plain-language-guide

This is a Guide for State officers and employees and special State officers and employees in the Executive Branch of New Jersey State Government. If you are one of these persons, you should read this Guide carefully. It explains the ethics rules and laws found in the New Jersey Conflicts of Interest Law (“Conflicts Law”), N.J.S.A. 52:13D-12 et seq., and in the rules of the State Ethics Commission ,N.J.A.C. 19:61-1.1 et seq. In addition to those laws and rules, you are also bound by the Uniform Ethics Code and any supplemental ethics code adopted by the agency for which you work. You are responsible for knowing the laws and rules described in this Guide, as well as the specific policies and procedures of your particular agency. As we in State government do our work, it is important that the public have the highest degree of confidence in our conduct. Our fellow employees depend on us to make lawful, ethical decisions. This Guide provides general information on the minimum ethical standards and does not have the force and effect of law. It does not replace any actual laws or rules, and it does not address every ethical restriction contained in the laws and rules it summarizes. It does not cover the requirements contained in your agency’s supplemental ethics code, to which you are also subject if your agency has adopted such a code. Ethical issues may also be addressed in procurement, personnel, and travel rules, as well as in open meetings, open records, and criminal laws. The statutes creating your agency may also contain ethical prohibitions. In addition, members of particular professions (such as lawyers and accountants) are subject to their own codes of professional responsibility