Ethics Guidance

U.S. Office of Government Ethics
1201 New York Avenue, NW.
Suite 500
Washington, DC 20005

202.482.9300

USA.govE.govRegulations.gov
OGE Logo and Address:  U.S. Office of Government Ethics, 1201 New York Ave., NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC  20005-3917

November 16, 1994 DO-94-042

MEMORANDUM

TO: Designated Agency Ethics Officials

FROM: Stephen D. Potts Director

SUBJECT: Ethics Trainers' Partnership Needs Assessment Surveys

As you may be aware, ethics trainers in a number of departments and agencies have combined efforts with the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) to form an Ethics Trainers' Partnership (Partnership). The Partnership is actively seeking ways to develop and present effective ethics training. In light of the emphasis on downsizing, shrinking budgets and limited resources, a cooperative ethics training effort would allow agencies to pool their resources and materials and ease the burden and expense of the ethics training requirements.

The Partnership has prepared two needs assessment tools (attached) to collect information which will allow the Partnership to better understand department and agency ethics training needs. The Training Needs Analysis Survey solicits information on ethics training resources and materials currently available from your agency, whether or not your agency could provide assistance in developing new training material and/or conducting ethics training sessions and the types of materials your agency would like to see developed for future years.

The Satellite Broadcast Training Survey solicits information on satellite facilities/capabilities available at your department or agency. The Partnership is developing a one-hour ethics presentation suitable for all departments and agencies to use to meet the 1995 annual training requirement. The presentation will be broadcast via satellite to numerous locations around the country. The first broadcast is tentatively planned for September 1995 with additional broadcasts scheduled according to department and agency interest.

The success of the Partnership in meeting its goal of assisting as many departments and agencies as possible in accomplishing ethics training depends on your input on these two surveys. Please take a few minutes to look them over and then forward copies of them to appropriate members of your staff, including those in regional and field offices, for completion. The surveys should be returned in accordance with the specific instructions on the survey documents.

Attachments _______________________________________________________________________ TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS SURVEY

NOTE TO DAEOS: Please distribute this survey to all of your headquarters and regional training coordinators.

TRAINING COORDINATORS: The information you provide will be used by the Ethics Trainers' Partnership to develop training to be used throughout the executive branch. Please answer all questions. Attach additional sheets as needed.

Please mail or fax the survey to:

Lisa Deener Office of Government Ethics 1201 New York Avenue, NW. Suite 500 Washington, DC 20005-3917 Phone: (202) 523-5757, ext. 1225 Fax: (202) 523-1229

Thank you in advance for your response.

PLEASE RETURN THIS SURVEY BY DECEMBER 16, 1994

1. Respondent information: DAEO DAEO designee Ethics trainer

Name:

Title:

Agency:

Phone #:

Fax #:

Location:

If you are not your office's point of contact for training, please provide the name and telephone number of that person:

Name:

Phone #:

2. Is your office interested in coordinating its training efforts (developing materials, providing training, etc.) with other agencies throughout the executive branch?

YES NO If no, please return this survey to Lisa Deener. You do not need to complete it.

3. Is your office interested in developing new training materials through a cooperative effort of the Ethics Trainers' Partnership?

YES NO

4. Would your office consider joining other agencies in offering/receiving combined training sessions at:

Locations in the U.S. (please specify cities where you would like to offer/receive training, and circle your preference)

Offer Receive in

Offer Receive in

Offer Receive in

Offer Receive in

Locations abroad (please specify cities where you would like to offer/receive training, and circle your preference)

Offer Receive in

Offer Receive in

Offer Receive in

Offer Receive in

5. Would your agency/office consider allowing employees from other agencies to attend your training sessions and/or allowing your agency's/office's ethics trainers to provide training assistance at another agency?

YES NO

6. Does your office have classroom/auditorium space?

YES NO (go to next question)

If yes, please specify the location and number of people that can be accommodated.

LOCATION # ACCOMMODATED

Can this space be used by other agencies to conduct their training?

YES NO


7. In light of restricted budgets throughout the executive branch, would your office be able to share a portion of the cost of adapting/producing training materials for generic use by all agencies (e.g., editing videos, printing pamphlets, etc.)? (NOTE: If you answer Yes, you may later be contacted by a Trainers' Partnership representative regarding the amount your office will be able to contribute.)

YES NO

8. Does your office have equipment/resources which can be used to produce training materials? (Examples of equipment/resources include: camcorders, VCRs, access to film development facilities, employees who are experienced in producing films or teleconferencing/satellite broadcasts, graphic artists, etc.)

YES NO (go to next question)

If yes, please specify the equipment/resources available to your office.



