Title 5

SECTION 734.406

734.406 Participation in political activities while on duty, in uniform, in any room or building occupied in the discharge of official duties, or using a Federal vehicle; prohibition.

§ 734.406 Participation in political activities while on duty, in uniform, in any room or building occupied in the discharge of official duties, or using a Federal vehicle; prohibition.

(a) An employee covered under this subpart may not participate in political activities:

(1) While he or she is on duty;

(2) While he or she is wearing a uniform, badge, or insignia that identifies the employing agency or instrumentality or the position of the employee;

(3) While he or she is in any room or building occupied in the discharge of official duties by an individual employed or holding office in the Government of the United States or any agency or instrumentality thereof; or

(4) While using a Government-owned or leased vehicle or while using a privately owned vehicle in the discharge of official duties.

Example 1:An employee who uses his or her privately owned vehicle on a recurrent basis for official business may place a bumper sticker on the vehicle, as long as he or she covers the bumper sticker while the vehicle is being used for official duties. Example 2:An employee who uses his or her privately owned vehicle on official business, must cover any partisan political bumper sticker while the vehicle is being used for official duties, if the vehicle is clearly identified as being on official business. Example 3:An employee or career SES employee who uses his or her privately owned vehicle only on an occasional basis to drive to another Federal agency for a meeting, or to take a training course, if not required to cover a partisan political bumper sticker on his or her vehicle. Example 4:An employee may not place a partisan political bumper sticker on any Government owned or Government leased vehicle. Example 5:An employee may place a bumper sticker on his or her privately owned vehicle and park the vehicle in a parking lot of an agency or instrumentality of the United States Government or in a non-Federal facility for which the employee receives a subsidy from his or her employing agency or instrumentality. Example 6:An employee, or noncareer SES employee who is subject to subpart D of this part 734, may not wear partisan political buttons or display partisan political pictures, signs, stickers, or badges while he or she is on duty or at his or her place of work. Example 7:An employee who contributes financially to a political action committee through a voluntary allotment made under § 550.311(b) of this title may not complete the direct deposit forms while he or she is on duty, in a “room or building” defined in § 734.101, or in a Federally owned or leased vehicle. Example 8:An employee who contributes financially to a political action committee may not personally deliver his or her completed direct deposit form, or the completed direct deposit form of another employee, to the payroll employees who would process or administer such forms. However, the employee may mail his or her direct deposit form to his or her agency payroll office.

(b) [Reserved]

[59 FR 48769, Sept. 23, 1994, as amended at 61 FR 35102, July 5, 1996]

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