All State Employees must comply with the
Code of Ethics.

To assist DOIT employees in understanding the Code, and how it impacts our daily efforts, we will be posting information on this site and updating it periodically. In addition, you should review it at: Code of Ethics. Office of State Ethics opinions explaining the impact of the Code can be seen at: Advisory Opinions.

Select here for an easy-to-understand explanation of the Code available in PDF

Select here to access the OSE PDF for DOIT contractors and vendors

If you have questions, please contact one of the following for assistance in determining whether an anticipated action or activity is permissible under the Code:

Issues discussed at the
Ethics Training Session September 7, 2006

Several issues were discussed at a training session held in September.  Cynthia Isales, Assistant General Counsel at OSE, and Meredith Trimble, Director of Education, provided an overview of the Code and applied it to certain situations we will all find familiar. The following scenarios illustrate the impact of the code. If you have further questions, please contact Rick Bailey or Michael Krochmalny.

Examples of Possible Situations

"The Government Rate"

"The Webinar"

“The Government Rate”

Scenario #1: Jack is a TA3 at DOIT. He has received authorization to attend a networking workshop in Chicago. He calls the Hilton, where the program is being held, and speaks to the Hilton operator. He asks for “the government rate” and is told that it is 20 per cent off the regular rate of $200, or $160.00 per night for the four nights of the workshop. He books the room at this rate.

Question: Is this a violation of the Connecticut Ethics Law?

Answer: No. The reduced rate is a gift, but it is being provided by a non-regulated entity (Hilton Hotels) and is not prohibited by the statutes.

Scenario #2: Jack is a TA3 at DOIT. He has received authorization to attend a networking workshop in Chicago. He receives a call from Cistern, a vendor doing business with the State. The Cistern rep tells Jack that he wants to make sure that Connecticut can be at the session and is able to offer Jack one of the sponsor rooms at the Hilton, where the program is being held. The “sponsor rate” is 20 per cent off the regular rate of $200, or $160.00 per night for the four nights of the workshop. Jack accepts the room at this rate.

Question: Is this a violation of the Connecticut Ethics Law?

Answer: Yes. The reduced rate is a gift provided by a regulated entity (Cistern) and is prohibited by the statutes.

"The Webinar"

Scenario #3: Jill is an SD4 at DOIT. She receives an e-mail from systems development provider VolksHart inviting her to a webinar on using their tools. The e-mail is sent to her because she has visited their website and signed up for information. The website is public and the webinars are provided to any interested party, irrespective of affiliation. She accepts the invitation and participates in the webinar.

Question: Is this a violation of the Connecticut Ethics Law?

Answer: No. The free webinar is a rebate, discount, or promotional item available to the general public.

Scenario #4: Jill is an SD4 at DOIT. She receives an e-mail from systems development provider VolksHart inviting her to a webinar on using their tools. The e-mail is sent to her because she has visited their website and signed up for information. The webinar is being provided only to governmental employees because VolksHart is attempting to garner a larger percentage of the governmental market. She accepts the invitation and participates in the webinar.

Question: Is this a violation of the Connecticut Ethics Law?

Answer: Yes. The free webinar is not available to the general public.