April 30, 2004
DT-04-007

MEMORANDUM 

TO:                              Designated Agency Ethics Officials
 

FROM:                        Carolyn W. Chapman

                                    Associate Director for Education

SUBJECT:                   Philadelphia 3-Day Ethics Symposium

            The U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) is offering a free three-day ethics symposium in Philadelphia, PA, July 13-15, 2004. This symposium is offered to ethics officials in the Philadelphia area. The symposium consists of plenary and training sessions. Attached is the symposium agenda and session descriptions. The symposium takes place at the following location:

William J. Green Federal Building

General Services Administration

Conference Rooms A & B (2^nd Floor)

600 Arch Street

Philadelphia, PA 19106

TEL: 215.861.3665

            If you are interested in attending the three-day Philadelphia symposium, please send your registration request, via e-mail, to Gwen Cannon-Jenkins at gcannon@oge.gov. Please provide Gwen with the following information:

* name

* agency name

* e-mail address

* phone number

* fax number

            You will receive a return response confirming your registration or noting that the symposium is full. Thank you for your interest in this program. We look forward to seeing you in Philadelphia!

Attachments

PHILADELPHIA Regional Symposium - July 13-15, 2004

July 13, 2004 - Day 1

July 14, 2004 - Day 2

July 15, 2004 - Day 3

PHILADELPHIA ETHICS SYMPOSIUM

July 13-15, 2004

SYMPOSIUM DESCRIPTIONS:

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sorting it Out and Getting to Yes

This session includes two programs. In the first half, Sorting it Out, participants address ethical dilemmas posed by employees. In the session you learn to sort through the issues to correctly identify the myriad problems that often surface in a meeting with an employee. In the second half of the session, Getting to Yes, you learn how to identify viable options to present as alternatives when actions proposed by an employee would result in an ethics violation.

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.

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.

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.

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.