Supplemental Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Department of Agriculture

The Department of Agriculture (Department or USDA), with the concurrence of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), is issuing final regulations for Department employees that supplement the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch (Standards), as issued by OGE. The final rule, effective upon publication, sets forth as final both a general requirement for certain Department employees to obtain prior approval before engaging in outside employment and separate, more-extensive prior approval requirements for employees of the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), Office of the General Counsel (OGC), and Office of Inspector General (OIG). The final rule also contains certain restrictions on financial interests applicable to FSA employees.