Supplemental Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Department of Health and Human Services

The Department of Health and Human Services,with the concurrence of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), is issuing regulations for officers and employees of HHS that supplement the OGE Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch. This final rule specifies procedural and substantive requirements that are necessary to address ethical issues unique to the Department. The rule: Designates separate agency components for purposes of the gift rules and the teaching, speaking and writing restrictions; excepts from the gift rules, subject to monetary limits, arts and crafts items received from Indian tribes or Alaska-Native organizations; prohibits the holding or acquisition of certain financial interests by employees of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); exempts otherwise disqualifying financial interests derived from Indian or Alaska Native birthrights; prohibits certain outside employment and other outside activities; establishes HHS-wide prior approval requirements for outside employment and other outside activities, with additional rules applicable to FDA employees; authorizes certain compensated teaching, speaking and writing activities engaged in by special Government employees in the Public Health Service (PHS); and delineates restrictions on concurrent representation of tribal organizations.