[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 99 (Thursday, May 22, 1997)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 27947-27948]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-13390]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ARMS CONTROL AND DISARMAMENT AGENCY

22 CFR Part 606


Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the United States 
Arms Control and Disarmament Agency

AGENCY: Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.

ACTION: Final rule.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency

[[Page 27948]]

(ACDA) is revoking its existing superseded employee responsibility and 
conduct regulations at 22 CFR part 606, and, in their stead, inserting 
cross-references to the executive branch-wide Standards, as well as to 
executive branch financial disclosure regulations.

EFFECTIVE DATE: These regulations are effective May 22, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janice F. Caramanica, Office of the 
General Counsel, U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, 320 21st 
Street, NW, Washington, DC 20451, (202) 647-3596.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    On August 7, 1992, the Office of Government Ethics published the 
Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch. See 
57 FR 35006-35067, as corrected at 57 FR 48557 and 57 FR 52583, with 
additional extensions for certain existing provisions at 59 FR 4779-
4780 and 60 FR 6390-6391. The executive branch-wide Standards are now 
codified at 5 CFR part 2635. Effective February 3, 1993, they 
established uniform ethical conduct standards applicable to all 
executive branch personnel.
    ACDA is revoking the provisions of its existing standards of 
conduct regulations that have already been superseded or that are 
superseded upon issuance of this regulation and replacing them with a 
new section that provides a cross reference to 5 CFR parts 2634 and 
2635.

II. Revocation of ACDA's Responsibilities and Conduct Regulations

    This final rule revokes ACDA's employee responsibility and conduct 
regulations at 22 CFR part 606, now superseded. Some of those 
regulations were superseded when the confidential financial disclosure 
provisions of the executive branch-wide financial disclosure 
regulations at 5 CFR part 2634 took effect on October 5, 1992, and many 
others were superseded when the Standards of Ethical Conduct for 
Employees of the Executive Branch at 5 CFR part 2635 became effective 
on February 3, 1993. Others were retained in ACDA's internal 
regulations since they dealt with other aspects of employee conduct 
such as indebtedness and political activity.
    The ACDA residual standards rule replaces ACDA's revoked ethics 
regulations with a cross-reference at new 22 CFR part 606 to OGE's 
rules at 5 CFR parts 2634 and 2635.

III. Matters of Regulatory Procedure

Executive Order 12866

    In issuing this rule, ACDA has adhered to the regulatory philosophy 
and the applicable principles of regulation as set forth in Section 1 
of Executive Order 12866, Regulatory Planning and Review. This 
regulation has not been reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget 
under that Executive Order, as it deals with agency organization, 
management, and personnel matters and is not, in any event, deemed 
``significant'' thereunder.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    ACDA has determined that the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 
chapter 35) does not apply because the proposed regulation does not 
contain any information collection requirements that require the 
approval of the Office of Management and Budget.

Administrative Procedure Act

    This rulemaking is related solely to ACDA's organization, 
procedure, and practice. Consequently, ACDA has found that good cause 
exists under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3) (A), (B), and (d)(3) for waiving, as 
unnecessary and contrary to the public interest, the general notice of 
proposed rulemaking and the 30-day delay in effectiveness as to these 
rules and revocations.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

    ACDA hereby certifies that this rule will not have significant 
economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. This rule 
affects only Federal employees and their immediate families. 
Accordingly, a regulatory flexibility analysis is not required.

Unfunded Mandates Act Determination

    ACDA has determined that this rule will not result in expenditures 
by state, local, and tribal government, or by the private sector, of 
more than $100 million in any one year. Accordingly, a budgetary impact 
statement is not required under section 202 of the Unfunded Mandates 
Act of 1995.

List of Subjects in 22 CFR Part 606

    Conflict of interests, Government employees.

    Dated: May 7, 1997.
Mary Elizabeth Hoinkes,
General Counsel, United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.

    For the reasons set forth in the preamble, the United States Arms 
Control and Disarmament Agency, with the concurrence of the Office of 
Government Ethics, revises title 22, chapter VI, part 606 of the Code 
of Federal Regulations to read as follows:

PART 606--EMPLOYEE ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND CONDUCT

Sec.
606.1  Cross-reference to employee ethical conduct standards and 
financial disclosure regulations.

    Authority: 5 U.S.C. 7301; 18 U.S.C. 208(b)(2); 5 CFR 2634.


Sec. 606.1  Cross-reference to employee ethical conduct standards and 
financial disclosure regulations.

    Employees of the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency 
(ACDA) should refer to the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees 
of the Executive Branch at 5 CFR part 2635 and the Executive Branch 
financial disclosure regulations at 5 CFR part 2634.

[FR Doc. 97-13390 Filed 5-21-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-32-P