2 months ago
A conjugation of US lawmakers led by Senator Elizabeth Warren has introduced a caller morals betterment measure targeting Special Government Employees (SGEs) similar Elon Musk and White House crypto advisor David Sacks.
The proposal, titled the Special Government Employee Ethics Enforcement and Reform (SEER) Act, seeks to use stricter transparency and accountability standards to individuals serving successful advisory roles portion maintaining backstage assemblage ties.
SGEs are part-time national workers allowed to service up to 130 days a year. Unlike full-time officials, they are not ever required to disclose their fiscal interests unless they surpass a circumstantial wage grade.
This operation has raised concerns astir conflicts of interest, particularly successful cases involving high-profile figures similar Elon Musk, who serves successful advisory capacities portion holding enactment roles successful backstage companies with national contracts.
Senator Warren argued that individuals similar Musk, who payment from large authorities deals, should not beryllium allowed to run successful specified ethical grey zones. According to her, Musk earns millions from authorities contracts yet avoids the disclosure requirements expected of elder officials.
The SEER Act has received enactment from a wide conjugation of advocacy and watchdog groups. These see Public Citizen, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics successful Washington (CREW), the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), State Democracy Defenders, Campaign Legal Center, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), and the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU).
SEER’s cardinal provisions
The SEER Act would grow existing morals rules to screen SGEs starting from their 61st time successful office. After 130 days, SGEs would beryllium prohibited from receiving extracurricular compensation related to their non-government roles.
The measure besides introduces stricter conflict-of-interest rules. SGEs who pb companies with national contracts oregon monopolistic powerfulness would beryllium barred from engaging with agencies that modulate oregon declaration with those companies.
Meanwhile, the authorities requires the Office of Government Ethics to o.k. each conflict-of-interest waivers for SGEs to summation nationalist oversight. It besides mandates nationalist entree to these waivers and fiscal disclosures.
Additionally, the Office of Personnel Management would make a nationalist database listing each SGEs, including the fig of days served and the crushed for their classification.
If passed, the SEER Act would rise the ethical barroom for part-time authorities advisors and bounds the power of firm leaders successful shaping national argumentation down closed doors.
The station Elizabeth Warren targets Elon Musk and White House crypto czar David Sacks with caller morals betterment bill appeared archetypal connected CryptoSlate.
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