Federal Advisory Committee on Insurance

Briefing

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AGENDA

 Federal Advisory Committee Act

 The Federal Advisory Committee on                                 Insurance (FACI) Charter

 Representative Members

 Ethics Considerations

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Federal Advisory Committee Act

 The Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) became law in 1972 and is the legal foundation for how federal advisory committees operate.

 The law has special emphasis on open meetings, public involvement, and reporting.

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Federal Advisory Committee Act

 All sessions are open to the public.  

 Detailed minutes of each advisory committee meeting must be kept.  The committee chair must certify the accuracy of the minutes within 90 days of each meeting. 

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The FACI Charter

 The FACI Charter states that:

Its objective is to present advice and recommendations to the Federal Insurance Office (FIO) regarding the FIO’s duties and authorities.  

Those duties and authorities are set out in Subpart A of the Federal Insurance Office Act of 2010 (31 U.S.C. 313, et seq.), Title V of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, P.L. 111-203, 12 U.S.C. 5301 et seq. (July 21, 2010).

Its reports and recommendations are provided to the FIO Director.

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Representative Members

 In advising the FIO Director, the FACI includes a cross-section of members representative of the views of State, Tribal and non-government persons having an interest in the duties and authorities of the FIO.

 Each individual member of the FACI currently serves as a representative of his or her industry, trade group, public interest group or other organization or group.

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Representative Members 

 Representative members serve on advisory committees to provide a point of view of non-governmental entities or of a recognizable group of persons (such as an industry sector) who have interests in the subject matter and to serve as spokespeople  for those interests.

 Representative members are not considered government employees and are not subject to the federal conflict of interest or other ethics rules.

 Representative members are still expected to reflect the highest ethical standards in their representation.

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Responsibilities of Representative Members

 Gather input and information from the field.

 Act as a spokesperson for the industry sector, trade group, public interest group or other organization or group that you represent.

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Ethics Considerations

 Consider appearance issues

For representatives, avoid advising on matters outside your scope of representation.

 As a representative, you have not been screened for potential conflicts that might arise were you to advise outside of your scope of representation.

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Ethics Considerations

 Don’t accept improper gifts

Any gift given because of your committee position.

If you are offered a gift to advance the work of the FACI (e.g. free conference room space for a listening session), please contact us.  Treasury does have gift acceptance authority and may be able to accept.

 Don’t use public office for private gain

Do not use your committee position to seek benefits for yourself or others.

 Don’t misuse government information

Non-public information may not be used for your or anyone else’s private interest.

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Ethics Considerations

 Use government property and time for official purposes.

Do not use government resources for unauthorized purposes.

 Don’t accept compensation for teaching, speaking or writing relating to your role on the FACI.

Check with an ethics official if you suspect you are being asked to speak, teach or write regarding the FACI.

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Ethical Considerations

 Expert witness rules

Check with an ethics official if you are asked to serve as an expert witness on matters relating to FACI.

 Political activities and the Hatch Act

You may not use your FACI title or fact of membership while engaging in any political activities or any activity unrelated to the work of the FACI.

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Treasury Ethics ContactsThe Office of General Law, Ethics, & RegulationMain Phone: 202-622-0450Fax: 202-622-1176E-mail:  ethics@treasury.gov 

Rochelle F. Granat

Assistant General Counsel (General Law,  

Ethics, & Regulation) 

E-mail: Rochelle.Granat@treasury.gov

Phone: 202-622-6052

Christian J. Furey

Attorney-Advisor

E-mail: Christian.Furey@treasury.gov

Phone: 202-622-5441

Donna M. Cencer

Ethics Program Manager

E-mail: Donna.Cencer@treasury.gov

Phone: 202-622-1184

Elizabeth A. Horton

Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Ethics

E-mail: Elizabeth.Horton@treasury.gov

Phone: 202-622-9794

Hanoi Veras

Attorney-Advisor

E-mail: Hanoi.Veras@treasury.gov

Phone: 202-622-9741

Peter A. Riesen

Attorney-Advisor

E-mail: Peter.Riesen@treasury.gov

Phone: 202-622-0023

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