A coalition of American legislators led by senator Elizabeth Warren has introduced a new bill for ethical reform on special government employees (SGEs) such as Elon Musk and Crypto adviser David Sacks from the White House.
The proposal, entitled the Special Government Employee Ethics Enforcement and Reform (Seer) ActTries to apply stricter transparency and accountability standards to persons who serve in advisory roles while retaining the tires of the private sector.
SGES are part -time federal employees who can serve a maximum of 130 days a year. In contrast to full -time officials, they are not always obliged to disclose their financial interests, unless they exceed a specific wage figure.
This structure has expressed concern about conflicts of interest, especially in cases involving controversial figures such as Elon Musk, which serves in advisory capacities and at the same time leadership roles in private companies with federal contracts.
Senator Warren argued that individuals such as Musk, who benefit from large government deals, should not be allowed to operate in such ethical gray zones. According to her, Musk earns millions of government contracts, but avoids the disclosure requirements that are expected of high officials.
The Seer Act has received support from a broad coalition of advocacy and watchdog groups. These include public citizens, citizens for responsibility and ethics in Washington (crew), the On Government Oversight (POGO), State Democracy Defenders, Campaign Legal Center, the American Federation of Government Employees (Agedeuese).
Seer’s most important provisions
The Seer Act would expand existing ethical rules to cover SGES from the age of 61’s day at the office. After 130 days, SGES would be forbidden to receive external compensation with regard to their non-governmental roles.
The bill also introduces stricter rules for conflict of interests. SGES that lead companies with federal contracts or monopolistic power would be excluded from dealing with agencies that regulate or contract with those companies.
In the meantime, the legislation requires that the Office of Government Ethics approve all free position of the conflict of interests for SGGES to increase public supervision. It also mandatory public access to these exemptions and financial disclosures.
Moreover, the Office of Persnel Management would create a public database with all SGES, including the number of days served and the reason for their classification.
If adopted, De Seer Act would increase the ethical bar for part -time government advisers and limit the influence of managers on shaping the federal policy behind closed doors.