual, we will meet from 12:15-1:30 in the OTS auditorium, at 1700 G Street, N.W. (the corner of 17th and G streets).  As always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register for this meeting.  Ethics officials who are not on our roster but who wish to attend can pre-register by contacting Patrick.Carney@fcc.gov not later than Monday, November 29th.  Those who are neither on the IEC roster nor pre-registered can still be admitted by showing a Government ID to OTS Security personnel.

November 9th Meeting

Our next meeting, which will take place on Tuesday, November 9th, will feature Vicki E. O'Keefe, Attorney Advisor, FEMA; Gaye M. Williams, Deputy Chief, Ethics Law and Programs Division, U.S. Department of Commerce and Athena R. Jones, Assistant General Counsel for Ethics, Department of Housing and Urban Development.  They will cover how their respective agencies conduct public outreach.  They will address initiatives to leverage resources with the private sector, federal employees serving on non-federal committees and boards, agreements with the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA), government corporations, grant applications and Public Private Partnerships.

 

Although this Tuesday meeting represents a departure from our usual Thursday schedule, we will meet at the normal time, 12:15-1:30 in the OTS auditorium, 1700 G Street, N.W., the corner of 17th and G Streets.  As always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register for this meeting.  Agency ethics officials who are not on our roster but who wish to attend can pre-register by contacting Patrick.Carney@fcc.gov not later than Thursday, November 4th.  Those who are neither on the IEC roster nor pre-registered can still be admitted by showing a Government ID to OTS Security personnel.

 

Following up on last month’s post-meeting session, we’d like to remind those interested in participating in the interagency professional responsibility group to please email Erica.Dornburg at iec.jobs@yahoo.com.

Insider Trading Presentation Materials (July 2010)

Here is the power point presentation from Bill Lenox's July presentation on insider trading.  Download INSIDER TRADING FINAL (2010)

October 7th Meeting

For its annual online ethics training this year, EPA created a course examining how the use of social media can implicate ethics concerns, specifically misuse of government position, misuse of government resources and the Hatch Act. The course, which will be synopsized for the IEC attendees at our October 7th meeting by Daniel Fort, Jennie Keith and Justina Fugh of EPA’s Office of General Counsel, focuses on how ethics rules apply to use of social media whether for personal or official purposes.  We may not have all the answers, but join us as we share your concerns!

As usual, we will meet from 12:15-1:30 in the OTS auditorium, 1700 G Street, N.W., the corner of 17th and G Streets.  As always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register for this meeting.  Agency ethics officials who are not on our roster but who wish to attend can pre-register by contacting Patrick.Carney@fcc.gov not later than Monday, October 4th.  Those who are neither on the IEC roster nor pre-registered can still be admitted by showing a Government ID to OTS Security personnel.

September 16th Meeting

Our September 16th meeting will feature OPM’s Wade Plunkett and Susan Whitman, who will address various aspects of the Combined Federal Campaign of particular interest to agency ethics officials.  The CFC season is just around the corner, so for ethics officials a whole host of questions about solicitations, gifts, voluntary activities, contractor involvement, and many other aspects of fundraising can’t be far behind.  Our speakers will help us work our way through this sensitive subject area -- you won’t want to miss it. 

 

As usual, we will meet from 12:15-1:30 in the OTS auditorium, 1700 G Street, N.W., the corner of 17th and G Streets.  As always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register for this meeting.  Agency ethics officials who are not on our roster but who wish to attend can pre-register by contacting Patrick.Carney@fcc.gov not later than Monday, September 13th.  Those who are neither on the IEC roster nor pre-registered can still be admitted by showing a Government ID to OTS Security personnel.

 

Following our meeting, there will be a short get together to discuss the 2011 IEC schedule – please plan to stick around and take part.  Any suggestions for topics and speakers for next year they will be most welcome, as, of course, will be any volunteers to present topics. 

