U.S. Office of Government Ethics
1201 New York Avenue, NW.
Suite 500
Washington, DC  20005-3917

	                                                September 15, 2004
							DT-04-028	
	
MEMORANDUM 

TO: 		  Designated Agency Ethics Officials

FROM: 		  Carolyn W. Chapman
		  Associate Director for Education

SUBJECT: 	  Atlanta Regional Three-Day Ethics Symposium			

The U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) is offering a three-day ethics symposium in
Atlanta, GA, November 16-18, 2004.  This symposium is being offered to ethics officials
in the Atlanta area.  The symposium consists of plenary and training courses.  Attached
are the symposium agenda and descriptions of the various programs offered.

The symposium takes place at the following location:

Peachtree Summit Federal Building
General Services Administration
Summit Exchange Room (1st Floor)
401 W. Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA    30308
TEL:   404.331.4527

If you are interested in attending the three-day Atlanta symposium, please send your
registration request, via e-mail, to Gwen Cannon-Jenkins at gcannon@oge.gov.   You will
receive a return response confirming your registration or notifying you that the
symposium is full.  Please provide Gwen with the following information about you:

	*   name 
	*   agency name 
	*   e-mail address
	*   phone number
	*   fax number 

For any additional information about the symposium, please contact Sheila Powers, Training
Coordinator at sapowers@oge.gov .   We look forward to seeing you in Atlanta!

Attachments 



                  Atlanta Regional Symposium - November 16-18, 2004
			Peachtree Summit Federal Building
			 General Services Administration
			 Summit Exchange Room (1st Floor)
			     401 W. Peachtree Street
				Atlanta, GA  30308
				TEL:  404.331.4527

                                  
                                 
November 16, 2004, Tuesday -  Day 1
                                 
  8:00 -  8:15	Welcome 
  8:15 -  9:00	Managing an Ethics Program 
  9:00 -  9:15	Break

Session A
   9:15 - 11:30	Session A: Conflicting Financial Interests, Part I  
  11:30 - 12:30	Lunch (on your own)
  12:30 -  2:30	Session A: Conflicting Financial Interests, Part II

Session B 
   9:15 - 11:30	Session B: Gifts, Part I   
  11:30 - 12:30	Lunch (on your own)
  12:30 -  2:30	Session B: Gifts, Part II 
  2:30  -  2:45	Break
  2:45  -  4:00 Impartiality - In Whose Eyes? 
                                                                   
_____________________________________________________________

November 17, 2004, Wednesday -  Day 2
                                                    
Session A
  8:00 - 10:00  Session A: 450 Review Course, Part I               
 10:00 - 10:15  Break
 10:15 - 12:00  Session A: 450 Review Course, Part II              
 12:00 -  1:00  Lunch (on your own)

Session B
  8:00 - 10:00  Session B: Seeking Employment
 10:00 - 10:15  Break
 10:15 - 12:00  Session B: Post Employment
 12:00 -  1:00  Lunch (on your own)
  1:00 -  2:00  Sorting it Out and Getting to Yes
  2:10 -  3:45  Travel
    
 _____________________________________________________________            
                                        
November 18, 2004, Thursday -  Day 3

                                 
  8:00 - 9:45  Hatch Act
  9:45 -10:00  Break

Session A
10:00 - 12:00  Session A: Gifts, Part I     
12:00 -  1:00  Lunch (on your own)
 1:00 -  3:00  Session A: Gifts, Part II    
  
Session B
10:00 - 12:00  Session B: Training Tips
12:00 -  1:00  Lunch (on your own)
 1:00 -  3:00  Session B: Misuse of Position                 
 3:00 -  3:15  Wrap Up and Concluding Remarks



ATLANTA  ETHICS  SYMPOSIUM
November 16-18, 2004

SYMPOSIUM  DESCRIPTIONS:  

450 Review, Part I 

In this session you learn how to review financial disclosure reports filed
by non-public filers.  You complete technical reviews and conflicts of interest analyses of the
assets and liabilities schedules of the form.  You also recommend solutions for any identified
conflicts.

