Teaching, Speaking, or Writing

The standards of conduct (5 CFR 2635.807) prohibit, with limited exceptions, employees from receiving compensation for outside teaching, speaking, or writing that relates to official duties. This includes activities where the subject matter deals in significant part with any matter currently assigned or was assigned to the employee during the previous year or any ongoing or announced NRC policy, program, or operation.

Example: An employee could receive a fee for delivering a lecture to a group of stamp collectors about some valuable stamps because the lecture does not relate to official duties. However, the employee could not lecture for a fee on the NRC regulations on plant licensing because it deals in significant part with agency programs and operations.

This restriction does not apply to teaching a regularly established course at an institution of higher learning, an elementary or secondary school, or a program sponsored and funded by the Federal, State, or local Government.

Example: An employee who is a professor at a university could continue to teach a regular course discussing NRC programs provided that the NRC information used is available to the public. (If the university has a license from the NRC, the NRC supplemental conduct regulations require that the employee obtain written approval prior to teaching this course.)

Page Last Reviewed/Updated Thursday, March 12, 2020