Chiefs of Staff have identified the following areas as the trickiest places to negotiate. These areas should be addressed in your written office policy:

1. Inappropriate behavior. Though rare, Members of Congress sometimes exercise poor judgment involving friends, money, and relationships. Staff walk a fine line when questioning a Member’s behavior, but those questions must be raised. Staff not only have ethical responsibilities to the Member; their oath is to the Congress, constituents, and the public.
2. Balancing official duties with campaign/political work. Congress is a political environment and the political and official interests of an office will overlap. How much these activities can overlap before your behavior is deemed unethical is a gray area that you need to manage carefully.
3. Meals and travel. It may appear that the rules give you all the protection you need by spelling out exactly what you can accept and from whom. But the more you read, the more confused you may get. Meals, receptions, and travel have long been considered staples of political life, but these old standbys offer plenty of opportunities for missteps.
4. Handling family members and campaign contributors. Any action involving the Member’s family or campaign contributors is inherently questionable. Both the Member and staff must be careful that their actions are not seen as providing special access or preferential treatment. Some offices shield policy and casework staff from knowing who the Member’s contributors are, believing that ignorance is the best defense. Others want staff to be familiar with these names so staff can be assured their actions raise no questions of impropriety.
5. Constituent services. Assisting constituents with problems they are having with federal agencies is a routine part of your duties. How far you can go on their behalf before you begin to exercise “undue influence” is a grey area.

For additional information, see the page on "Guidelines for Managing Ethics in Congressional Offices," the ethics chapter in Setting Course, and/or contact us.