Federal · Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure

18 U.S.C. § 442: Government Publishing Office

Misdemeanor

What this law says, in plain English

Federal law prohibits the Director and Deputy Director of the Government Publishing Office from holding printing-related financial interests during their tenure, with limited exceptions for diversified investment funds. Violation is punishable by fine and/or imprisonment up to one year.

Read the full statutory text
the terms “diversified”, “employee benefit plan”, “holdings”, “mutual fund”, and “unit investment trust” have the meanings given those terms under section 2640.102 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor thereto; and the publication of any newspaper or periodical; any printing, binding, engraving, or lithographing of any kind; or any contract for furnishing paper or other material connected with the public printing, binding, lithographing, or engraving. Except as provided in paragraph (2), the Director of the Government Publishing Office, Deputy Director of the Government Publishing Office, nor 1 any of their assistants as determined by the Director of the Government Publishing Office shall not, 1 So in original. 1 during his or her continuance in office, have any printing-related interest. It shall not be a violation of paragraph (1) for an individual who is described in such paragraph to have an interest in a diversified mutual fund, diversified unit investment trust, employee benefit plan, investment fund under the Thrift Savings Plan under subchapter III of chapter 84 of title 5, or pension plan established or maintained by a State government or any political subdivision of a State government for its employees that has 1 or more holdings that are printing-related interests if the fund, trust, or plan does not exhibit a practice of concentrating in printing-related interests. The supervising ethics office for the Government Publishing Office under the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) 2 shall have the authority to issue rules and promulgate regulations governing the implementation of this subsection. 2 See References in Text note below. Whoever violates subsection (b)(1) shall be fined under this title, imprisoned for not more than 1 year, or both.

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