450 Review, Part II 

You complete technical reviews and conflicts of interest analyses of the
remaining schedules and identify missing or inconsistent information and solutions for possible
conflicts.

Conflicting Financial Interests, Part I 

This Part 1 session explains how to identify
disqualifying financial interests as identified in 18 U.S.C. &#167; 208.  The course uses examples
to illustrate concepts and real-world exercises to increase skills.

Conflicting Financial Interests, Part II 

The second part of this two-part session explains how
to handle disqualifying financial interests by suggesting remedies to resolve conflicts,
referring cases to the Inspector General and/or the Department of Justice, and notifying OGE of
referrals.

Gifts, Part I 

This session explores the inherent pitfalls when Federal employees receive gifts
from outside sources and identifies what constitutes prohibited gifts from outside sources.
Session format includes lecture, practical exercises, brainstorming, discussion, and case
studies.

Gifts, Part II 

This session helps participants determine who employees may give gifts to and
receive gifts from, and identify the general standards for gifts between employees.
Participants differentiate the categories of gift exceptions, and discover the circumstances
under which employees may solicit and/or make contributions for a gift.  Session format
includes lecture, practical exercises and case studies.

Hatch Act 

While most Federal employees may engage in political activity while they are off-
duty, the Hatch Act continues to prohibit employees from running for public office in partisan
elections, from raising money for partisan candidates, and from engaging in political activity
while on duty.  This session provides information on how employees may be politically active
without violating the Hatch Act.

Impartiality - In Whose Eyes?

It isn't enough that employees avoid conflicts of interest under
&#167;18 U.S.C. 208.  They also must avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest.  This
session examines the various factors that ethics officials should consider when determining
whether a reasonable person would question an employee's impartiality.  Participants learn why
it is important that they determine whether the employee's participation in a particular matter
is defensible.  They also examine the circumstances under which they can authorize an
employee's participation despite an appearance problem.

Managing an Ethics Program 

Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is getting it right the first
time.    What makes an ethics program effective?  What duties must the ethics official perform?
How do you know that your advice is correct?  How do you get them to listen to you?  What are
some traps to avoid?  Learn the answers to these questions and more as you manage a first class
ethics program.

Misuse of Position 

This session provides a broad overview of Subpart G.  Attendees identify
violations related to the four misuse of position standards: Public Office for Private Gain,
Nonpublic Information, Government Property, and Official Time.  Participants also complete
activities to determine if misuse occurred, and recommend corrective action.  Course format
includes lecture and practical exercise.

Post Employment 

This session provides an overview of the post-employment statute, 18 U.S.C. &#167;
207, as well as a step-by-step methodology for analyzing post-employment situations.  Session
format includes lecture and practical exercises.

Seeking Employment 

This session enables participants to determine whether employees are
participating personally and substantially in a particular matter that would have a direct and
predictable effect on the financial interests of a prospective employer. They also learn how to
determine whether the employees activities constitute seeking employment and identify
appropriate remedies for possible conflicts.  Course format includes lecture, brainstorming,
practical exercises, independent reading, and case scenarios.

Sorting it Out and Getting to Yes 

In seeking advice, employees often present ethical dilemmas.
In this session you learn to sort through the issues, to correctly identify the myriad of
problems that often surface in meetings with employees.  You learn how to identify viable
options to present as alternatives when the proposed actions would result in an ethics
violation.

Training Tips 

Training Tips includes discussions about characteristics of effective and
ineffective training programs.  Participants learn how to help their employees retain and apply
what they learn in class on the job, how to vary the instruction to keep employees interested
and avoid boring them, and how to match various strategies and methods to the course
objectives.

Travel 

The discussion focuses on the latest developments on the use of frequent traveler
benefits by Federal employees on official travel, the use of premium class accommodations,
denied boarding compensation, latest changes to the regulations relating to acceptance of
travel payments from non-Federal sources, the use of the travel charge card, routing of travel,
issues relating to conferences and providing refreshments, and the GSA airline city pairs
contract.  There is also an open discussion relating to any questions and issues that
participants wish to raise involving travel and related ethics topics.