Info for NYS Employees

Ethics Training is for Everyone...

All New York State employees are required to attend ethics training every year.  The Training Team at the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (‘COELIG’) offers live, remote trainings via WebEx every month.

Why do I have to do this training?  None of this applies to me…

When we begin State service, we sign an oath of office contained in Public Officers Law section 78.  In this oath, we acknowledge as public servants that we have read and understand the ethics laws and conflicts of interest contained in the Public Officers Law.   For a more plain language version of the ethics laws, we have provided an electronic version of the 'Ethics Handbook for State Employees' available for download and print. 

Who is a state employee?

Ethics Training is required for every state employee including full-time, part-time, unpaid and per diem board members.  The training mandate expanded to include both Financial Disclosure (FDS) and non-FDS filers. Employees who are seasonal or temporary employees are also required to complete ethics training on an annual basis.  Ethics training is required for faculty, staff and adjunct professors in all State University (SUNY) and City University (CUNY) campuses. 

For existing employees, the 2026-2027 Ethics Training Schedule is based off the ethics training class completed in 2025. 

• Comprehensive Ethics Training Course (CETC) -  A live ethics course that can be conducted either in-person or remotely using videoconferencing tools such as WebEx, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, etc.  The CETC must be live and not pre-recorded to allow participants the ability to answer questions in real time.

• On-Demand Ethics Training Course (OETC) - A self-paced online training available to all employees online and for the majority of the state workforce via the Statewide Learning Management System (SLMS) or your agencies learning management system.

  The following agencies do not allow their employees to complete an Online Ethics Refresher/On-Demand Ethics Training:

  • All Department of Corrections (DOCCS) facilities
  • All Office of Mental Health (OMH) facilities
  • All Department of Transportation Regions
  • All Division of Housing and Community Renewal employees
  • All Civil Service Employees
  • All Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) employees
  • All SUNY Upstate Medical University employees
  • All Office of Parks and Recreation employees

The COELIG Training Team offers multiple live ethics training every month - the best part is, you don't even have to leave your desk to attend!  

The Comprehensive Ethics Training Course (CETC) is the only course that satisfies the live ethics training requirement mandated in Executive Law § 94. The CETC is a live, instructor-led training that covers the Public Officers Law and other related ethics laws and regulations. 

enroll IN LIVE CETC

Purpose of the agency Ethics Officer

Your agency ethics officer is your primary resource for advice and guidance related to helping you navigate away from potential conflicts of interest. Our live ethics training will provide you with an overview of the ethics laws; however, your state agency, authority, board, commission, medical facility or SUNY or CUNY campus may impose stricter requirements than what the law provides.  

Who is my Ethics Officer?  

Use the below table to find and email your agency ethics officer.  For our purposes, agency can also include state authorities, boards, commissions, medical facilities and State University (SUNY) and City University (CUNY) campuses.  

How this list is populated:

The below Ethics Officer table is populated from the data we maintain in the Statewide Ethics Training Application (SETA).  If the information requires an update, please contact the COELIG Training Team via email at [email protected].

Updated as of March 24, 2026