Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed possible conflicts of interest when federal employees do similar work both inside and outside of government, focusing on: (1) the extent and characteristics of employees’ approved activities outside the federal government; (2) agency regulations and procedures for monitoring outside activities; (3) approved activities that could create the appearance of conflicts of interest; and (4) whether the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) has provided guidance to agencies on approving and monitoring employees’ outside activities or reviewed agency controls over such activities. GAO found that: (1) the number of employees with approved outside activities ranged from less than 1 percent at 1 agency to 11 percent at another; (2) speaking and consulting activities were the most frequently approved activities among the 11 agencies; (3) some agencies do not monitor employees’ activities outside of the government to the extent required to ensure that violations of laws are avoided; (4) OGE monitored most of the 11 agencies’ controls over outside activities and recommended improvements, but agencies did not always implement the recommendations; (5) five agencies approved some activities that appear to violate standards of conduct prohibiting the use of public office for private gain; (6) Congress is considering proposals to apply the ban of the acceptance of honoraria by most federal employees for outside speeches, articles, and appearances only to such activities that focus specifically on government work; and (7) OGE proposed new standards of conduct for all executive branch employees that would establish a requirement for prior approval of employees’ outside activities.
