May 10, 1996
                                   DP-96-027


MEMORANDUM


TO:       Designated Agency Ethics Officials and General Counsels 

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 must be
submitted to OGE not later than May 31, 1996, concerning payments
received during the period beginning on October 1, 1995, and ending
on March 31, 1996.  Agencies are required to submit negative
reports.

     The General Services Administration's (GSA) regulation
implementing 31 U.S.C. § 1353 is codified at 41 C.F.R. part 304-1. 
Section 304-1.9(a) of the regulation lists the information that
must be reported by an agency and, to facilitate uniform reporting,
prescribes the order in which that information must be presented. 
GSA is now in the process of finalizing a new reporting form that
was developed in consultation with OGE, but it is still not ready
for use.  We now expect the form to be available for the reports
due to our Office by November 30, 1996.