IEC Presentation Materials - OSC on Hatch Act (Aug 2010)

As promised at today's IEC meeting, here are the materials from the Office of Special Counsel Hatch Act presentation.  Most notably:

• SUBSCRIBE TODAY!  OSC now has a Hatch Act listserve.  You can subscribe by going to listserv.osc.gov (or to skip a couple pages, go to listserv.osc.gov/scripts/wa-osc.exe?SUBED1=HATCHACT&A=1).  Once you submit your email address remember that you must verify your email address to complete subscription.  This will arrive as a confirmation email with a hyperlink.
• OSC updated handouts:
• • Power Point Presentaiton Handout Download OSC Power Point on Hatch Act & Social Media (8-10)
  • Handout on Displaying Photos in the Office Download OSC Can Feds display Presid Photos in office (8-12-10)
  • Updated FAQ Regarding Social Media & the Hatch Act Download OSC FAQ on Social Media (2010-08-10) UPDATED
•  Links to some of the cited OSC cases:

• • Special Counsel v. Pattie Ware: http://www.mspb.gov/netsearch/viewdocs.aspx?docnumber=505805&version=507249&application=ACROBAT

  • Special Counsel v. Phillip Mark: http://www.mspb.gov/netsearch/viewdocs.aspx?docnumber=520350&version=521812&application=ACROBAT 

  • Special Counsel v. Paula Acconcia: http://www.mspb.gov/netsearch/viewdocs.aspx?docnumber=289570&version=289913&application=ACROBAT  

August 12th Meeting: Hatch Act

Our August 12th meeting will feature Ms. Ana Galindo-Marrone, Chief of the Hatch Act Unit, Office of Special Counsel, who will give us an update on the Hatch Act for the upcoming midterm election.  Ms. Galindo-Marrone, who began her employment at OSC in 1998, has headed the Hatch Act Unit since 2000.  The Unit issues advisory opinions to federal, state and local officials nationwide and investigates and litigates Hatch Act cases.  We are delighted to have her address this timely and important topic.  Please note that the IEC Journal website has recently had postings relevant to this topic: Hatch Act FAQs (7/25) and OSC FAQs on Social Media and the Hatch Act (7/16). 

 

Our August meeting will take place from 12:15-1:30 in the OTS auditorium, 1700 G Street, N.W., the corner of 17th and G Streets.  Individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register for this meeting.  Ethics officials who are not on our roster but who wish to attend the meeting can pre-register by contacting Patrick.Carney@fcc.gov not later than Monday, August 9th.  Those who are neither on the IEC roster nor pre-registered can still be admitted to our meeting site by showing a Government ID to OTS Security personnel and signing in. 

 

For future planning purposes, after our September 16th meeting, there will be a short meeting about setting our 2011 schedule – please plan to stick around and take part.  Additionally, any suggestions for topics and speakers for next year will be most welcome, as, of course, will be any volunteers to present topics.  Finally, please note that September 16th is the third Thursday of September – a departure from our general schedule.  September’s meeting will focus on the Combined Federal Campaign.

After July 1 Meeting - Interest in Prof. Responsilbity Discussion?

At the May OGE conference there was some discussion about the related topic of Federal Professional Responsibility.  Those interested in an exchange of resources and information related to providing PR advice and counsel to Federal practitioners, please anticipate a "stay-behind" following the upcoming IEC presentation. 

If you cannot attend but are interested, please send a note to: jobs@iecjournal.org.  Thank you.

July 1st Meeting

At our July 1st meeting, we are pleased to have Bill Lenox, of the Securities and Exchange Commission, who will lead a panel discussion focusing on insider trading issues of interest to ethics advisors.  What happens when a Federal employee is preparing to divest his or her holdings, as a result of Senate direction or to avoid a conflict or appearance concerns, only to learn that he or she could be accused of selling based on "inside information" that they have?  Are they precluded from selling their holdings?  How do they satisfy their ethics pledge to do so?  In addition, there will be a discussion of some of the financial products ethics officials may encounter in reviewing the holdings of employees of their agencies.

As usual, our meeting will take place from 12:15-1:30 in the OTS auditorium at 1700 G Street, N.W. (the corner of 17th and G Streets, across from the Old Executive Office Building) and, as always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register.  Agency ethics officials not on our roster but who wish to attend can pre-register by contacting Pat Carney at patrick.carney@fcc.gov not later than Monday, June 28th.  Those who are neither on the IEC roster nor pre-registered can still be admitted by showing a Government ID to OTS Security personnel.

For planning purposes, please note that our August meeting will be on August 12th, the second Thursday of that month.  Anna Galinda-Marrone, Office of Special Counsel, will speak on the Hatch Act.

IEC Presentation Materials - CONFERENCES (June 2010)

As promised at the June IEC meeting, here are the materials from the recent presentation on Conferences.

