March 31, 1998 DO-98-010 MEMORANDUM TO: Designated Agency Ethics Officials FROM: Stephen D. Potts Director SUBJECT: 1998 Annual Government Ethics Conference, September 14-17, 1998 The 1998 Annual Government Ethics Conference will be held September 14-17, 1998 at the Williamsburg Marriott Hotel, in Williamsburg, Virginia. We at the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) are looking forward to returning to the Williamsburg Marriott which hosted our very successful 1995 and 1997 annual conferences and received high praise from the attendees. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Ethics in Government Act. Plans to commemorate the occasion at this year's conference are well under way. In addition to informative concurrent sessions that many of you have proposed and are developing, we will hear from several guest speakers who have been involved in the business of ethics for many years and who have made significant contributions to the ethics program in the executive branch as we know it today. See attached flyer. NOMINATING CONFERENCE ATTENDEES: Designated Agency Ethics Officials (DAEO) are required to nominate conference attendees from their agencies. All registration forms must have an authorized agency DAEO signature to be accepted. Attendee slots are allocated based on agency size to ensure equitable representation of all executive branch agencies. Agency Size (Employees) Available Spaces 100 (or less) 1 101 - 6,000 2 6,001 - 25,000 7 25,001 - (or more) 10 ALTERNATE REGISTRANTS: We will again make every effort to accept registrations for alternate attendees. If you would like to send more attendees than your agency is allotted, you may submit alternate names (numbered in priority order), to attend the conference. Please use a separate registration form for each alternate attendee and specify ALTERNATE ATTENDEE. Space permitting, alternates may be accepted and contacted sometime AFTER the registration deadline. Alternates should NOT forward payment with their registration form, since they are not guaranteed admittance. CONFERENCE FEE: This year's conference registration fee is still $250 per attendee. The conference fee includes: registration, materials, and most meals. NOTE: The conference fee does NOT include lodging. REGISTRATION PROCEDURES: Because registrations are accepted on a first-come basis, it is important that DAEOs notify nominee(s) as soon as possible of their selection to attend the conference. Please furnish nominees with the attached registration form with DAEO signature and have them fax/mail the form along with an acceptable method of payment (SF 182, DD 1556, personal check, Government check, or money order) as soon as possible to: Sheila A. Powers Conference Coordinator U.S. Office of Government Ethics 1201 New York Avenue, NW. - Suite 500 Washington, DC 20005-3917 Tel: 202-208-8000, ext. 1104 Fax: 202-208-8039 (or 8038) NOTE: OGE CANNOT ACCEPT CREDIT CARD PAYMENT OGE will confirm all attendees' registration promptly via fax, but not later than two weeks after receipt. Due to the large volume of registrations, we ask attendees NOT to follow up on confirmations. REGISTRATION DEADLINE: DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION FORMS AND PAYMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT OGE IS: FRIDAY, JULY 10, 1998. Please note that even though agencies are given attendance quotas, EARLY registration is highly recommended since the demand for attendance is great and space is limited. BILLING PROCEDURES: OGE's preferred method for collecting the registration fee is the On-line Payment and Collection (OPAC) system. If your agency is serviced through OPAC, it is important to include the following information on SF 182 or DD 1556 forms: * 8-digit agency location code (ALC) and billing address in blocks 24 and 25 (SF 182 only); * attendee's Finance Office's fax number; * attendee must note on payment form that approval has been granted for "ADVANCE PAYMENT." Failure to provide this billing information will delay the registration process and the attendees' form will be returned as INCOMPLETE. Your budget officer should be able to furnish your agency's ALC number. If your agency is not serviced through OPAC, please provide the name and phone number of the budget officer (or a contact person) who can resolve any billing questions. NOTE: OGE will NOT send invoices to collect conference fee payments. It is the responsibility of each conference attendee to ensure that payment is made BEFORE the conference deadline. LODGING: Please make your hotel reservations directly with the Williamsburg Marriott at 800-442-3654. After the Marriott becomes full, it will refer overflow lodging requests to the Courtyard Marriott. When the Courtyard Marriott becomes full, it will refer lodging requests next door to the Quality Inn. The Marriott is providing a shuttle van service to/from the Courtyard; Quality Inn guests may also use this service by meeting the van at the front entrance to the Courtyard. The recommended conference hotels are: Conference/Host Property: Williamsburg Marriott 50 Kingsmill Road Williamsburg, VA 23185 1-800-442-3654 or 757-220-2500 First Overflow Property: Courtyard Marriott 470 McLaws Circle Williamsburg, VA 23185 757-221-0700 Second Overflow Property: Quality Inn 480 McLaws Circle Williamsburg, VA 23185 757-220-1100 All lodging registrations will be accepted on a first-come basis and MUST be reserved before Friday, August 14, 1998. After August 14, rooms will no longer be held for conference attendees and there will be NO lodging guarantee. All hotels will provide attendees with a reservation confirmation number. Please be sure to identify your affiliation with the Government Ethics Conference to ensure receiving the Government rate. TRAVEL/TRANSPORTATION ALLOWANCES: The current Government per diem rate and travel information applies to the Williamsburg area: Maximum lodging allowance: $ 99 Meals and incidental expenses: $ 34 Maximum amount not to exceed: $133 Mileage rate: .31 per mile Approximate driving distance from Washington to Williamsburg: 165 miles Parking fee(3 hotels listed above): FREE CANCELLATIONS/REFUNDS/SUBSTITUTIONS: OGE does NOT have the ability to return conference fees once they have been submitted. Therefore, under NO circumstances can OGE provide refunds for cancellations or conference "no shows." However, in the event of an emergency situation the agency DAEO may send a substitute attendee by signing a new registration form and noting there is a substitute attendee and then faxing the form as soon as possible to OGE. Also, please notify Sheila Powers at 202-208-8000, ext. 1104, of the substitute change. DRESS CODE: Dress for the entire conference is casual. For your personal comfort, please plan to wear layered clothing to allow for varying weather and meeting room temperatures. SUMMARY OF 1998 CONFERENCE DEADLINES: July 10 Conference registration forms and payment due to OGE August 14 Deadline for hotel lodging reservations with: (1) Marriott, (2) Courtyard Marriott, and (3) Quality Inn September 14-17 Annual Government Ethics Conference in session at the Williamsburg Marriott All attendees will receive additional information when the conference program is finalized. We look forward to seeing you and/or your nominee(s) in Williamsburg. For any additional information, please contact Sheila Powers, Conference Coordinator, at 202-208-8000, ext. 1104. Attachments: Conference Registration Forms Conference Flyer Marriott Hotel Information