July 9, 2004

MEMORANDUM

TO:                         Designated Agency Ethics Officials, General Counsels

FROM:                   Carolyn W. Chapman

                               Associate Director, Education

SUBJECT:              Chicago Three-Day Ethics Symposium

            The U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) is offering a free three-day ethics symposium in Chicago , IL , September 28-30, 2004 .  The symposium consists of plenary and training sessions.  Attached is the symposium agenda and session descriptions.  The symposium takes place at the following location:

            If you are interested in attending the three-day Chicago Symposium, please send your registration request, via e-mail, to Gwen Cannon-Jenkins at gcannon@oge.gov. You will receive a return response confirming your registration or notification that the symposium is full.  Please provide Gwen the following information:

• 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.  Thank you for your interest in this program.  We look forward to seeing you in Chicago!

CHICAGO   ETHICS  SYMPOSIUM

September 28-30, 2004

SYMPOSIUM  DESCRIPTIONS:  

450 Review, Part I

In this session you learn how to review financial disclosure reports filed by non-public filers.  You complete technical reviews and conflicts of interest analyses of the assets and liabilities schedules of the form.  You also recommend solutions for any identified conflicts.

450 Review,  Part II

You complete technical reviews and conflicts of interest analyses of the remaining schedules and identify missing or inconsistent information and solutions for possible conflicts.

Conflicting Financial Interests,  Part I

This Part 1 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.

Conflicting Financial Interests,  Part II

The second part of this two-part session 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.   

Contractors in the Workplace

A presentation on the ethical issues raised by Federal contractors, including those arising from government employees and contractor personnel working side-by-side. Learn about some of these challenges; ways to prevent and address conflicts and ethical dilemmas; how to avoid common pitfalls; the latest developments in contracting, and their possible implications for ethics officials; and potential approaches to addressing these issues in the future.

Gifts between Employees, Part II

This 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 and case studies.

Gifts from Outside Sources, Part I

This session explores the inherent pitfalls when Federal employees receive gifts from outside sources and identifies what constitutes prohibited gifts from outside sources.  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 continues to prohibit 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.

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.

Sorting it Out and Getting to Yes

In seeking advice, employees often present ethical dilemmas.  In this session you learn to sort through the issues, to correctly identify the myriad of problems that often surface in meetings with employees.  You learn how to identify viable options to present as alternatives when the proposed actions would result in an ethics violation.

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.