Office of Government Ethics 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to Executive Order 13891, the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) is issuing a regulation to detail the process for the issuance of, modifications to, and petitions regarding guidance documents, as they are defined by the Executive Order. Additionally, the regulation states that OGE will post all guidance documents in a new guidance portal on its website. OGE is also detailing the process for the issuance of significant guidance documents and categorical exclusions. Finally, OGE is revising its executive branch ethics program regulation to ensure the consistency in the description of various documents that OGE issues.

The U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) is issuing this final rule to revise the component designations of three agencies for purposes of the one-year post-employment conflict of interest restriction for senior employees. Specifically, based on the recommendations of the agencies concerned, OGE is designating two new components in appendix B to 5 CFR part 2641, and correcting an inadvertent error in the current appendix B listing of a previously- designated component.

After publication of this second round notice, the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) plans to submit a proposed modified OGE Form 201, Request to Inspect or Receive Copies of Executive Branch Personnel Public Financial Disclosure Reports or Other Covered Records, to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval of a three-year extension under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The OGE Form 201 is used by persons requesting access to executive branch public financial disclosure reports and other covered records.

In accordance with the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, the U.S. Office of Government Ethics is issuing this final rule to make the 2020 annual adjustments to the Ethics in Government Act civil monetary penalties.