Washington State Executive Ethics Board

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96-06 Regulatory employee accepting food and beverages from person not regulated by agency 96-08 State officials; identity when performing duties during non-work hours 96-09 Conflict of interest/voting abstention 97-02 Regulatory employee accepting food and beverage while on an official trade mission 97-10 Rule making and transactions involving the state 98-05 ALJ owning stock in entity that comes before them in a regulatory situation 98-10 Accepting a door prize when attending conference 99-02 Operating a nonprofit within a state agency 99-03 Restrictions on outside compensation for University Coach 01-07 Agency receiving gifts
Definitions
Advisory Opinion	Subject	Question	RCW and / or WAC	Cross Reference
96-06	• Gifts • Agency • Section 4 employee • Hosted reception • Acceptance of food & beverage	1. Can officers and employees of a state regulatory agency accept food and beverage from persons when they do not participate in regulatory or contractual matters with those persons? See Opinion 2. What is the definition of hosted reception under RCW 42.52.150(4)(e)? See Opinion 3. Does the limitation on the acceptance of food and beverage in RCW 42.52.150(4) apply to food and beverage provided by an association which is composed of members who are regulated by the agency or who seek to provide goods or services to the agency? See Opinion 4. Can a state officer or employee accept food and beverage which they receive as part of training paid for by the state? See Opinion Top of Page	RCW 42.52.150
96-08	• Definition of state officer and state employee	Do state officers and employees ever lose their identity or does their status as state officers and employees apply only during normal working hours or when they are performing their state duties at times not considered normal working hours? No / See Opinion Top of Page	RCW 45.52.010
96-09	• Boards and Commissions • Disclosure requirement • Voting abstention requirements	Can a state board whose members are required by statute to be appointed from identified groups adopt rules that require members to disclose their interests and abstain from voting on certain matters as a way of addressing ethical prohibitions in the law? Yes / See Opinion Top of Page	RCW 42.52
97-02	• Acceptance of food and beverages at government-sponsored events • Agency; Section 4 employee	May a state official or employee who participates in regulatory matters accept food and beverage as part of an official trade mission to another country, if some of the cost is paid by the person regulated by the official or employee's agency? Yes / See Opinion Top of Page	RCW 45.52.010 RCW 42.52.150	00-06
97-10	• Assisting in transactions	Does the rule-making process fall within the definition of "transaction involving the state"? No / See Opinion Top of Page	RCW 42.52.040
98-05	• Transactions involving the State	If an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) or an Industrial Appeals Judge (IAJ) owns stock in an employer, would their official actions relating to unemployment insurance and worker's compensation be exempted from a "transaction involving the state" under RCW 42.52.010(21)(b), and could they decide a case without incurring a conflict of interest under RCW 42.52.020 and RCW 42.52.030? See Opinion Top of Page	RCW 45.52.010 RCW 42.52.020 RCW 42.52.030
98-10	• Receipt of Door Prizes	1. Is an item received as a door prize a "gift" under RCW 42.52.010(10) if consideration is paid to attend a conference, seminar, trade show, or similar event? No / See Opinion 2. If a door prize is not a gift, can a state officer or state employee keep a door prize even if his or her state agency paid consideration for his or her attendance at an official event? Qualified No / See Opinion 3. Can state employees enter door prize or other drawings at events attended in their official capacities when consideration does not include the opportunity to compete for a door prize? No / See Opinion Top of Page	RCW 45.52.010 RCW 45.52.020
99-02	• Use of state resources • Nonprofit entities	Whether state employees may operate a nonprofit corporation within a state agency for the purpose of overseeing fundraising and ensuring compliance with the state's ethics laws? Qualified No / See Opinion Top of Page	RCW 42.52.010 RCW 42.52.050 RCW 42.52.070 RCW 42.52.140 RCW 42.52.150 RCW 42.52.160
99-03	• Outside Compensation • Collegiate Athletic Coaches	How does RCW 42.52 restrict outside compensation paid to a university coach? See Opinion Top of Page	RCW 45.52.010 RCW 42.52.110 RCW 42.52.120 RCW 42.52.130 RCW 42.52.160
01-07	• Definitions • Gifts • Limitations on Gifts • Use of State Resources	1. The Ethics in Public Service Act limits the receipt of gifts by state officers or employees. Does a state agency violate the gift limitations if it receives funds, which will be used to offset the cost of "official" travel by agency officers and employees, from a person it regulates or a person who contracts, or seeks to contract, with the state agency? No / See Opinion 2. If a state agency receives funds from a regulated person or a person who contracts with or seeks to contract with the agency, what guidelines or polices should state agencies adopt before accepting such funds? See Opinion Top of Page	RCW 42.52.010 RCW 42.52.140 RCW 42.52.150 RCW 42.52.160	96-01 96-05 98-01 00-05 00-06