Potential Improvements to the OGE Form 278e (Executive Branch Personnel Public Financial Disclosure Report) and the OGE Form 450 (Executive Branch Confidential Financial Disclosure Report)

Issuing agencies

Abstract

The U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) is hosting a public meeting to obtain input from interested parties regarding potential improvements to the OGE Form 278e and the OGE Form 450 as part of a form revision planning process that will precede the next requested renewal of these forms under the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. The next scheduled renewal is in 2027.

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 214 (Friday, November 6, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 214 (Friday, November 6, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70087-70088]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-22659]


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OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS


Potential Improvements to the OGE Form 278e (Executive Branch 
Personnel Public Financial Disclosure Report) and the OGE Form 450 
(Executive Branch Confidential Financial Disclosure Report)

AGENCY: Office of Government Ethics (OGE).

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) is hosting a public 
meeting to obtain input from interested parties regarding potential 
improvements to the OGE Form 278e and the OGE Form 450 as part of a 
form revision planning process that will precede the next requested 
renewal of these forms under the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 
3501 et seq. The next scheduled renewal is in 2027.

DATE: 
    Public Meeting Date: The public meeting will be held virtually via 
Microsoft Teams on December 10, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., 
Eastern time.
    Registration: By close of business on December 3, 2026.
    Written Comment Period Dates: For written comments to be discussed 
at the meeting, they must be received by December 3, 2026.
    Information on how to register for this meeting and to submit a 
written comment may be found in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section 
of this notice.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held via TEAMS Meetings.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jody Keegan or Jack MacDonald; Program 
Analyst, Ethics Law and Disclosure Division, Office of Government 
Ethics, 250 E Street SW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20024-3249; 
Telephone: (202) 482-9300; TTY: (800) 877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On September 10, 2026, OGE held a listening 
session to seek agency input on issues specifically related to 
potential language and formatting changes to the OGE Form 278e and the 
OGE Form 450. OGE is now inviting all interested members of the public 
to share ideas, provide information, and express concerns about 
potential changes to the forms. This meeting will allow stakeholders 
and members of the public to both hear and respond to the concerns of 
other participants and for OGE to further develop its understanding of 
the views of various stakeholders. The goal of this meeting is for OGE 
to receive input regarding possible changes to the forms rather than 
come to a consensus about what changes to make.
    Commenters may make any suggestions that they believe will improve 
the OGE Form 278e or the OGE Form 450. However, the public financial 
disclosure requirements are dictated by the Ethics in Government Act 
(EIGA), 5 U.S.C. 13101 et seq., and 5 CFR part 2634 of the OGE 
regulations. OGE will be unable to consider any suggested change that 
would require a statutory or regulatory change as part of this form 
revision cycle. Additionally, when considering suggested changes, OGE 
will consider any potential cost burden, particularly if the change 
will require reprogramming of agency or Government-wide electronic 
filing systems. Generally, text changes within the instructions impose 
substantially fewer costs than changes to the look or order of the data 
entry grids. Commenters should consider and explain how the changes 
they are proposing provide concrete benefits, such as easier 
identification of potential conflicts of interest or ease of use of the 
forms.
    To facilitate discussion at the public meeting, OGE welcomes input 
on issues related to suggested changes to the OGE Form 278e and the OGE 
Form 450 including, but not limited to, the following topics on which 
OGE has previously received comments:

Potential Areas for Comment on the OGE Form 278e

1. General Information Fields

    The OGE Form 278e includes certain general information fields on 
the first page, such as the filer's name and position. These fields are 
not specifically authorized in the controlling statutory and regulatory 
authorities but are deemed permissible because they are necessary to 
provide an adequate understanding and processing of the form and do not 
impose any undue privacy or data entry burdens on filers.
(a) Filing Extensions, Late Fee Waivers and Payments
    OGE received a suggestion for providing multiple spaces on the 
cover of the form in which the agency can document filing extensions, 
late filing fee waivers, and late filing fee payments. OGE is 
interested in views on whether such additions would be useful. Feedback 
that OGE has received indicates that adding such fields for agencies to 
complete can benefit the agencies themselves and does not contribute to 
the public burden from completing the forms.

2. Excepted Investment Fund (EIF) Field

    OGE is considering changing the EIF field. The EIF field currently 
contains three choices: Yes (the item is an asset with underlying 
portfolio holdings but the item qualifies as an excepted investment 
fund); No (the item is an asset with underlying portfolio holdings and 
the asset does not qualify as an excepted investment fund); and N/A 
(the item is a source of non-investment income or the item is an asset 
without underlying portfolio assets). OGE is considering providing a 
two-step process that first inquires whether the asset has underlying 
holdings and second, if it does, whether it qualifies as an EIF. OGE is 
interested in ideas and views on how the EIF two-step process should 
appear on the form such that it will provide clarity to filers, agency 
reviewers, and the general public. Alternatively, OGE is considering 
changing to a simple Yes or No field. OGE is interested in whether this 
would reduce the accuracy of the reporting and reduce the information 
available to the public.

