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May 21, 1999 DO-99-026

MEMORANDUM

TO: Designated Agency Ethics Officials

FROM: Stephen D. Potts 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 May 31, 1999, concerning payments received during the period beginning on October 1, 1998, and ending on March 31, 1999. 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 reporting forms for reporting this information, SF 326, "Semiannual Report of Payments Accepted from a Non-Federal Source" and SF 326A, "Continuation Sheet" may be found at GSA's Web site. You may prepare your report by use of these forms or continue to use your format designed in accordance with § 304-1.9(a) of that regulation. If you wish to use standard forms to prepare your report, they may also be downloaded from the GSA Web site at www.gsa.gov/forms under the "Other Forms" section as Portable Document Format files.