Can this equipment/resources be used by other agencies to develop training materials?

YES NO

9. Has your office developed a computer based system to track attendance at ethics training?

YES NO

10. Do all of the employees in your office have access to stand-alone personal computers?

YES NO

11. Does your ethics staff have access to OGE's electronic bulletin board (TEBBS)?

YES NO

12. Would your office be interested in having training materials and/or courses developed on any of the following topics?

Materials Course No Interest Gifts Spousal interests Other family interests Travel Holiday get-togethers Impartiality Seeking employment Post employment Use of Government resources Teaching, speaking, and writing Fundraising Conflict of interest statutes Hatch Act Procurement Integrity Act Financial disclosure reports Other (please specify below):


13. Is your office developing any new training materials for the coming calendar year?

YES NO (go to next question)

If yes, on what topics? Using what media (e.g., handouts, videos, etc.)?

TOPIC MEDIA USED


14. What types of training have been successful for your office? (Check all that apply.)

Videotapes Audiotapes Teleconferencing Satellite broadcasts Interactive computer based training Panel discussions Group discussions/case studies Quizzes Lectures Other (please specify):


15. What resources will you need or like to use in your training program for next year?

(Check all that apply.)

More "in-house" trainers Ethics "train-the-trainer" program Outside speakers ("subject matter experts") Tracking system for training Printed summary of Standards of Conduct (5 C.F.R. part 2635) Printed summary of criminal conflict of interest statutes Printed summary of case law of criminal conflict of interest statutes Printed summary of post-employment restrictions Printed summary of the Hatch Act Printed summary of the Procurement Integrity Act Short memos covering common questions about the ethics laws and rules Videotapes Audiotapes Teleconferencing Satellite broadcasts Interactive computer based training Panel discussions Group discussions/case studies Quizzes Lectures Other (please specify):


16. Do you see a need for training materials for special groups or issues?

YES NO (go to next question)

If yes, please identify:

PAS employees Schedule C employees SES Special Government employees (SGEs) Support staff Procurement and contracting staff Gift acceptance Salary limitations for senior officials Post-employment restrictions for senior officials Completing/reviewing SF 278 reports Completing/reviewing SF 450 reports Interacting with "prohibited sources" Commissions and Boards Other (please specify):

17. Please list the ethics trainers in your office.

NAME LOCATION (CITY/STATE/COUNTRY)





18. Has your office used trainers from outside the agency to present ethics training (e.g., speakers from other agencies, speakers/trainers from private industry)?

YES NO

If yes, please complete the following:

TRAINER TOPIC




NOTE: PLEASE ATTACH COPIES OF YOUR OFFICE'S ETHICS TRAINING MATERIALS THAT ARE NOT ALREADY INCLUDED IN OGE'S ETHICS INFORMATION CENTER. _____________________________________________________________________________ SATELLITE BROADCAST TRAINING SURVEY

NOTE TO DAEOS: Please distribute this survey to all of your headquarters and regional training coordinators.

TRAINING COORDINATORS: The information you provide will be used by the Ethics Trainers' Partnership to develop training to be used throughout the executive branch. Please answer all questions. Attach additional sheets as needed.

Please mail or fax the survey to:

Dan Ross General Services Administration 18th and F Streets, NW. Room 5129 Washington, DC 20405 Phone: (202) 501-0765 Fax (202) 501-2357

Thank you in advance for your response.

PLEASE RETURN THIS SURVEY BY DECEMBER 16, 1994

Respondent information: DAEO Ethics trainer Visual information specialist

Name:

Title:

Agency:

Phone #:

Fax #:

Location:

1. How many satellite broadcasting facilities does your office have, if any?

a. Uplink sites

b. Downlink sites

c. None

2. Would your office be interested in participating in satellite broadcasting of the annual mandatory ethics training in CY 1995?

YES NO

3. Can your satellite broadcasting facilities be used by other agencies?

YES NO

If no, please explain:



4. Can your satellite broadcasts be "encrypted," i.e., scrambled so that only the intended audience can pick up the signal?

YES NO (go to next question)

If yes, what method of encryption does your office use, e.g., Videocipher, B-MAC, etc?


5. Can your office produce "interactive" broadcasts that include audience participation through viewer call-ins?

YES NO (go to next question)

If yes, what does your office use as its telephone interface? (interface eliminates the feedback during caller questions)



6. On a separate sheet, please list all of your uplink and downlink sites by location (city and state, at a minimum). For each site, give the number of audience seats available. For each site, also include the name of the facility's contact person, including their address and phone and fax numbers. (You may attach your office's list, if it includes the above information.) Please indicate if any sites are "special access" locations, as described in question 5 above.