GSA power point presentation: 

Army power point presentation: Download Army presentation on Conference (June 10)

OLC opinion re Anti-Deficiency Act violation http://www.justice.gov/olc/2007/epa-light-refreshments13.pdf

GAO Opinions:

· B-306663 - Contractors Collecting Fees at Agency-Hosted Conferences (Jan. 4, 2006) Download B-306663 (NIH) - Contractors Collecting Fees at Agency-Hosted Conferences

· B-300826 - NIH - Food at Government-Sponsored Conferences (Mar. 3, 2005) Download B-300826 (National Institutes of Health) - Food at Government-Sponsored Conferences

June 3rd Meeting

For those who missed the session at the recent OGE conference styled "conference on conferences", or, for those who are interested in learning about the basics of a conference, Lesly Wilson, a fiscal lawyer for the General Services Administration will be presenting an overview of the subject at our next meeting on Thursday, June 3rd.  She will be joined by Sandy Stockel of the Army who will describe a situation that frequently arises where private companies under the guise of holding a "conference" are really doing something quite different than that, at least from our Federal ethics perspective.  Join us for an interesting discussion.  While on the subject, please also take a look at the May 18th posting below that contains a link to the OGE pamphlet, “Conferences: A Guide for Ethics Officials.”

 

As usual, our meeting will take place from 12:15-1:30 in the OTS auditorium at 1700 G Street, N.W. (the corner of 17th and G Streets, across from the Old Executive Office Building) and, as always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register.  Agency ethics officials who are not on our roster but who wish to attend can pre-register by contacting Pat Carney at patrick.carney@fcc.gov not later than Monday, May 31st.  Those who are neither on the IEC roster nor pre-registered can still be admitted by showing a Government ID to OTS Security personnel.

 

We’d also like to take this opportunity to thank the Office of Government Ethics for their efforts in presenting their recent 17th Government Ethics Conference in Chicago, and to congratulate them on the success of the event.  The consensus of those present was that this was probably the best OGE conference ever!

No May Meeting

This is a reminder that there will be no IEC meeting in May, but we hope to see many of you next month in Chicago at the 17th National Government Ethics Conference.  The next IEC meeting will be on Thursday, June 3rd.

IEC Procurement Integrity Act presentation slides

Here is the slide presentation for the PIA presentation from yesterday's IEC meeting.  Download ProcurementIntegrityApr2010.

April 1 Meeting - Procurement Integrity

Our Thursday, April 1st meeting will feature Carolyn Perry, of the Defense Contract Management Agency, who will discuss the Procurement Integrity law.  This topic was requested the last time we surveyed our membership for suggested presentations, and Carolyn was specifically suggested as the presenter.  This will be an excellent opportunity to learn more about this highly technical area.

 

As usual, we will meet from 12:15-1:30 in the OTS auditorium at 1700 G Street, N.W. (the corner of 17th and G Streets, across from the Old Executive Office Building) and, as always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register.  Agency ethics officials who are not on our roster but who wish to attend can pre-register by contacting Jeff Green, at jeffrey.green@osd.mil not later than Monday, March 29th.  Those who are neither on the IEC roster nor pre-registered can still be admitted by showing a Government ID to OTS Security personnel.

 

We’d also like to remind you that because of the Ethics Conference in Chicago in May, the IEC will not be meeting that month.

Reminder: IEC Meeting Thursday, March 4

Thursday's IEC meeting will feature a distinguished panel discussing OGE program reviews. A previous post has details.

March 4th Meeting: OGE Program Reviews

Our Thursday, March 4th meeting will feature a panel comprised of Bert DiBella, of DEA; Ralph Bittelari of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Naomi Miske, of HHS; Ann Quinlan, of the Surface Transportation Board; and Ken Goetzke, of NASA, who will discuss their experiences with having recently undergone a program review by the Office of Government Ethics (OGE).  They will also discuss best practices identified by OGE during the review, areas that OGE particularly focused on during the review, and what the panel members might have done better in preparing for the review.  The panel will also field questions from the audience.  If your agency is scheduled for an upcoming program review this will be a great opportunity to begin your preparations.

 

As usual, we will meet from 12:15-1:30 in the OTS auditorium and, as always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register for this meeting. 

Agency ethics officials who are not on our roster but who wish to attend can pre-register by contacting Patrick.Carney@fcc.gov not later than Monday, March 1st.  Those who are neither on the IEC roster nor pre-registered can still be admitted by showing a Government ID to OTS Security personnel.

