November 13 2000
                                 DO-00-041




MEMORANDUM


TO:       Designated Agency Ethics Officials 

FROM:     Amy L. Comstock
          Director

SUBJECT:  Reporting Payments Accepted Under 31 U.S.C. § 1353


     Section 1353 of title 31, United States Code, authorizes the
acceptance by executive branch agencies of payments for travel,
subsistence, and related expenses from non-Federal sources in
connection with the attendance of employees at certain meetings or
similar functions.  The statute provides that the head of each
agency shall submit to the Director of the Office of Government
Ethics (OGE) semiannual reports of payments of more than $250
accepted under this authority.  The next semiannual report should
be submitted to OGE not later than November 30, 2000, concerning
payments received during the period beginning on April 1, 2000, and
ending on September 30, 2000.  Agencies are required to submit
negative reports.  

     The General Services Administration's (GSA) regulation
implementing 31 U.S.C. § 1353 and its reporting requirement are
codified at 41 C.F.R. part 304-1.  Additionally, the standard forms
for reporting this information, SF 326, "Semiannual Report of
Payments Accepted from a Non-Federal Source" and SF 326A,
"Continuation Sheet" can be downloaded from the GSA Web site at
www.gsa.gov/forms under the "Other Forms" section as Portable
Document Format files. You may use these forms or continue to use
other reporting formats designed in accordance with § 304-1.9(a) of
that regulation.