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HomeMy WebLinkAbout24-512 EckerdPHONE: 717-783-1610 TOLL FREE: 1-800-932-0936 To the Requester: Walter F. Eckerd, Jr. Dear Mr. Eckerd: STATE ETHICS COMMISSION FINANCE BUILDING 613 NORTH STREET, ROOM 309 HARRISBURG, PA 17120-0400 ADVICE OF COUNSEL March 11, 2024 FACSIMILE: 717-787-0806 WEBSITE: www.ethics.pa.gov 24-512 This responds to your letter received February 9, 2024, by which you requested an advisory from the Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission ("Commission"), seeking guidance as to the general issue presented below: Issue: Facts: Whether the Public Official and Employee Ethics Act ("Ethics Act"), 65 Pa.C.S. § 1101 et sec.., would impose restrictions upon you with regard to performing work for a consultant following termination of your employment as a Transportation Construction Manager 2 with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation ("PennDOT"). Brief Answer: YES. During the first year following termination of your employment with PennDOT, Section 1103(g) of the Ethics Act would apply and restrict you from engaging in any activity that would involve "representation" of a "person" including but not limited to a consultant before your "former governmental body," PennDOT. You request an advisory from the Commission based upon submitted facts that may be fairly summarized as follows. On March 31, 2023, you retired from your employment as a Transportation Construction Manager 2 with PennDOT in the Construction Unit of Engineering District 8-0. In your position with PennDOT, you were responsible for managing roadway and structure construction projects in Lancaster County, Lebanon County, and Dauphin County. You directed and supervised construction inspectors, supervisors, and consultant inspection staff who reviewed and documented contractor operations and made progress payments. You were responsible for Eckerd,24-512 March 11, 2024 Page 2 interpreting contract and specification language, approving estimate payments, and work order adjustments. You also participated in the process for selecting consultant firms for obtaining supplemental inspection and management services. You seek guidance as to whether the Ethics Act would impose prohibitions or restrictions upon you with regard to performing work for a consultant on its contracts with the Pennsylvania Department of General Services, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, or local municipalities. You also seek guidance as to whether the Ethics Act would impose prohibitions or restrictions upon you with regard to providing construction inspection services for an engineering construction firm ("the Firm") on a local construction project, Enola Low Grade Trail East, in Quarryville, Pennsylvania. Although the project will be administered through PennDOT's ECMS system, the project is governed by an agreement between Bart Township and the prime consultant. The Firm will be a sub -consultant to the prime consultant for the project. PennDOT employees would not be on the project construction site, and you would not interact with PennDOT employees as part of your work for the Firm. Discussion: It is initially noted that pursuant to Sections 1107(10) and 1107(11) of the Ethics Act, 65 Pa.C.S. §§ 1107(10), (11), advisories are issued to the requester based upon the facts that the requester has submitted. In issuing the advisory based upon the facts that the requester has submitted, the Commission does not engage in an independent investigation of the facts, nor does it speculate as to facts that have not been submitted. It is the burden of the requester to truthfully disclose all of the material facts relevant to the inquiry. 65 Pa.C.S. §§ 1107(10), (11). An advisory only affords a defense to the extent the requester has truthfully disclosed all of the material facts. During your employment as a Transportation Construction Manager 2 with PennDOT, you were considered a "public employee" subject to the Ethics Act and the Regulations of the State Ethics Commission. See, 65 Pa.C.S. § 1102; 51 Pa. Code § 11.1; Gilson, Advice 19-515. Consequently, upon termination of your employment with PennDOT, you became a "former public employee" subject to Section 1103(g) of the Ethics Act. While Section 1103(g) does not prohibit a former public official/public employee from accepting a position of employment, it does restrict the former public official/public employee with regard to "representing" a "person" before "the governmental body with which he has been associated": § 1103. Restricted activities (g) Former official or employee. --No former public official or public employee shall represent a person, with promised or actual compensation, on any matter before the governmental body with which he has been associated for one year after he leaves that body. 65 Pa.C.S. § 1103(g) (Emphasis added). Eckerd,24-512 March 11, 2024 Page 3 The terms "represent," "person," and "governmental body with which a public official or public employee is or has been associated" are specifically defined in the Ethics Act as follows: § 1102. Definitions "Represent." To act on behalf of any other person in any activity which includes, but is not limited to, the following: personal appearances, negotiations, lobbying and submitting bid or contract proposals which are signed by or contain the name of a former public official or public employee. "Person." A business, governmental body, individual, corporation, union, association, firm, partnership, committee, club or other organization or group of persons. "Governmental body with which a public official or public employee is or has been associated." The governmental body within State government or a political subdivision by which the public official or employee is or has been employed or to which the public official or employee is or has been appointed or elected and subdivisions and offices within that governmental body. 65 Pa.C.S. § 1102. The term "person" is very broadly defined. It includes, inter alia, corporations and other businesses. It also includes the former public official/public employee himself, Confidential Opinion, 93-005, as well as a new governmental employer. Ledebur, Opinion 95-007. The