Revolving Door

With the end of the Biden Administration, the start of the Trump 2.0 Administration, and a change of power in the U.S. House, the steady churn of high-skill professionals moving in and out of government positions has reached an all-time high. Indeed, beyond the typical cadre of newly unemployed political…

Continue Reading Don’t Get Stuck in the Revolving Door: A Primer on Federal Post-Government Employment Restrictions

With a growing chorus of support across the progressive landscape, the For the People Act of 2021 has emerged as a key legislative priority for congressional Democrats in the 117th Congress.  Envisioned as a “transformational anti-corruption and clean elections reform package,” the bill would enact sweeping changes to federal election…
Continue Reading Understanding H.R. 1 (Part 4): Conflict-of-Interest and Revolving-Door Issues

The ethics rules that apply to Presidential appointees shifted Wednesday, in some ways significantly, as President Biden, just hours after being sworn in, signed an “Executive Order on Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel” and President Trump, just hours before his term expired, revoked his Executive Order on …
Continue Reading Covington Publishes Comprehensive Advisory Comparing Biden and Trump Executive Orders on Ethics

Buried in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is an obscure, and quite significant, change to the post-employment restriction on U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) civilian and uniformed personnel. This new provision could have a substantial impact on defense contractors and others who recruit DoD personnel to work on…
Continue Reading Revisions to the Department of Defense “Revolving Door” Rules

Earlier this month, newly-installed Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens issued Executive Order 2, applying strict ethics rules to executive branch employees in that state.  The order includes a ban on gifts from lobbyists, conflicts of interest rules, and a “revolving door” provision that prohibits employees who leave Greitens’ office from…
Continue Reading New Executive Order on Ethics in Missouri Includes Lobbyist Gift Ban, Revolving-Door Provision; Legislature Considering Additional Restrictions

Companies are increasingly hiring out of the federal workforce, only to find that their new hires are restricted by “revolving door” rules that prohibit their participation in certain matters – sometimes for a limited time, sometimes permanently. New rules issued recently by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (“OGE”) serve…
Continue Reading OGE Updates Rules Governing Recruiting of Federal Employees to Private Sector Jobs

On October 15, Pennsylvania’s legislature sent House Bill 201 to Governor Tom Corbett for signature.  The legislation would prohibit a government employee from evaluating bids for state contracts submitted by his or her former employer for two years.

This legislation is interesting for a few reasons.  First, it is a…
Continue Reading New, Strict “Reverse” Revolving Door Restrictions in Pennsylvania?

The Alabama Senate unanimously passed a bill to close Alabama’s revolving door last week.  The legislation bars a legislator from lobbying either chamber of the Alabama legislature for two years.  This bill closes a loophole in Alabama’s current statute, which only prohibits a former legislator from lobbying the…
Continue Reading Is Alabama’s Revolving Door Closing?