Preventing Conflicts of Interest in the Executive Branch: Performance and Accountability Report FY2013

OGE was established by the Ethics in Government Act of 1978. To carry out its leadership and oversight responsibilities over the executive branch ethics program, OGE promulgates and maintains enforceable standards of ethical conduct for approximately 2.7 million civilian employees in over 130 executive branch agencies and the White House; oversees a financial disclosure system that reaches more than 28,000 public and 325,000 confidential financial disclosure report filers; ensures that executive branch ethics programs are in compliance with applicable ethics laws and regulations; provides education and training to the more than 5,600 ethics officials executive branchwide; conducts outreach to the general public, the private sector, and civil society; and shares model practices with state, local, and foreign governments, and international organizations. OGE's greatest resource is its multi-disciplinary staff of attorneys, ethics and financial experts, and support staff. OGE is a lean organization, with approximately 80 full-time equivalents, and accomplishes its responsibilities by organizing crossfunctional teams to perform such diverse tasks as working with Presidential nominees for appointments requiring Senate confirmation to resolve potential financial conflicts of interest, training executive branch ethics officials, and enhancing oversight of executive branch ethics programs.