Title 1 — Government Organization.

For the purposes of this chapter, the term: (1) “Administrative decision” means any activity directly related to action by an executive agency to issue a Mayor’s order, to cause to be undertaken a rulemaking proceeding (which does not include a formal public hearing) under Chapte…

This subchapter may be cited as the “Government Ethics Act of 2011”.

This chapter and the Code of Conduct shall apply to all employees and public officials serving the District of Columbia, its instrumentalities, subordinate and independent agencies, the Council of the District of Columbia, boards and commissions, and Advisory Neighborhood Commiss…

(a) There is established a District of Columbia Board of Ethics and Government Accountability, whose purpose shall be to: (1) Administer and enforce the Code of Conduct; (2) Appoint a Director of the Open Government Office; (3) Appoint a Director of the Ethics Board; (4) Receive,…

(a) The Ethics Board shall consist of 5 members, no more than 3 of whom shall be of the same political party, appointed by the Mayor, with the advice and consent of the Council. Members shall be appointed to serve for terms of 6 years, except the members first appointed. Of the m…

(a) The Ethics Board shall hold regular monthly meetings in accordance with a schedule to be established by the Ethics Board. Additional meetings may be called as needed by the Ethics Board. (b) The Ethics Board shall provide notice of meetings and shall conduct its meetings in c…

(a) Each member of the Ethics Board, excluding the Chairman, shall receive compensation, as provided in § 1-611.08, while actually in the service of the Ethics Board, for a sum not to exceed $12,500 per annum. (b) The Chairman of the Ethics Board shall receive compensation, as pr…

(a) The Ethics Board shall select, employ, and fix the compensation for a Director of Government Ethics and such staff as the Ethics Board considers necessary, subject to the pay limitations of § 1-611.16. The Director of Government Ethics shall serve at the pleasure of the Ethic…

(a) The Director of Government Ethics, with approval by the Ethics Board, shall prepare and submit to the Mayor, for inclusion in the annual budget of the District of Columbia under part D of subchapter IV of Chapter 2 of this title [§ 1-204.41 et seq.] for the year, annual estim…

(a) Two members of the Ethics Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. (b) The Ethics Board may delegate to an individual member or to the Director of Government Ethics its power to investigate or hold a hearing.

(a) The Ethics Board, pursuant to subchapter I of Chapter 5 of Title 2 [§ 2-501 et seq.], shall issue rules to implement the provisions of this subchapter, including rules for the administration of preliminary investigations, formal investigations, and hearings related to violati…

(a) There is established as a nonlapsing fund the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability Fund (“Accountability Fund”), which shall be administered by the Ethics Board. The funds in the Accountability Fund shall be used exclusively by the Ethics Board. All fines collected u…

The Director of Government Ethics, approved by the Ethics Board, shall have the power to: (1) Require any person to submit, within a reasonable period and under oath or otherwise as the Director of Government Ethics may determine, written reports and answers to questions that the…

(a) The Director of Government Ethics shall conduct a preliminary investigation of a possible violation of the Code of Conduct or of this subchapter brought to the attention of the Director of Government Ethics or the Ethics Board through the following sources: (1) The media; (2)…

(a) A formal investigation shall be initiated upon: (1) Receipt of a written complaint transmitted to the Ethics Board; (2) A finding by the Office of the Inspector General or District of Columbia Auditor of waste, fraud, abuse of government resources, or a violation of the Code …

(a)(1) After determining that there is reason to believe a violation has occurred based upon the presentation of evidence by the Director of Government Ethics pursuant to § 1-1162.12(b) or § 1-1162.13(e), the Ethics Board shall conduct an open and adversarial hearing at which the…

(a) Following the presentation of evidence to the Ethics Board by the Director of Government Ethics in an adversary proceeding and an open hearing, the Ethics Board may take one or more of the following actions: (1) Levy a penalty in accordance with § 1-1162.21; (2) Refer the mat…

(a) The Ethics Board may dismiss, at any stage of the proceedings, any claim, complaint, request for investigation, investigation, or portion of an investigation that the Ethics Board finds to be without merit. (b) The Ethics Board may require a person who made or caused to be ma…

Appeals of any order or fine made by the Ethics Board in accordance with this subchapter shall be made to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

The Superior Court of the District of Columbia may, upon petition by the Ethics Board, in case of refusal to obey a subpoena or order of the Ethics Board issued under § 1-1162.11(3), issue an order requiring compliance; and any failure to obey the order of the court may be treate…

(a) Upon application made by an employee or public official subject to the Code of Conduct, the Director of Government Ethics shall, within a reasonable period of time, provide an advisory opinion as to whether a specific transaction or activity inquired of would constitute a vio…

(a) The Director of Government Ethics shall produce a quarterly report detailing: (1) The posture of each complaint it received, including whether an investigation was initiated, is ongoing, or has concluded; (2) The referrals made to and from the Ethics Board; (3) Fines and pena…

(a)(1) In accordance with paragraph (2) of this subsection and except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, the Ethics Board may assess a civil penalty for a violation of the Code of Conduct of not more than $5,000 per violation, or 3 times the amount of an unlawful cont…

(a) In addition to the penalties set forth in § 1-1162.21, the Ethics Board may censure a public official for a violation of the Code of Conduct that the Ethics Board finds to substantially threaten the public trust. (b) The Ethics Board may recommend in such censure that the Cou…

