No conflict of interest or appearance of a conflict of interest will be allowed.

(a) Description. A conflict of interest occurs in a situation in which a person or entity has competing personal, professional, or financial interests that make it difficult for the person or entity to act impartially. For the purposes of this subpart, relationships that can include conflict of interest include, but are not limited to:

(1) Parent, Applicant, or Recipient Board of Directors, employees, consultants, and contractors.

(2) Center Board of Directors, employees, consultants, and contractors.

(3) Subrecipients and their employees, consultants, and contractors.

(4) Immediate family members of those listed in paragraphs (a)(1) through (3) of this section.

(b) State Departments of Agriculture. A conflict of interest does not include the situation when the State's Secretary of Agriculture or an employee of the State's Department of Agriculture, or similar agency, acts as a member of the Center's board of directors because this representation is a requirement for the program.

(c) Written disclosure. Recipients must comply with 2 CFR 400.2(b), which includes providing written disclosure to the Agency of any potential conflicts of interest and maintaining written standards of conduct covering conflicts of interest and governing the performance of its employees in the selection, award, and administration of Federal Awards.

(d) Assistance to employees, relatives, and associates. The Agency will process any requests for assistance under this subpart in accordance with 7 CFR part 1900, subpart D.

(e) Member/delegate clause. No member of or delegate to Congress shall receive any share or part of this grant or any benefit that may arise therefrom; provided, however, that this provision shall not be construed to bar, as a contractor under the Federal Award, a publicly held corporation whose ownership might include a member of Congress.