DO-02-028
TO: Designated Agency Ethics Officials General Counsels
FROM: Jack Covaleski
Deputy Director
Office of Agency Programs
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, 2002, concerning payments received during the period beginning on April 1, 2002, and ending on September 30, 2002. Agencies are required to submit negative reports.
The General Services Administration’s 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 in various formats from the GSA Web site at www.gsa.gov/forms under the standard forms. One such format is a screen fillable version, which can be electronically transmitted to OGE. We strongly encourage the use of this format in that it facilitates a more efficient transmittal. This report may be forwarded via email to 1353Travel@oge.gov.
However, mandatory use of the standard forms is not required at this time. You may continue to use other reporting formats designed in accordance with the criteria set forth in the regulation.1
1. GSA published a set of proposed amendments to its regulation that, among other things,would require the use of the standard forms for reporting. See 66 Federal Register 22491-22498,at proposed §§ 304-6.4 and 304-6.5 (published May 4, 2001).