5 U.S.C. § 13121 — Establishment; appointment of Director

(a) Establishment: This section creates an executive agency called the Office of Government Ethics. (b) Director: The Office of Government Ethics is headed by a Director, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. For anyone appointed or reappointed Director on or after October 1, 1983, the Director's term is 5 years. (c) Authority of Director: The Director may (1) hire officers and employees, including attorneys, under chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of this title; and (2) contract with the General Services Administration, or another federal agency the Director picks, for financial and administrative services (like budgeting, accounting, financial reporting, personnel, and procurement), paying for them in advance or by reimbursement from the Office's own funds, in amounts the Director and that agency's head agree on. This contracting power under (2) only works in a fiscal year to the extent Congress has appropriated money for it.