September 26, 2003
                                         DT-03-017

MEMORANDUM  

TO:           Designated Agency Ethics Officials 

FROM:         Carolyn W. Chapman
Associate Director for Education

SUBJECT:      Denver Regional Ethics Symposium 

The U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) is offering a three-day ethics symposium in Denver, CO, November 18-20, 2003. This symposium is being offered to ethics officials in the Denver area. The symposium consists of plenary sessions, training courses and roundtable discussions. Attached is the symposium agenda and description of the various programs offered.

Environmental Protection Agency
Conference Center
Rocky Mountain Room (2^nd Floor)
999 18^th Street
Denver, CO 80202
TEL: 303.312.6312

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You will receive a return response confirming your registration or noting that the symposium is full. Thank you for your interest in this program.

Attachments

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.

Conflicting Financial Interests, Part I

This session focuses on how to analyze 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 course emphasizes actions ethics officials need to take once a disqualifying financial interest is identified. Practical remedies are discussed as well as regulatory and statutory solutions to a variety of problems.

Seeking Employment

You determine whether the employee is participating personally and substantially in a particular matter that would have a direct and predictable effect on the financial interests of a prospective employer, determine whether the employee's activity actually constitutes seeking employment, and identify appropriate remedies for possible conflicts. This course shows how to analyze seeking employment situations. Post Employment

This course shows participants how to decide whether an individual may participate in certain post-employment activities. You determine whether a current or former employee is/was a "senior" or "very senior" employee, decide which of the six § 207 provisions apply, and analyze the described post-employment activities to determine whether they are prohibited. You also determine whether an exception applies or a waiver may be appropriate.

Program Review Procedures

In this session, information is provided about some of the challenges agencies faced in running an effective ethics programs and practical ways in which you can address those challenges.

Gifts from Outside Sources

This course emphasizes the various exclusions and exceptions to the gift rule. It focuses on issues commonly raised about discounts and gifts based on personal relationships. The instructor leads the class through several exercises and provides a tool to assist ethics officials determine whether a gift may be accepted.

Gifts Between Employees

The gift rule in Subpart C is one of the most frequently applied ethics rules. Through a series of discussions and exercises, the restrictions are examined as well as the exceptions that allow employees to accept gifts from and give gifts to each other.

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.

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.

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.

Training Tips

Training Tips includes discussions about: characteristics of effective and ineffective training programs, how to help participants better 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 your course objectives.

Ethics Roundtable Discussions

Roundtable discussions are designed to exchange ideas and discuss issues currently facing Federal employees. Participants are encouraged to be prepared to present/discuss issues they confront within their respective agencies. Roundtable topics cover the following areas:

• Misuse of Position
  
• Endorsements
• Fund-raising
  
• Widely Attended Gatherings
  
• A-76
  
• Impartiality
  
• Teaching, Speaking, Writing