Rutgers Center for Government Compliance and Ethics Cited in National Report Calling for Government Agency Compliance Programs
For Immediate Release
CAMDEN -- A recent report issued by the Ethics Resource Center cites policy research and opinion developed by the Rutgers Center for Government Compliance and Ethics.
Titled “The Federal Sentencing Guidelines for Organizations at Twenty Years: A Call to Action for More Effective Promotion and Recognition of Effective Compliance and Ethics Programs,” the report offers recommendations to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, the private sector and the federal government regarding improved implementation of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines for Organizations (FSGO).
The Rutgers School of Law–Camden center, which advances the application of effective ethics principles to public governance, endorses the recommendation that agencies of the federal government “develop and implement their own compliance and ethics programs, applying the FSGOs standards. The President should use available authorities to direct all executive branch agencies to do so as well.” This position is underscored by the observation, grounded in the FSGO commentary, that the FSGO compliance and ethics standards apply to all organizations, including governments.
In noting the potential benefits of requiring federal agencies to adopt strong compliance and ethics programs, the ERC recommendation cited the work of the Rutgers Center for Government Compliance and Ethics for additional “background and guidance on government agency compliance and ethics programs.”
Rayman Solomon, dean of the Rutgers School of Law–Camden, commends the ERC recognition of the need for FSGO-style compliance and ethics programs for government entities, which is the key mission of the Rutgers Center for Government Compliance and Ethics. Solomon is the faculty advisor of the center, which was established at the Rutgers–Camden law school in 2010.
Emil Moschella, executive director of the Rutgers–Camden policy center, notes that “Recent high-profile government scandals within the U.S. Secret Service and the General Services Administration underscore the critical need for a new approach to these problems that eat away at the trust that the American people have in the organizations that govern them. A proactive compliance and ethics program within government agencies and entities is that new approach. As the Administration and the oversight committees of the House and Senate look about for solutions to these problems, a very obvious step in the right direction is to enforce the same standards on itself as the government expects to see in private side organizations.”
“The ERC report validates the significant work of the Rutgers Center for Government Compliance and Ethics, and underscores the necessity for such programs in government,” says Solomon, who further notes that the Rutgers–Camden center was created specifically to assist federal, state, and local governments in the implementation of such programs.
The Rutgers Center for Government Compliance and Ethics was launched in July 2010 to advance the application of effective ethics and compliance program principles as an element of public governance at the federal, state, and local levels in the United States and worldwide through a variety of activities including research, education, networking, and thought leadership. In large measure, the work of the Rutgers–Camden center has been to advocate for implementation of compliance and ethics program methodology in government organizations modeled on the FSGO and widely adopted by the private sector in order to prevent and detect illegal and unethical conduct.
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Media Contact: Mike Sepanic
(856) 225-6026
E-mail: msepanic@camden.rutgers.edu