Fill Form 2220 Individuals 2023-2024

Hello and welcome to another presentation about ethics. I'm your host Danielle Barrett, and this series is brought to you by the USDA Office of Ethics. We're happy to answer all of your questions at the end of this presentation. Today, we will showcase eight tips for how to fill out your OGE form 450. But first, let's take a moment to learn about why this form is important to the work we do at USDA. The OGE form 450, which stands for Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, is a tool that allows us to take a prospective look at certain employees' financial interests. We need to ensure that our federal work is free of conflicts with our personal interests. The moral principle is that one should not use federal work for self-enrichment. Furthermore, there is a criminal statute against conflicts of interest. The 450 form allows us to screen employees for conflicts of interest in a prospective fashion. It allows ethics officials to analyze employees' holdings on an annual basis and ensure that USDA employees are not violating federal law, namely 18 USC 208. So, quickly, what is a conflict of interest? A conflict of interest occurs when there is a link between something you're working on in your official capacity and your personal financial interest. If you were to work on that matter, there would be a potential that you could be enriching yourself. That's the why of financial disclosure. If you're wondering who has to file, there are guidelines to help managers determine who needs to file each year. Typically, though not always, filers will be more senior level individuals or those who work on contracts, procurement, inspections, and so on. Now, let's move on to the eight quick tips to help you file. First, file in a timely manner. It's due every year...