Employees of the Department are expected to maintain especially high standards of honesty, integrity, impartiality, and conduct to ensure the proper performance of Government business and the continual trust and confidence of citizens in their Government. Employees are expected to comply with all Federal statutes, Executive Orders, Office of Government Ethics and Office of Personnel Management regulations, and Departmental regulations. The conduct of employees should reflect the qualities of courtesy, consideration, loyalty to the United States, a deep sense of responsibility for the public trust, promptness in dealing with and serving the public, and a standard of personal behavior which will be a credit to the individual and the Department. These principles apply to official conduct and to private conduct which affects in any way the ability of the employee or the Department to effectively accomplish the work of the Department.

Employees are required to carry out the announced policies and programs of the Department and to obey proper requests and directions or supervisors. While policies related to one's work are under consideration employees may, and are expected to, express their professional opinions and points of view. Once a decision has been rendered by those in authority, each employee is expected to comply with the decision and work to ensure the success of programs or issues affected by the decision. An employee is subject to appropriate disciplinary action, including removal, if he or she fails to:

(a) Comply with any lawful regulations, orders, or policies; or

(b) Obey the proper requests of supervisors having responsibility for his or her performance.

Employes shall not engage in any conduct or activity which is in excess of his or her authority, or is otherwise contrary to any law or announced Departmental policy.

Employees and other persons are prohibited from selling or soliciting for personal gain within any building or on any lands occupied or used by the Department. Exception is granted for Department-authorized operations, including, but not limited to, the Interior Department Recreation Association, the Indian Arts and Crafts store, and for cafeteria, newsstand, snack bar and vending machine operations which are authorized by the Department of the benefit of employees or the public.

An employee who habitually uses intoxicants to excess may be subject to removal (5 U.S.C. 7352).

(a) Unless expressly authorized by Congress, employees are prohibited from using any part of the money appropriated by any enactment of Congress to pay for any personal service, advertisement, telegram, telephone, letter, printed or written matter, or other device, intended or designed to influence in any manner a Member of Congress, to favor or oppose, by vote or otherwise, any legislation or appropriation by Congress, whether before or after the introduction of any bill or resolution proposing such legislation or appropriation; this prohibition does not prevent any employee from communicating to Members of Congress on the request of any Member or through proper official channels, requests for legislation or appropriations which they deem necessary for the efficient conduct of the public business (18 U.S.C. 1913).

(b) When acting in their official capacity, employees are required to refrain from promoting or opposing legislation relating to programs of the Department without the official sanction of the property Departmental authority.

(c) The rights of employees, individually or collectively, to otherwise petition Congress, or to a Committee or Member thereof, shall not be interfered with or denied (5 U.S.C. 7211).

An employee may not advocate the violent overthrow of our constitutional form of government nor may an employee be a member of an organization that he or she knows advocates the violent overthrow of our constitutional form of government (5 U.S.C. 7311).

An employee is prohibited from charging fees for performance of any notarial act for any employee of the Federal Government who is acting in his or her official capacity, or for any person during the hours of such notary's service to the Government (E.O. 977, Nov. 24, 1908).

(a) An employee is prohibited from using any official envelope, label, or indorsement authorized by law, to avoid the payment of postage or registry fee on his or her private letter, packet, package, or other matter in the mail (18 U.S.C. 1719).

(b) Official Government envelopes and official letterhead stationery are Government property that may only be used for authorized purposes. Employees' use of Government envelopes to mail their own personal job applications is not authorized.

An employees shall not, in any matter within the jurisdiction of any department or agency of the United States, knowingly or willfully falsify, conceal or cover up by any trick, scheme, or device a material fact, or make any false, fictitious, fraudulent statements or representations, or make or use any false writing or document knowing the same to contain any false, fictitious or fraudulent statement or entry (18 U.S.C. 1001). Special attention is required in the certification of time and attendance reports, applications for employment, request for travel reimbursement, and purchase orders and receiving forms.

Employees, except those specifically designated to perform enforcement, police or other official duties requiring the use of firearms, are prohibited from carrying or having in their possession firearms on property under the control of the Secretary. Employees who are officially stationed in parks, refuges, Indian reservations, other Tribal lands or other wilderness areas which are known to be inhabited by wild animals, are permitted, when on those lands, to carry and use firearms for personal protection as permitted by existing policy or as authorized by the park, refuge or area supervisor. Notwithstanding this paragraph, employees who are not on official duty may carry firearms on Departmental lands under the same conditions and in accordance with procedures and authorizations established for members of the general public.

Employees are prohibited from striking against the Government of the United States (5 U.S.C. 7311). Additional information regarding affiliation with employee organizations is found in the Department Manual, Part 370, Chapter 711, Labor Management Relations.