Standards of Conduct; Revocation of Superseded Regulations; Revision of Residual Provisions

The Department of Health and Human Services (Department or HHS) is revising and reissuing the Standards of Conduct, a set of substantive and procedural rules relating to conduct and employee responsibilities that augment the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch, the Supplemental Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Supplemental Financial Disclosure Requirements for Employees of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Employee Responsibilities and Conduct Regulation, and the Executive Branch Financial Disclosure regulations. The Department is removing provisions that have been superseded by these regulations or are otherwise obsolete or unnecessary to efficient administration. This final rule addresses conduct on Federal Government (Government) property and the use of Government funds or official information; restates existing standards for workplace courtesy; specifies rules for acceptance of gifts, travel, and employment from foreign governments and other non- Federal entities; provides notice of disciplinary actions available to address violations and prescribes the continuing employee obligation to report violations of rules or law to appropriate authorities. This revision adds a new section addressing Counter-Trafficking in Persons requirements in response to the Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022 (Pub. L. 117-348). The rule also continues and delineates restrictions on the political activity of commissioned officers of the United States Public Health Service, a category of employees not covered by the Hatch Act Reform Amendments of 1993, as amended.