Repeal of Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the National Science Foundation and Rules of Practice for the Foundation

Résumé

The National Science Foundation is repealing most of its conflict-of-interest rules and standards of conduct regulations. This action is necessary, because they were largely superseded by the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch (Standards) issued by the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) and by the NSF's Supplemental Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the National Science Foundation (Supplemental Standards), issued by NSF, with OGE's concurrence. The NSF is also promulgating rules of practice, under authority independent of 5 CFR part 2635, which generally maintain and, in some instances, replace current NSF practices. In addition the NSF is temporarily retaining its regulatory waivers issued under 18 U.S.C. 208(b)(2).