Reading Room Document

Applicability of Post-Employment Restrictions on Dealing With Government to Former Employees of the Government Printing Office

The Government Printing Office (GPO) is neither a part of the Executive Branch nor an independent agency of the United States for purposes of restrictions on post-employment activities of certain government officers and employees set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 207. Rather, GPO is a unit of the Legislative Branch. Accordingly, officers and employees of GPO are not subject to the post-employment restrictions of 18 U.S.C. § 207. Special employees of the GPO are also excluded from coverage of the post-employment restrictions, although special employees of the Executive Branch would be covered. Because restrictions of § 207 do not apply to regular officers and employees of the Legislative Branch, it is extremely doubtful that Congress intended them to apply to special employees of that branch. The OLC does not provide release dates for its opinions, so the release date listed is the date on which the opinion was authored. The original opinion is available at www.justice.gov/file/23726/download.

February 26, 1985