February 4th Meeting

Ethics Pledge:  At our February 4th meeting we are pleased to have as our speakers Norm Eisen, Special Counsel to the President for Ethics and Government Reform; Don Fox, OGE General Counsel; and Rick Thomas, OGE Associate General Counsel, who will address the Ethics Pledge established by Executive Order 13490 and will bring us up to date on our first year under the Pledge.  If you have any questions about the Pledge that you'd like us to pass along to our speakers in advance of our meeting, please forward them to Jeff Green at: Jeffrey.Green@osd.mil, or give him a call at 703-571-9445.

As usual, we will meet from 12:15-1:30 in the OTS Auditorium, 1700 G Street, N.W., and, as always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register for this meeting.  Agency ethics officials who are not on the roster but who wish to attend can pre-register by contacting Patrick.Carney@fcc.gov not later than Monday, February 1st.  Those who are neither on our IEC roster nor pre-registered can still be admitted by showing a Government ID to OTS Security personal upon arrival. 

Jan. 2010 - IEC presentation materials

The below link is to the FEMA "Social Media" powerpoint presentation.   

Download IEC FEMA Social Media (Jan. 10)

Reminder: Thursday Meeting Topic "Social Media"

Have you noticed (or are you worried about) ethical issues involving new WWW features like Facebook?The IEC meeting on Thursday, January 7 will feature Jodi Cramer and John Shea of DHS (FEMA) discussing the hot topic of “Social Media,” AKA Web 2.0.  Learn how to address the ethics, appropriations, contracts, records, privacy and other compliance issues that face a government agency in this Web 2.0 world. Meeting details are in a previous post.

January 7, 2010 Meeting

Our January 7th meeting will feature Jodi Cramer and John Shea of DHS (FEMA) who will discuss “Social Media.”  Social Media or Web 2.0 are new innovative tools that, when used properly, can provide an additional communication stream for government agencies. To date, social media tools have enabled any member of the public with a cell phone to act as a “citizen journalist” and report to the world what they see and hear 24/7. However, the government is not always like the private sector, and its laws, regulations, and processes have to be adhered to even in a Web 2.0 world.

 

FEMA has been able to engage citizens using this new platform while remaining compliant with its laws and regulations. This session will focus on how other government entities can likewise engage in Web 2.0 while remaining legally compliant. It will focus on creating a structure that allows for solutions to obstacles faced by the government, and will show how building a team of in-house experts can lead to solutions for any Web 2.0 tool, addressing in particular the ethics, appropriations, contracts, records, privacy and other compliance issues that face a government agency in this Web 2.0 world.  Our presenters will also look at how ethics officials can use Web 2.0 technology to better reach their audience at their agencies.

 

As usual, we will meet from 12:15-1:30 in the OTS auditorium, 1700 G Street, and, as always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register for this meeting. 

Agency ethics officials who are not on our roster but who wish to attend can pre-register by contacting Patrick.Carney@fcc.gov not later than Monday, January 4th.  Those who are neither on the IEC roster nor pre-registered can still be admitted by showing a Government ID to OTS Security personnel.

 

For planning purposes, our February meeting will be on Thursday, February 4th, and will address the Ethics Pledge.  We are pleased to have as our speakers for that meeting, Norm Eisen, Special Counsel to the President for Ethics and Government Reform, Don Fox, OGE General Counsel, and Rick Thomas, OGE Associate General Counsel.

 

We’d also like to take a moment to thank Jerry Lawson, of USAID’s OIG, for his untiring efforts on behalf of this, our website!  Without all of Jerry’s work, we would never be able to share information on the Federal ethics program among our members.  Thanks, Jerry!

 

Finally, we wish all our members the very best of the Holiday Season.  We look forward to continuing to work with you in 2010. 

IEC EPA Nov. 5 Presentation Materials

Attached are the presentation materials from the Environmental Protection Agency presentation addressing the topic of Federal employees serving on outside boards of associations and professional organizations in their official or personal capacity.

Slide Presentation: Download Professional_Associations_-_IEC_Presentation[1] 

Draft EPA policy: Download Draft_EPA_Supp_Reg_for_Professional_Associations[1]

Reminder: Meeting On Thursday

The next IEC meeting will be Thursday, Nov. 5. Guest speaker Ms. Justina Fugh, of the EPA will address share insights on the topic of Federal employees serving on outside boards of associations and professional organizations in their official or personal capacity. See Pat Carney's October 19 post for details as to location, etc.

