DHS limits employees outside activities

Last week DHS announced that it was considering a policy that would limit the outside activities of its federal employees.

In an announcement published in the Federal Register, DHS said employees would be required to obtain special clearance before they could take on work outside the government including teaching, speaking, and consulting positions.

The proposal comes as an effort to prevent potential conflicts of interest and to supplement Office of Government Ethics rules first introduced in 1992.

“Because DHS provides millions of dollars in grants and engages in enforcement, regulatory and security functions across a multitude of industry sectors, requiring prior approval is necessary to ensure that a reasonable person will not question the integrity of DHS programs and operations,” the notice read.

Rules for employees of certain DHS agencies like Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carried additional caveats. For instance workers at CBP and ICE would be instructed to specifically avoid private employment related to immigration and customs and agriculture like legal services or exporting and importing services.

Meanwhile employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would be prohibited from working for FEMA contractors.

DHS’ proposal also includes several rules forbidding employees from purchasing certain kinds of government property, like that owned by DHS, unless the General Services Administration is responsible for selling it.

The rules have not been finalized and are still currently open for comment. Individuals may submit their thoughts until 12 December.