JCOPE Issues Ethics Reminder on the ’30-Day’ Rule for State Employees Seekering Non-state Employment

The Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) has issued its latest ‘ethics reminder,’ this one for state employees who are seeking non-state employment.

This rule applies when an employee either approaches or is approached
by a potential employer who has a “specific pending matter” that the state employee is working on as part of their state duties.

When such a circumstance occurs, the employee is required to:

(a)   inform their supervisor and their agency’s ethics officer;
(b)   recuse themselves from any work relating to the potential employer; and
(c)    wait 30 days from the date notice was provided to the supervisor and agency ethics officer before having any discussions relating to potential future employment.

In my experience, this rule is not well-known or well-understood among state employees. Kudos to JCOPE staff for making state employees aware of it and helping them understand it.