November 5th Meeting

Our November 5th meeting will feature Ms. Justina Fugh, of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), who will address issues related to Federal employees serving on outside boards of associations and professional organizations in their official or personal capacities.  This subject was rated quite highly in a recent survey of the IEC membership for potential presentation topics.  The EPA has produced some impressive work in this subject area, so this should make for stimulating lunch time meeting.

 

As usual, we will meet from 12:15-1:30 in the OTS auditorium and, as always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register for this meeting.  Agency ethics officials who are not on our roster but who wish to attend can pre-register by contacting Patrick.Carney@fcc.gov not later than Monday, November 2nd.  Those who are neither on the IEC roster nor pre-registered can still be admitted by showing a Government ID to OTS Security personnel.

October 1st Meeting

Our October 1 program speaker will be Mr. Matt Cross, the Office of Government Ethics Director of Education, who will discuss what the Office of Government Ethics is doing in the way of training.  Specifically, he will be discussing OGE's training strategies including future plans, and will provide a review of the last year's training plans.  He will also describe for us some future products that will assist ethics officials in training their employees.

 

After his presentation, there will be a brief meeting of those volunteers that would like to assist in putting together the IEC programs for 2010.  If you cannot attend but would like to comment, suggest future meeting topics or presenters, or  volunteer to present or organize a presentation at a future IEC meeting, feel free to contact Jeff Green directly with your ideas at jeffrey.green@osd.mil. 

 

As usual, we will meet from 12:15-1:30 in the OTS auditorium and, as always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register for this meeting.  Agency ethics officials who are not on our roster but who wish to attend can pre-register by contacting Patrick.Carney@fcc.gov not later than Monday, September 28th.  Those who are neither on the IEC roster nor pre-registered can still be admitted by showing a Government ID to OTS Security personnel.

September 3rd Meeting

Our September 3rd meeting will feature OPM’s Wade Plunkett and Susan Whitman, who will address various aspects of the Combined Federal Campaign of particular interest to agency ethics officials.  Summer may not be over, but CFC season is just around the corner.  For us that means a host of ethics questions and concerns on solicitations, gifts, voluntary activities, contractor involvement, and many other aspects of fundraising.  Our September speakers will not only explain the relevant rules on CFC but guide us through the ethics thicket to keep our employees on the right track.  You won’t want to miss this presentation. 

 

As usual, we will meet from 12:15-1:30 in the OTS auditorium and, as always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register for this meeting.  Agency ethics officials who are not on our roster but who wish to attend can pre-register by contacting Patrick.Carney@fcc.gov not later than Monday, August 31st.  Those who are neither on the IEC roster nor pre-registered can still be admitted by showing a Government ID to OTS Security personnel.

 

We’d also like to take a moment to once again remind our membership to frequently check this website for word of future meetings, ethics job openings and other news of interest to the Federal ethics community.  As we’ve indicated previously, if you’ve noticed a lack of email notices lately, the RSS Feed service that a lot of us used was shut down a while back, so you need to resubscribe in order to receive future notices of postings.  Please read our April 1 posting regarding receiving email notices of IEC postings.  It describes one option called FeedBlitz that seems to work well for many of us.  You can get to the April 1 posting by clicking on the link associated with that date on the calendar on the top right side of our homepage.

August 13th Meeting

Our August 13th meeting will feature a panel discussion of the OGE informal opinions for the years 2007 and 2008.  Please note that the date of our August meeting is a departure from our usual first Thursday scheduling.  Our panel will include Jeff Green of DoD Standards of Conduct Office, Dave LaCroix of Navy Office of General Counsel and Pat Carney of FCC Office of General Counsel.  Those wishing to view digests of these opinions in advance of the meeting can do so at the DoD SOCO website.  The full opinions are, of course, viewable on OGE’s website.

 

As usual, we will meet from 12:15-1:30 in the OTS auditorium and, as always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register for this meeting.  Ethics officials who are not on our roster but who wish to attend can pre-register by contacting Patrick.Carney@fcc.gov not later than Monday, August 10th.  Those who are neither on the IEC roster nor pre-registered can still be admitted by showing a Government ID to OTS Security personnel.

