§ 2304 — Conflict Of Interest Standards For Consultants

(a) The Administrator shall prescribe under this division Government-wide regulations that set forth— (1) conflict of interest standards for persons who provide consulting services described in subsection (b); and (2) procedures, including registration, certification, and enforcement requirements as may be appropriate, to promote compliance with the standards. (b) Regulations required by subsection (a) apply to— (1) advisory and assistance services provided to the Federal Government to the extent necessary to identify and evaluate the potential for conflicts of interest that could be prejudicial to the interests of the United States; (2) services related to support of the preparation or submission of bids and proposals for Federal contracts to the extent that inclusion of the services in the regulations is necessary to identify and evaluate the potential for conflicts of interest that could be prejudicial to the interests of the United States; and (3) other services related to Federal contracts as specified in the regulations prescribed under subsection (a) to the extent necessary to identify and evaluate the potential for conflicts of interest that could be prejudicial to the interests of the United States. (1) Intelligence activities as defined in section 3.4(e) of Executive Order No. 12333 or a comparable definitional section in any successor order may be exempt from the regulations required by subsection (a). (2) The Director of National Intelligence shall report to the Intelligence and Appropriations Committees of Congress each January 1, delineating the activities and organizations that have been exempted under paragraph (1). (d) Before the regulations required by subsection (a) are prescribed, the President shall determine if prescribing the regulations will have a significantly adverse effect on the accomplishment of the mission of the Defense Department or another Federal agency. If the President determines that the regulations will have such an adverse effect, the President shall so report to the appropriate committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives, stating in full the reasons for the determination. If such a report is submitted, the requirement for the regulations shall be null and void.