Summary: The President should establish an Office of Ethics in the executive branch with adequate resources to address the problems of the enforcement of and compliance with ethical standards and financial disclosure systems. The Office should: (1) issue uniform and clearly stated ethical standards of conduct and financial disclosure regulations; (2) develop financial disclosure forms needed to enforce conflict-of-interest matters; (3) make periodic audits of the effectiveness of agency financial disclosure systems on a sample basis to check initial and follow-up procedures; (4) establish a formal advisory service to disseminate general opinions on matters of ethical conduct; (5) provide criteria for positions requiring disclosure statements; (6) administer the financial disclosure system for Presidential appointees under section 401 of Executive Order 11222; (7) report annually to the President and Congress on the effectiveness of the ethics program and recommend changes; (8) investigate and resolve ethical conduct matters unresolved at the agency level; and (9) provide a continuing program of information and education for federal employees.