 

Please note:  We’d like to once again remind our membership to frequently check this website for word of future meetings, ethics job openings and other news of interest to the Federal ethics community.  As we’ve indicated previously, if you’ve noticed a lack of email notices lately, the RSS Feed service that a lot of us used was shut down a while back, so you need to resubscribe in order to receive future notices of postings.  Please read our April 1 posting regarding receiving email notices of IEC postings.  It describes one option called FeedBlitz that seems to work well for many of us.  You can get to the April 1 posting by clicking on the link associated with that date on the calendar on the top right side of our homepage.

July 9th Meeting

Our July 9th meeting will feature Chip Christopher, of the Office of Government Ethics, who will talk about the OGE agency program reviews.  If your agency has not had a program review in recent years, particularly if you’ve had significant office turnover since your last OGE review and are wondering if you’re prepared for your next one, this will be an extremely valuable opportunity to hear Chip’s insights into the process.

 

Please note that our July meeting is scheduled for the second Thursday of the month, a departure from our usual scheduling practice.  However, as usual, we will meet from 12:15-1:30 in the OTS auditorium and, as always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register for this meeting.  Ethics officials who are not on our roster but who wish to attend can pre-register by contacting Patrick.Carney@fcc.gov not later than Monday, July 6th.  Those who are neither on the IEC roster nor pre-registered can still be admitted by showing a Government ID to OTS Security personnel.

June 4th Meeting

Following up on the excellent presentation at our May meeting by Erica Dornburg and Cheryl Kane Piasecki, which included an outstanding overview of the Public Financial Disclosure Report (SF-278) review process, our June 4^th meeting will continue to focus on the SF-278.   Our June meeting will feature Mr. Arthur Goldberg, U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, Federal Programs Branch.  Mr. Goldberg will address what happens when an agency can't get a public financial disclosure filer to file the required report report, i.e. going to court to enforce the requirement.  He will share with us what the Department of Justice looks for from the agencies to build their case.  He will also share some case stories with the community.  Mr. Goldberg is looking forward to questions from the ethics community on this timely topic.

 

As usual, we will meet from 12:15-1:30 in the OTS auditorium and, as always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register for this meeting.  Ethics officials who are not on our roster but who wish to attend can pre-register by contacting Patrick.Carney@fcc.gov not later than Monday, June 1st.  Those who are neither on the IEC roster nor pre-registered can still be admitted by showing a Government ID to OTS Security personnel.

 

We’d also like to take a moment to remind our membership to frequently check this website for word of future meetings, ethics job openings and other news of interest to the Federal ethics community.  As we’ve indicated previously, if you’ve noticed a lack of email notices lately, the RSS Feed service that a lot of us used was shut down a while back, so it's necessary to resubscribe in order to receive future notices of postings.  Please read our April 1 posting regarding receiving email notices of IEC postings.  It describes one option called FeedBlitz that seems to work well for many of us.  You can get to the April 1 posting by clicking on the link associated with that date on the calendar on the top right side of our homepage.

May 7th Meeting

Our May 7th meeting will feature Erica Dornburg, of the the DoD Standards of Conduct Office and Cheryl Kane Piasecki, of OGE, who will present an overview of the Public Financial Disclosure Report (SF-278) review process.   With most of us beginning to review SF-278 filings for CY 2008 and the deadline for these reports just a week after our May meeting, we can expect this presentation to be timely as well as informative.  Erica will be sharing with us some of the tricks of the trade, common problems confronting the reviewer, new financial instruments that you may encounter in the course of your review, where to obtain information helpful to your review, and best practices from an agency perspective.  Cheryl will address what OGE expects by way of conflicts reviews and technical sufficiency, and will be discussing the basics of process, itself – filing cycles, timely submission to OGE, timely response to requests for additional information, etc.  You won’t want to miss this session. 

 

As usual, we will meet from 12:15-1:30 in the OTS auditorium at 1700 G Street, NW, and, as always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register for this meeting.  Ethics officials who are not on our roster but who wish to attend can pre-register by contacting Patrick.Carney@fcc.gov not later than Monday, May 4th.  Those who are neither on the IEC roster nor pre-registered can still be admitted by showing a Government ID to OTS Security personnel.

IEC April 9th Presentation

Attached please find the slide presentation from the April 9, 2009, IEC meeting. Download Contractors in the Federal Workplace IEC 3-09