3. Definitions

    OGE has received comments requesting clarification to the 
instructions and expansion of the list of terms to include, but are not 
limited to, honorarium, personal residence, relative, asset valuation, 
purchase, sale, exchange, and security. OGE is interested in views on 
specific text suggestions outside of those provided and as currently 
stated in the Public Financial Disclosure Guide. OGE seeks comments on 
whether the instructions to any part of the form should include 
additional definitions of key terms and

[[Page 70088]]

whether there are specific terms that need further definition.

4. Instructions

    OGE has received comments requesting that OGE clarify the 
instructions and make them consistent with the statutory and regulatory 
reporting exclusions, and exceptions in the Public Financial Disclosure 
Guide (the ``guide''), specifically as it relates to the use of 
``description'' in each part, permitted asset valuation, retention or 
disposition of employer-awarded equity, sharing in profits, and carried 
interests (e.g., vested or unvested stock options, restricted stock, 
future sale of a company's profits). OGE is interested in views on 
specific text suggestions in the forms and seeks comments on whether 
the instructions to any part of the form should include additional 
reporting concepts and/or key terms. OGE is considering expanding the 
current instructions for each part of the report and providing helpful 
hyperlinks to the guide.

5. Examples

    OGE is considering adding a list of examples to the OGE Form 278e 
applicable to each section, similar to the OGE Form 450 examples. OGE 
is interested in views on whether there are specific topic areas for 
which an example would be particularly useful.

Potential Areas for Comment on the OGE Form 450

1. Definitions and Examples

    The last page of the OGE Form 450 includes examples for each Part. 
OGE seeks comments on whether any of these examples should be revised 
or removed, what new examples would be of value for the typical filer, 
and whether any new definitions should be added to the instructions.

2. Asset Ownership Identification

    OGE has received comments requesting the addition of a column 
reflecting asset ownership. OGE is considering adding this column to 
the report and seeks comment on whether inclusion of this optional 
information in the form would provide any added benefit or clarity.

3. Asset Valuation Threshold Identification

    OGE has received comments requesting the addition of a column 
reflecting asset valuation threshold identification. OGE is considering 
adding a question with a ``Yes'' or ``No'' response to whether an asset 
is above the relevant regulatory de minimis level to ease time spent by 
agency reviewers reaching back to filers. OGE seeks comments on whether 
inclusion of this optional information in the form would provide any 
added benefit or clarity.

4. Redesign of the Form

    OGE has received comments and suggestions requesting that OGE 
include more and/or clarify certain definitions and examples that 
appear on the hard-copy PDF and Excel versions. OGE is considering re-
designing the form by removing the instructions, examples, and 
definitions from the top of each Part, and instead creating new 
instructions, definitions, and examples pages at the beginning of the 
form, similar to how the current OGE Form 278e is structured. OGE is 
also considering providing hyper-links to a new user-friendly HTML 
version of the OGE Form 450 Reviewers Guide to make preparation and 
review of the form easier for the filers and agency reviewers.
(a) Addition of an EIF Column
    OGE has received comments and requests to provide EIF information 
on the form, which would clarify whether an asset itself is an EIF or 
holds underlying assets that are EIFs. OGE seeks comments on whether 
inclusion of an optional EIF column/field would provide any added 
benefit or clarity.
    Registration: Individuals wishing to attend the public meeting must 
register at <a href="https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/6e6ab2cf-348e-4d4d-bc92-316cb46fdbad@c0abca44-0182-40a9-8010-01ec94254f77?source=copyLinkLegacyShareLinkDialog">https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/6e6ab2cf-348e-4d4d-bc92-316cb46fdbad@c0abca44-0182-40a9-8010-01ec94254f77?source=copyLinkLegacyShareLinkDialog</a>.
    Meeting information will be provided at the time of registration.
    Written Comments: You may submit comments in writing to OGE by use 
of the following methods:
    Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d99fb6abb4aa99969e9cf7beb6af"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="662009140b152629212348010910">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>. Include ``OGE PRA Form 278e and OGE Form 450 
Review'' in the subject line. Mail: Office of Government Ethics, 250 E 
Street SW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20024-3249, Attention: ``OGE PRA 
Form 278e and OGE Form 450 Review.''
    Instructions: Comments may be posted on OGE's website, <a href="https://www.oge.gov">https://www.oge.gov</a>. Sensitive personal information, such as account numbers or 
Social Security numbers, should not be included. Comments generally 
will not be edited to remove any identifying or contact information.
    Authority: Ethics in Government Act (EIGA), 5 U.S.C. 13122.

    Approved: November 3, 2026.
Keith Sonderling,
Acting Director, U.S. Office of Government Ethics.
[FR Doc. 2026-22659 Filed 11-5-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6345-04-P


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