Regulations last checked for updates: Nov 24, 2024

Title 15 - Commerce and Foreign Trade last revised: Oct 25, 2024
§ 0.735-36 - Responsibilities of operating units.

The head of each operating unit, or his designee, shall:

(a) Furnish or make available to each employee a copy of this part (or a comprehensive summary thereof) within 90 days after approval of this part by the Office of Personnel Management, and, upon their issuance, a copy of any regulations supplementary thereto (or a comprehensive summary thereof);

(b) Furnish or make available to each new employee at the time of his entrance on duty a copy of this part as it may be amended and any supplementary regulations (or a comprehensive summary thereof);

(c) Bring this part (or as it may be amended and any supplementary regulations thereto) to the attention of each employee annually, and at such other times as circumstances may warrant as may be determined by the Assistant Secretary for Administration;

(d) Have available for review by employees, as appropriate, copies of laws, Executive orders, this part, supplementary regulations, and pertinent Office of Personnel Management regulations and instructions relating to ethical and other conduct of Government employees;

(e) Advise each employee who is a special Government employee of his status for purposes of 18 U.S.C. 203 and 205;

(f) Require each employee specified in § 0.735-22 to submit a statement of employment and financial interests, as provided by or pursuant to this part;

(g) Develop an appropriate form, with the approval of the counselor of the Department, on which the employee may certify that he has read this part and applicable regulations supplementary thereto, in accordance with § 0.735-35(c), and on which he may, if he so desires, indicate that he has a private activity or interest about which he requests advice and guidance as provided by § 0.735-38.

(h) Require each employee upon entering on duty and at such other times as may be specified, to execute the certification required by § 0.735-35(c);

(i) Report to the program Secretarial Officer concerned and to the Assistant Secretary for Administration promptly any instance in which an employee, after notice, fails to submit the certification required under § 0.735-35(c) or a statement of employment or financial interests required under this part within 14 calendar days following the prescribed time limit for doing so; and

(j) Take action to impress upon each employee required to submit a statement of employment and financial interests, upon his supervisor, and upon employees with whom the employee works, their responsibility as follows:

(1) The employee's supervisor is responsible (i) for excluding from the range of duties of the employee any contracts or other transactions between the Government and his outside employer, clients, or entities in which he has an interest within the purview of this part, and (ii) for overseeing the employee's activities in order to insure that the public interest is protected from improper conduct on his part and that he will not, through ignorance or inadvertence, embarrass the Government or himself.

(2) The employee's supervisor and employees with whom he works are responsible for avoiding the use of the employee's services in any situation in which a violation of law, regulation, or ethical standards is likely to occur or to appear to occur.

(3) The supervisor of an employee is responsible for initiating prompt and proper disciplinary or remedial action when a violation, intentional or innocent, is detected.

(4) Employees shall avoid divulging to a special Government employee privileged Government information which is not necessary to the performance of his governmental responsibility or information which directly involves the financial interests of his non-Government employer.

(5) An employee shall make every effort in his private work to avoid any personal contact with respect to negotiations with the Department for contracts, grants, or loans, if the subject matter is related to the subject matter of his Government employment. When this is not possible, he may participate if not otherwise prohibited by law (e.g., 18 U.S.C. 203 and 205) in the negotiations for his private employer only with the prior approval of the head of the operating unit concerned.

[32 FR 15222, Nov. 2, 1967, as amended at 55 FR 53489, Dec. 31, 1990]
authority: 5 U.S.C. 301,7301,7353; 5 U.S.C. App. (Ethics in Government Act of 1978); 26 U.S.C. 7214(b); E.O. 12674, 54 FR 15159, 3 CFR 1989 Comp., p. 215, as modified by E.O. 12731, 55 FR 42547, 3 CFR 1990 Comp., p. 306; 5 CFR part 2635
source: 32 FR 15222, Nov. 2, 1967, unless otherwise noted.
cite as: 15 CFR 0.735-36