Accepting a gift from another employee who receives less pay.Giving, donating to, or soliciting contributions for, a gift to an official superior and.Generally, the gift rules prohibit an employee from: I recommend that appointees contact the Departmental Ethics Office at (202) 208-7960 for additional guidance on the lobbyist gift ban. In addition to the general gift rules, political appointees are subject to the lobbyist gift ban contained in the ethics pledge. For additional information about exceptions to the general prohibitions regarding gifts from non-Federal sources, employees should refer to the Departmental Ethics Office website. There are other exceptions to the gift rules. Therefore, an employee bears a considerable burden in establishing that a gift is based on a personal relationship rather than the employee's Government position. Where a personal relationship develops from an ongoing work relationship, it can be very difficult to clearly establish that the gift is not being given because of the employee's official position. In making this determination, the ethics counselor will look to the history of the relationship and who is paying for the gift (the individual or the company). When the donor of the gift is a personal friend or family member and also a prohibited source, it is appropriate to seek specific advice from an ethics counselor as to whether the gift should be accepted. However, gift cards that can be used at one retailer (even if it has multiple locations) are not considered cash.Įmployees may accept gifts given under certain circumstances which make it clear that the gift is motivated by a family relationship or personal friendship rather than the employee's official position. Gift cards are considered to be a cash gift if they can be used like cash at multiple retailers, such as a Visa or Mastercard gift card. Employees should never accept cash however. For example, employees may accept gifts from a prohibited source having a market value of $20 or less per occasion, provided that the aggregate market value of individual gifts received from any one entity does not exceed $50 in a calendar year. Therefore, in anticipation of the more common questions received by the Departmental Ethics Office, I am providing you with a summary of the ethics rules governing various holiday activities.Īs a general rule, Department of the Interior employees may not, directly or indirectly, solicit or accept a gift from a prohibited source (e.g., a person or organization that has or seeks business dealings with the Department, is regulated by the Department, or could be affected by the performance or nonperformance of an employee's official duties) or given because of the employee's official position. As a result, the Departmental Ethics Office generally receives a number of questions from employees on the appropriateness of certain holiday activities. ![]() While this is a time of celebration and joy, we must still be aware that there are ethics rules and regulations which apply to all Federal employees. Each year at this time many of us participate in holiday celebrations and activities occurring in and out of the office. I would like to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a very merry and safe holiday season. Subject: Ethics Guidance for the Holiday Season ![]() To: All Department of the Interior Employeesįrom: Melinda Loftin, Designated Agency Ethics Official
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