SEI Newsletter Reminder: April 15th Annual Statement of Economic Interest Filing Deadline

P.O. BOX 27685 (919) 814-3600 RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA 27611 (919) 814-3600 https://ethics.nc.gov/ March 2026

It's that time Again.......

Your Annual Statement of Economic Interest is Due on April 15th!

Get ready to cross the finish line! April 15th is the 2026 Statement of Economic Interest ("SEI") filing deadline for currently serving SEI filers. If you have already filed your 2026 SEI you are already a winner!

That includes those currently in State elected offices who filed their 2026 candidate SEI for that office.

Also, if you were a State elected official (legislator, judge, district attorney, or clerk of court) whose service ended in 2025, you are required to file a post-service 2026 SEI by April 15th. Are you ready to accelerate your SEI filing? Then we encourage you to file your SEI electronically. In 2025, over 95% of SEI filers chose to e-file because e-filing is convenient, fast, and efficient. E- filing provides immediate confirmation of your filing and ensures that your information is saved for future filings. The SEI e-filing system guides you through a series of questions designed to automatically determine what type of filing is necessary based on the answers you provide and generates the appropriate completed form at the end of the process (either a No-Change form SEI or a Long form SEI). The system even emails a copy of your completed form to you! If you don't receive a confirmation as soon as you e-file, you have not successfully submitted your SEI. Please log back into your e-filing account, make sure you completed all sections, and hit the "submit" button. Regular and Post Service Filers: ethics.nc.gov/seis/regular -and-post-service-filers MPO/RPO TAC Filers (e-file and manual): https://ethics.nc.gov/seis/electronic-filing We still offer manual filing for those who cannot file electronically but we hope you will give electronic filing a try. Trust us, we're the Ethics Commission. You will be surprised at how easy it really is and who wants the hassle of printing out a manual/paper form and mailing or delivering it to us.

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AVOID A PENALTY!

If your goal is to make it to the finish line, don't race through the questions. The SEI is a legal document, so carefully read over each question before answering. If you miss a question or provide incomplete information, you will be asked to file again.

• Income Question: You should list all income sources (not amounts) of over $5,000. Some filers select "I
  had no reportable income over $5,000" which in many cases is inaccurate. For instance, if you or your immediate family members are employed, you most likely had income of $5,000 or more and therefore must disclose the source of that income.

• Reason for Filing During the e-filing process, keep in mind the Reason for Filing questions apply to those
  positions you hold which require that you file an SEI.

• Example A. - You are a professor at a university, but the reason why you are required to file an SEI
  is because you are currently serving or being considered to serve on the Plant Conservation Board. You would ONLY select the Board as your reason for filing.

• Example B. - You are a covered employee with the Department of Justice, and you serve on the
  Dispute Resolution Commission. You would select BOTH the agency AND the Board. If you are required to file due to service with multiple entities, you should list them all on one SEI to avoid the need for multiple filings.

• Missing Real Estate Disclosure Form (RED) for RPO/MPO filers If you are filing because you serve
  on an MPO/RPO Transportation Advisory Committee ("TAC"), you must select your TAC as your "Reason for Filing." Otherwise, the e-filing system will not prompt you to complete a Real Estate Disclosure ("RED") form. Manual filers, make sure you file both an SEI and a RED.

• Paper/Manual SEI Filing This is a last resort if you are unable to e-file. You must answer all required
  questions and check the applicable boxes, or your SEI will be rejected as incomplete and you will need to refile and possibly miss the filing deadline.

Frequently Asked SEI Questions

Q: Who must file an SEI? A: Members of State boards and Transportation Advisory Committees; member of the Governor's Cabinet and Council of State; legislators; judicial officers (justices, judges, district attorneys, clerks of court); and State employees in certain exempt positions. Q: Do I have to file if my term on a Board or Commission has expired or will expire before April 15? A: It depends. Even if your term has expired or will expire on or before April 15, 2026, you will continue to serve until your replacement is appointed and sworn in. You therefore are obligated to file an SEI. Q: Where Can I Check My Agency or Board's SEI Compliance? A: You can check compliance, including your SEI filing date and education received date here: https://ethicssei.nc.gov/Tools/Report

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TEST YOUR ALERTNESS, SKILL, AND DISCIPLINE

Income Disclosure: If Mr. Smith and his spouse earned a salary as a State employee in 2025, must they report this income in response to Question 6 on the SEI?

