Government and Civil Service Federal Laws and Regulations 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) governs which aspect of federal government operations?
- Federal hiring and human resources practices
- Federal government procurement and contracting with private vendors (Correct answer)
- Federal agency rulemaking procedures
- Federal financial management and accounting
Correct answer: Federal government procurement and contracting with private vendors
The FAR is the primary regulation governing how federal agencies purchase goods and services from private contractors, covering solicitation, award, and administration of contracts.
Question 2: What is the purpose of the Congressional Review Act (CRA)?
- To allow Congress to review Supreme Court decisions
- To give Congress the power to disapprove and overturn recently finalized agency rules (Correct answer)
- To require agencies to get congressional approval before issuing regulations
- To allow Congress to review presidential executive orders
Correct answer: To give Congress the power to disapprove and overturn recently finalized agency rules
The CRA provides Congress a mechanism to review and potentially disapprove major regulations issued by federal agencies through a joint resolution passed by both chambers.
Question 3: Which law prohibits federal employees from receiving gifts from parties they regulate or who seek government contracts?
- The Anti-Kickback Act
- Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch (5 CFR Part 2635) (Correct answer)
- The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
- The Procurement Integrity Act
Correct answer: Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch (5 CFR Part 2635)
The Standards of Ethical Conduct regulations prohibit federal employees from accepting gifts from 'prohibited sources' who have business before their agency.
Question 4: What is the Federal Register?
- A database of all federal employees and their salaries
- The official daily journal of the US federal government publishing proposed and final rules (Correct answer)
- The official record of all congressional votes and legislation
- A registry of all federally registered businesses and nonprofits
Correct answer: The official daily journal of the US federal government publishing proposed and final rules
The Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices from federal agencies, as well as executive orders and presidential documents.
Question 5: What protection does the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) provide?
- Protection for workers over 40 from age-based employment discrimination (Correct answer)
- Protection for all workers from discrimination based on age
- Mandatory retirement ages for federal employees
- Age-based hiring quotas for government contractors
Correct answer: Protection for workers over 40 from age-based employment discrimination
The ADEA prohibits employment discrimination against workers who are 40 years of age or older by employers with 20 or more employees.
Question 6: The Inspector General Act of 1978 established IGs to be independent from agency management in what key way?
- IGs report only to Congress and have no agency affiliation
- IGs are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, and can only be removed by the President (Correct answer)
- IGs are self-funded and not subject to agency budget controls
- IGs report directly to the GAO, not the agency head
Correct answer: IGs are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, and can only be removed by the President
IGs at major agencies are presidential appointees confirmed by the Senate, and while they report to agency heads, they can only be removed by the President with notification to Congress.
Government and Civil Service Federal Laws and Regulations 2
The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) governs which aspect of federal government operations?