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July 19, 1999 DO-99-030

MEMORANDUM

TO: Designated Agency Ethics Officials

FROM: Stephen D. Potts Director SUBJECT: First Round Paperwork Notice For A Proposed Moderately Revised Version of the SF 278 Report Form

The Office of Government Ethics (OGE) has published a first round paperwork notice of a proposed moderately revised version of the SF 278 Executive Branch Personnel Public Financial Disclosure Report, with any agency or public comments due by September 27, 1999. See the attached copy of 64 Federal Register 37536-37539 (July 12, 1999). The mark-up copy of the SF 278 itself as proposed for revision was not published, but is available without charge by contacting your OGE desk officer. As noted in the OGE DAEOgram of March 18, 1999 (# DO-99-011), OGE has decided to propose modest changes to the SF 278, retaining the same basic substance and design for the form (including keeping it a standard form). A brief summary of the proposed changes to the form follows.

OGE is proposing to incorporate into the SF 278 report form certain changes in the reporting law as regards higher-category reporting for any assets, income, liabilities, and, for the first time (& only affecting future reporting once the new form is finalized), transactions, which are over $1,000,000 in value. OGE is also proposing to include adjusted gifts/travel reimbursements reporting thresholds for the SF 278. Further, a new check-off box for indicating any filing extensions (& the number of days granted) would be added, as well as a new continuation page for transactions (Schedule B, Part I). In addition, OGE notes that it will, in the future, need to adjust the referenced civil monetary penalty for prohibited uses of an SF 278 report to which access has been gained, once that penalty is increased. Various other minor changes would also be made.

Attachment: SF 278 paperwork notice.