Obviously, there can be an inquiry into each individual case to see, on the facts of that individual case, whether there is a violation of the rules and regulations.

Do you think it would be appropriate to ask a man in your position to file a public financial disclosure statement?

I think the hearing has been very useful in covering the consensus on public disclosure without any complex definitions.

I just wanted to see how anxious you were to weigh in on that.

Are you saying that you are suspending these arrangements while the investigation goes on?

Well, the agencies do not appear to be moving with much dispatch on it.

How long would it take to have a change in regulation?

I think these rules need transparency, need strengthening, et cetera, but I think it would be a mistake for a complete prohibition.

The Congress really does not want to get into this, if we do not have to, to micro-manage what you are doing, but I think that there are really major problems here.

If you accept the facts as I have stated them, would people in that category not be fairly asked to file public financial disclosure forms?

It is not easy to run all these hearings without a scorecard, and we do not work on a text.

So you are saying there need not be a change in the statute? That was my question.

I am very much interested in your views on that as an evaluation which we are going to have to go into greater depth on.

The first line is to have transparency with a public disclosure so that people can see what is going on.

How long would you expect it to take to promulgate new rules and regulations?

To deal with them on an individual basis is going to be enormously complicated to investigate each one of these matters and make some determination.

So you think we might need a statutory change?

I think the hearing has been very productive.

Well, it would require a very intensive investigation to make a determination as to whether that line was crossed.

Are you not in a position, knowing that, to impose a sanction if one is appropriate?

Is there any reason why a governmental employee making as much as the Vice President should not be required to fill out a public financial disclosure form?

How do you define those broad responsibilities?

What is the consequence to an NIH employee who has this kind of a relationship and does not make the required financial disclosure?

The agency would have the authority to submit a regulation to the Office of Government Ethics and then the Office of Government Ethics has to concur before it can be put into effect.

Suppose this subcommittee did not want you to wait. How long would it take you to draft a regulation?