1. OPM Authorizes Federal Departments to Solicit for Haiti Relief.

   OPM has authorized a special solicitation of Federal employees at the workplace to support Haiti in its time of extraordinary need. The authorization of a special solicitation will allow Federal employees to assist the ongoing relief efforts in Haiti with a one-time cash or check donation, outside the normal CFC procedures. The OPM News Release dated January 15, 2010 can be viewed here.

2. Encyclopedia of Ethical Failure Updates.

   The updated encyclopedia now offers 155 pages of actual violations by Government personnel. The encyclopedia is organized by type of violations, including conflicts of interest, misuse of Government equipment, violations of post-employment restrictions, and travel. It is a valuable resource document for training and briefing personnel. For those already familiar with the encyclopedia, we have also posted an "updates only" version that includes recent cases.

3. Updated Version of the Post Employment Certification is Posted.

   The Annual Post-Employment Certification has been edited, primarily to reflect the change in the law regarding very senior officials subject to 18 U.S.C. 207(d) (applies to the Secretary of Defense only). DoD employees who file a public financial disclosure report (SF 278) are required to certify each year that they are aware of the restrictions related to seeking and negotiating employment as outlined in 18 U.S.C. 208 and 41 U.S.C. 423, as well as the post-employment rules spelled out in 18 U.S.C. 207 and 41 U.S.C. 423. For this update (and future updates as they occur) - please visit the Forms Index.

DISCLAIMER: The purpose of this advisory is to disseminate relevant information and sources of general guidance, policy and law on Government Ethics issues to the Department of Defense ethics community. Advisories are not intended to be and should not be cited as authoritative guidance, DoD policy, or law.