• Yes, Mr. Smith should report any income over $5,000 received by him, his spouse,
  or another immediate family member in response to the income question on the SEI. Although the identity of the employer may have already been listed in response to the employer question at the beginning of the SEI, the income question should also include this information. Stock Questions: As of December 31, 2025, Mr. Smith owned stock valued at $9,600 in GM and $11,500 in Google. He also owned $22,700 in a technology-focused mutual fund which holds stock in Apple as well as other technology companies. What should Mr. Smith list in response to the stock question on the SEI?

• Mr. Smith is not required to report the GM stock because, as of December 31 , it stdid not meet the $10,000 reporting threshold for individual stocks.

• Mr. Smith is required to report the Google stock because it was over $10,000 in
  value as of December 31 . st

• Question 3 excludes stocks owned in mutual funds from the reporting requirement.
  Although the value of Mr. Smith's interest in the technology mutual fund exceeded $10,000, that interest is not reportable. Ms. Jones has extensive stock ownership. Can she just list the name of her brokerage firm?

• No! Each filer is obligated to disclose those interests on their SEI. This enables
  members of the public and the filer's colleagues to understand the filer's interests in the event there is a potential conflict of interest. Stocks may be listed on the SEI or on an attachment to the SEI. But please don't specify the value or number of shares owned. Filing a No Change Form: Mr. Wilson files a No Change SEI every year because it's more convenient than answering the questions on the Long Form SEI. Is that okay?

• No! Before filing an SEI each filer is obligated to carefully review the last filed
  Long Form and confirm that there have been no changes to any required disclosures, such as employment and income, business interests, stock holdings, and service on non-profit boards. When filing a No Change SEI, the filer must verify that there have been no changes to the interests disclosed on the last filed Long Form SEI.

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HERO CORNER - Because Ethics Liaisons are our heroes !

We greatly value and appreciate your support in assisting the Ethics Commission in ensuring compliance with the State Government Ethics Act. With over 6,500 public officials subject to the SEI filing and ethics education requirements, we cannot achieve full compliance without you keeping us updated on changes to public officials and encouraging those officials to 100% compliance with SEI and education requirements. Please remember, if we aren't notified about changes to membership or the EL S doesn't follow up with those who are out of compliance, it can result in an employee or board member being placed on our SEI or education noncompliance lists. As we approach the busiest time of the SEI filing season, we ask that you please check your board, commission, or agency's roster of covered persons on the Compliance Report (https://ethicssei.nc.gov/Tools/Report). This is a great tool for tracking SEI and education compliance. If the information found on the compliance report is not current or the list of members or employees needs updating, please report any changes on our convenient New Covered Person or Ethics Liaison Form | Ethics Commission (https://ethics.nc.gov/ethics-liaison/new- covered-person-or-ethics-liaison-form). Sincerely,

Aaron, Angela, David, Katie, Kathy, Jameson, Jane, Mary, Susy, and Tracey Your Friends at the State Ethics Commission.

AND THE NOMINEES FOR MOST VALUABLE PIT CREW MEMBER ARE Wanda Jenkins of Fayetteville State University assumes responsibility for her crew members. She performs inspections to track crucial data needed by the Ethics Commission. With a leader like Wanda, the university's covered employees and trustees will cross the Ethics compliance finish line in record time! Rick Long's Military Affairs Commission roared off the starting line, with his team being amongst the first to file. With Rick managing communication between his commissioners and the Ethics Crew, the MAC team is on its way to finishing ahead of the pack! Lindsey Wakely at the State Board of Elections was quick off the starting line, providing lists of candidates for State office so the SEI Unit could help candidates file their SEIs. And she red-flagged withdrawn candidates quicker than you can say "return to pit lane."

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