Ethics Training

Training Modules for Staff: Government Employees and Non-Employees

Government Employees

• Annual Ethics Training for Government Employees:
  
  
  • 2016 Annual Ethics Training: Required for all NIH employees only. Other staff (non-employees) may logon to the non-employee link.
  
  
  
  • Prior Years Annual Ethics Training
  
  
  
  • 2016 Annual Ethics Training Program for Special Government Employees (OGE Memorandum May 6, 2016)
  
  
  
  
• New Employee Ethics Orientation. Required for Government employees new to NIH only. Others (non-employees) cannot logon. Non-employee staff please see the next section, below (Non-Employee Staff).
  
  
• Introduction to Government Ethics: Without Integrity Nothing Works (pdf, 20 pages). Developed from the 2009 annual ethics training, this document was expanded to include information on financial disclosure reporting systems. The document is a comprehensive training resource useful for both new and current NIH employees who wish to enhance their knowledge of government ethics.

Non-Employees

• Ethics Training for Non-FTEs: Annual Ethics Training module for Non-FTE Fellows, Special Volunteers, Guest Researchers, and more is available under the “All Others” heading.
  
  Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA):  A non-Federal employee on assignment to a Federal agency, whether by appointment or detail, is subject to the criminal conflict of interest statutes (18 USC §§ 203, 205, 207- 209); the non-criminal conduct provisions covering loyalty and striking, alcohol and drug abuse, gifts to superiors, gifts from prohibited sources, foreign gifts and decorations, and political activities (5 USC Chapter 73); as well as the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (Public Law 95-521), as amended, and the Ethics Reform Act of 1989 (Public Law 101-194), which may require the assignee to file a public or confidential financial disclosure report.  Furthermore, such a non-Federal employee is subject to the Government-wide Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch (5 CFR Part 2635). Although non-Federal employees on IPA appointment are subject to the Supplemental Standards of Ethical Conduct of Employees of the Department of Health and Human Services (5 CFR Part 5501 and 5502), non-Federal employees on IPA detail are not. 

  A Federal employee on an IPA assignment, whether on detail or appointment, and regardless of pay status, remains subject to all ethical conduct laws and standards.  In particular, conflict of interest and Hatch Act statutes continue to apply.  Further, the employee may not act as an agent or attorney (other than as specifically authorized in the IPA Agreement) on behalf of the non-Federal organization in any matter in which the Federal Government is a party or has a direct and/or substantial interest.

  For additional guidance see Manual Chapter 2300-334-1, Section O (http://oma.od.nih.gov/manualchapters/person/2300-334-1/):

  IPAs should seek guidance on whether an action violates one of these provisions by consulting with his/her supervisor, Deputy Ethics Counselor, Ethics Coordinator (http://ethics.od.nih.gov), or other designated contacts.

Resources for Ethics Officials

National Institutes of Health

EMIS and NEES Training:
Contact NEO Action Coordinator via outlook email or your NEO Specialist if you are interested in in-person training.

NIH Ethics Program Website – Ethics Training
Topics include required annual ethics training, new employee ethics orientation, and information on upcoming EMIS and NEES training sessions and links to OGE resources and web-based training modules.

NEES Training Materials and User Manuals
SharePoint site containing news and reference material in support of the NIH Enterprise Ethics System, both for employee and the NIH Ethics community use.

EMIS Help Pages
EMIS instruction sheets providing details for data entry of various actions, creating reports, and instructions for administrative functions.

Education and Training | Intranet.HHS.gov
Links are provided to OGE training workshops and seminars, and the OGE Institute for Ethics in Government (IEG) video archives of previous training sessions.

OGE Education Resources for Ethics Officials
Includes MAX.Gov for courses offered by OGE’s Institute for Ethics in Government and links to other OGE training sessions. 

MAX Homepage
OMB’s MAX website provides the opportunity to participate in training sessions offered by federal agencies such as HHS, OGE, and more.  Advance registration is required. 

Institute for Ethics in Government - Distance Learning
Links are provided to OGE’s education offerings for executive branch ethics officials. Content is accessible as distant learning via the max.gov website.

Institute for Ethics in Government – YouTube Channel
OGE’s YouTube channel hosts various videos designed to make learning available to all Executive Branch ethics officials, regardless of geography, experience, or grade.  The channel is updated on a regular basis.

Conflicts of Interest and Government Employment (2002)
This pamphlet provides a short discussion of the basic conflict of interest laws and regulations and focuses on the exemptions to 18 U.S.C. § 208 published by OGE at 5 C.F.R. part 2640.

Gifts Between Employees (1998)
This pamphlet uses scenarios that frequently arise in the workplace to provide a brief overview of the gift rules in a conversational, question-and-answer format.

Gifts From Outside Sources (1998)
This pamphlet also uses commonly occurring workplace scenarios to provide a brief overview of the gift rules in a conversational, question-and-answer format.

Gifts of Travel (2002)
This pamphlet references three of the most commonly used authorities under which an agency or employee might accept a gift of travel.

Rules for the Road (Revised 2007)
This pamphlet provides brief summaries of 18 U.S.C.§ 207, 18 U.S.C.§ 203 and the Procurement Integrity Act, and alerts employees to some other possible sources of post-employment restrictions.

Certificate of Divestiture Reference Guide
A beginner's guide to Certificates of Divestiture.

Understanding the Revolving Door: How Ethics Rules Apply to Your Job Seeking and Post-Government Employment Activities (Revised 2007)
This pamphlet provides a general discussion about how the Federal ethics laws and restrictions may affect individuals, both while looking for a job and after leaving the Government.

A Brief Wrap on Ethics, 21 pages, April 2000.
This pamphlet provides a brief overview of the rules of ethical conduct that all employees should know and follow.

To Serve With Honor A Guide on the Ethics Rules That Apply to Advisory Committee Members Serving as Special Government Employees (SGEs)
March 2008 U.S. Office of Government Ethics

Updated: 10/13/16