Ethics Office Renews Legal Fund Info Requests
Published Date: 12/18/2025
Notice
Summary
The Office of Government Ethics wants to keep collecting info about Legal Expense Funds that help government workers pay for legal costs tied to their jobs. They’re asking for public comments by February 17, 2026, before renewing this paperwork approval. This affects executive branch employees and legal fund trustees but won’t add new costs or big changes—just keeping things running smoothly.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 3 costs, 1 mixed.
Estimated Trustee Cost Burden
OGE estimates an annual cost burden of $37,128 for the Legal Expense Fund information collection using an estimated trustee or representative rate of $340 per hour. OGE estimates about three new funds per year, about five trusts on average each year, roughly 20 donors per trust, and about two payees per trust.
Paperwork Renewal for Legal Expense Funds
The Office of Government Ethics is asking to renew its information collection for Legal Expense Funds and invites public comments by February 17, 2026. The collection covers trust documents, quarterly reports, and termination reports and estimates 133 annual responses with a total annual burden of 109.2 hours and OMB Control Number 3209-0012.
Public Posting of Trust Reports
OGE will post trust documents, quarterly reports, and termination reports for Legal Expense Funds directly on its website as required by 5 CFR 2635.1007(g). This makes donor and payee information publicly available on OGE's website.
Filing Starts When Fund Is Approved
If you are an employee beneficiary of a Legal Expense Fund, the filing requirement begins once a Legal Expense Fund is approved under Subpart J of 5 CFR part 2635, even if no reportable contribution or distribution occurs during a reporting period. OGE specifically asked for comment on this point in the notice.
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