Conflict of Interest & Ethics

The mission of the State Ethics Commission is to foster integrity in public service in state, county and local government, to promote the public's trust and confidence in that service, and to prevent conflicts between private interests and public duties.

Conflict of Interest Law

The conflict of interest law applies to state, county, municipal employees, and committee members. In addition, if you provide services to the state or to a county or municipal government, you may be subject to the conflict of interest law. The conflict of interest law addresses circumstances where public employees' private business, family or other interests conflict with their public responsibilities. The financial disclosure law requires elected state and county officials and state and county employees in "major policy-making positions" to annually disclose their private financial interests on forms submitted to the Commission.

Read the Summary of the Conflict of Interest Law for Municipal Employees. After you have read the summary please sign and return the receipt to Human Resources.

Mandatory Online State Ethics Test

Every two years, all current municipal employees and committee members must complete online training. New public employees and committee members must complete this training within 30 days of beginning public service, and every two years thereafter. Upon completing the program, employees should print out the completion certificate and keep a copy for themselves and are required to provide a copy of the completion certificate to the Human Resources Office.

Take the Mandatory Online State Ethics test.

If you have difficulty printing, hit the control (Ctrl) button on your keyboard and select print. You must allow pop-ups to open as the certificate will pop up in a new window.

Users Testing on a Shared Computer

When multiple users attempt to complete the current training program using the same computer they may experience a problem accessing the beginning of the program. The user will need to open their internet browser (ex. explorer, firefox, safari, google chrome), click on "Tools", then "Delete browsing history" or under "Internet Options", "Delete Cookies”. The user will be able to click back on the Online Training module on the Commission's website and start at the beginning. 

State Ethics Commission Website

The State Ethics Commission website has information regarding laws, regulations, and forms. There are educational and training Resources available for municipal employees, committee members, and volunteers. Advisory opinions, rulings, and the ability to request advice are also available on the website.