(a) No employee shall use his or her official position or title, or personally and substantially participate, through decision, approval, disapproval, recommendation, the rendering of advice, investigation, or otherwise, in a judicial or other proceeding, application, request for…

(a)(1) Public officials, except Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners, members of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Board of Directors appointed pursuant to § 9-1107.01, and candidates for nomination for election, or election, to public office, who are not otherwis…

(a) Any employee, other than a public official, who advises, makes decisions or participates substantially in areas of contracting, procurement, administration of grants or subsidies, developing policies, land use planning, inspecting, licensing, policy-making, regulating, or aud…

(a) Except as provided in subsections (b) and (c) of this section, neither the Mayor, the Attorney General, the Chairman of the Council, nor any member of the Council or of the State Board of Education, nor any member of his or her immediate family, shall receive honoraria exceed…

(a) Except as provided in § 1-1162.28, a person shall register with the Director of Government Ethics pursuant to § 1-1162.29 and pay the required registration fee if the person receives compensation or expends funds in an amount of $250 or more in any 3-consecutive-calendar-mont…

(a) A person need not register with the Director pursuant to § 1-1162.29 if the person is: (1) A public official, or an employee of the United States acting in his or her official capacity; (2) A publisher or working member of the press, radio, or television who, in the ordinary …

(a) Each registrant shall file a registration form with the Director of Government Ethics, signed under oath, on or before January 15th of each year, or no later than 15 days after becoming a lobbyist (and on or before January 15th of each year thereafter). If the registrant is n…

(a) Each registrant shall file with the Director of Government Ethics between the 1st and 10th day of July and January of each year a report signed under oath concerning the registrant’s lobbying activities during the previous 6-month period. If the registrant is not an individua…

(a) No registrant or anyone acting on behalf of a registrant shall offer, give, or cause to be given a gift or service to an official in the legislative or executive branch or a member of his or her staff that exceeds $100 in value in the aggregate in any calendar year. This sect…

(a) Notwithstanding § 1-1162.21 and except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, any person who willfully and knowingly violates any of the provisions of this part shall be fined not more than $5,000, or imprisoned for not more than 12 months, or both. (b) In addition to…

This subchapter may be cited as the “Campaign Finance Act of 2011”.

(a) There is established within the Elections Board the Office of Campaign Finance, which shall be headed by the Director of Campaign Finance. The Elections Board shall appoint the Director of Campaign Finance, who shall serve at the pleasure of the Elections Board. The Director …

(a)(1) The Director of Campaign Finance, under regulations of general applicability approved by the Elections Board, shall have the power: (A) To require any person to submit in writing reports and answers to questions as the Director of Campaign Finance may prescribe relating to…

The Director of Campaign Finance shall: (1) Develop and furnish prescribed forms, materials, and electronic formats or mediums, including electronic or digital signatures, for the making of the reports and statements required to be filed with him or her pursuant to this subchapte…

On or after April 27, 2012, the District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics established under subchapter I of Chapter 10 of this title 1 [§ 1-1001.01 et seq.]. shall be known as the District of Columbia Board of Elections and shall have the powers, duties, and functions as…

(a) Upon application made by any individual holding public office, any candidate, any person required to submit filings to the Elections Board under this subchapter, any person who reasonably anticipates being required to submit filings to the Elections Board under this subchapte…

Political committees, political action committees, and independent expenditure committees shall be subject to the following requirements: (1) Each committee shall file with the Director of Campaign Finance a statement of organization within 10 days after its organization. The sta…

(a) Each committee and each candidate accepting contributions or making expenditures, shall designate in the registration statement required under § 1-1163.07 or § 1-1163.12, one or more national banks located in the District of Columbia as the depository or depositories of that …

(a) The following individuals shall file with the Director of Campaign Finance, and with the principal campaign committee, if applicable, reports of receipts and expenditures on forms to be prescribed or approved by the Director of Campaign Finance: (1) The treasurer of each poli…

(a) Each candidate for office shall designate in writing one political committee as his or her principal campaign committee. The principal campaign committee shall receive all reports made by any other political committee accepting contributions or making expenditures for the pur…

Within the limitations specified in this chapter, any surplus, residual, or unexpended campaign funds received by or on behalf of an individual who seeks nomination for election, or election to office, shall be: (1) Contributed to a political party for political purposes; (2) Use…

In addition to the statement of organization set forth in § 1-1163.07, each political committee, political action committee, and independent expenditure committee shall also file the following information with the Director of Campaign Finance within 10 days after the political co…

(a) Each individual shall, within 5 days of becoming a candidate, or within 5 days of the day on which he or she, or any person authorized by him or her to do so, has received a contribution or made an expenditure in connection with his or her campaign or for the purposes of prep…

(a)(1) Every political action committee and every independent expenditure committee shall certify, in each report filed with the Director of Campaign Finance, that the contributions it has received and the expenditures it has made have not been controlled or directed by any publi…

Except for the provisions of § 1-1163.12(a), the provisions of this part shall not apply to any candidate who anticipates spending or spends less than $500 in any one election and who has not designated a principal campaign committee. On the 15th day before the date of the electi…

(a) All newspaper or magazine advertising, posters, circulars, billboards, handbills, bumper stickers, sample ballots, initiative, referendum, or recall petitions, and other printed matter with reference to or intended for the support or defeat of a candidate or group of candidat…