term "represent" is also broadly defined to prohibit acting on behalf of any person in aM activity. Examples of prohibited representation include: (1) personal appearances before the former governmental body or bodies; (2) attempts to influence; (3) submission of bid or contract proposals which are signed by or contain the name of the former public official/public employee; (4) participating in any matters before the former governmental body as to acting on behalf of a person; and (5) lobbying. Popovich, Opinion 89-005. Listing one's name as the person who will provide technical assistance on a proposal, document, or bid, if submitted to or reviewed by the former governmental body, constitutes an attempt to influence the former governmental body. Section 1103(g) also generally prohibits the inclusion of the name of a former public official/public employee on invoices submitted by his new employer to the former governmental body, even if the invoices pertain to a contract that existed prior to termination of service with such governmental body. Shay, Opinion 91-012. However, if such a pre-existing contract does not involve the unit where a former public employee worked, the name of the former public employee may appear on routine invoices if required by the regulations of the agency to which the billing is being submitted. Abrams/Webster, Opinion 95-011. Eckerd,24-512 March 11, 2024 Page 4 A former public official/public employee may assist in the preparation of any documents presented to his former governmental body. However, the former public official/public employee may not be identified on documents submitted to the former governmental body. The former public official/public employee may also counsel any person regarding that person's appearance before his former governmental body. Once again, however, the activity in this respect should not be revealed to the former governmental body. The Ethics Act would not prohibit or preclude making general informational inquiries to the former governmental body to secure information which is available to the general public, but this must not be done in an effort to indirectly influence the former governmental body or to otherwise make known to that body the representation of, or work for, the new employer. Section 1103(g) only restricts the former public official/public employee with regard to representation before his former governmental body. The former public official/public employee is not restricted as to representation before other agencies or entities. However, the "governmental body with which a public official/public employee is or has been associated" is not limited to the particular subdivision of the agency or other governmental body where the public official/public employee had influence or control but extends to the entire body. See, Legislative Journal of House, 1989 Session, No. 15 at 290, 291; Sirolli, Opinion 90-006; ShaM, Opinion 90-009-R. The governmental body with which you are deemed to have been associated upon termination of your employment with PennDOT is PennDOT in its entirety, including but not limited to Engineering District 8-0. Therefore, for the first year following termination of your employment with PennDOT, Section 1103(g) of the Ethics Act would apply and restrict "representation" of a "person" before PennDOT. You are advised that Section 1103(g) of the Ethics Act would not prohibit you from accepting employment with a consultant that has contracts with the Pennsylvania Department of General Services, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, or local municipalities. However, during the first year following termination of your employment with PennDOT, Section 1103(g) of the Ethics Act would prohibit you from performing any job duties for a consultant that would involve prohibited representation of the consultant before PennDOT as delineated above. Section 1103(g) would not prohibit you from performing construction inspection services on the Enola Low Grade Trail East project for the Firm as long as in so doing, you would not engage in prohibited representation before PennDOT. Lastly, the propriety of the proposed conduct has only been addressed under the Ethics Act; the applicability of any other statute, code, ordinance, regulation or other code of conduct other than the Ethics Act has not been considered. Conclusion: During your employment as a Transportation Construction Manager 2 with PennDOT, you were considered a "public employee" subject to the Ethics Act and the Regulations of the State Ethics Commission. Upon termination of your employment with PennDOT, you became a "former public employee" subject to Section 1103(g) of the Ethics Act. Your former governmental body is PennDOT in its entirety, including but not limited to Engineering District 8-0. For the first year following termination of your employment with PennDOT, Section 1103(g) of the Ethics Act Eckerd,24-512 March 11, 2024 Page 5 would apply and restrict "representation" of a "person" before PennDOT. The restrictions as to representation outlined above must be followed. Pursuant to Section 1107(11) of the Ethics Act, an Advice is a complete defense in any enforcement proceeding initiated by the Commission, and evidence of good faith conduct in any other civil or criminal proceeding, provided the requester has disclosed truthfully all the material facts and committed the acts complained of in reliance on the Advice given. This letter is a public record and will be made available as such. Finally, if you disagree with this Advice or if you have any reason to challenge same, you may appeal the Advice to the full Commission. A personal appearance before the Commission will be scheduled and a formal Opinion will be issued by the Commission. Any such appeal must be in writing and must be actually received at the Commission within thirty (30) days of the date of this Advice pursuant to 51 Pa. Code § 13.2(h). The appeal may be received at the Commission by hand delivery, United States mail, delivery service, or by FAX transmission (717-787-0806). Failure to file such an appeal at the Commission within thirty (30) days may result in the dismissal of the appeal. Respectfully, Bridget K. Guilfoyle Chief Counsel