§7353 — Title 5 Government Organization and Employees | U.S. Code

Summary

Members of Congress and federal officers and employees must not ask for or accept anything valuable from people who are seeking official action, who do business with their agency, who are regulated by their agency (for executive branch workers), or whose interests could be greatly affected by how the person does their job. Agency ethics offices can write rules and allow reasonable exceptions. People may take gifts if their office’s rules allow it, but not if the gift is given to influence an official decision. Gifts accepted for the United States government are allowed under other laws. Breaking these rules can lead to discipline. Definitions: "Supervising ethics office" means the House Committee on Standards (or the whole House), the Senate Ethics Committee (or the whole Senate), the Judicial Conference for judges, the Office of Government Ethics for the executive branch, and the committee that gets reports for other legislative staff. "Officer or employee" means someone in an appointive or elective federal job, not a Member of Congress.

Title 5, §7353

Government Organization and Employees — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Except as permitted by subsection (b), no Member of Congress or officer or employee of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch shall solicit or accept anything of value from a person—

(1)seeking official action from, doing business with, or (in the case of executive branch officers and employees) conducting activities regulated by, the individual’s employing entity; or

(2)whose interests may be substantially affected by the performance or nonperformance of the individual’s official duties.

(b)(1)Each supervising ethics office is authorized to issue rules or regulations implementing the provisions of this section and providing for such reasonable exceptions as may be appropriate.

(2)(A)Subject to subparagraph (B), a Member, officer, or employee may accept a gift pursuant to rules or regulations established by such individual’s supervising ethics office pursuant to paragraph (1).

(B)No gift may be accepted pursuant to subparagraph (A) in return for being influenced in the performance of any official act.

(3)Nothing in this section precludes a Member, officer, or employee from accepting gifts on behalf of the United States Government or any of its agencies in accordance with statutory authority.

(4)Nothing in this section precludes an employee of a private sector organization, while assigned to an agency under chapter 37, from continuing to receive pay and benefits from such organization in accordance with such chapter.

(c)A Member of Congress or an officer or employee who violates this section shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary and other remedial action in accordance with any applicable laws, Executive orders, and rules or regulations.

(d)For purposes of this section—

(1)the term “supervising ethics office” means—

(A)the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of the House of Representatives or the House of Representatives as a whole, for Members, officers, and employees of the House of Representatives;

(B)the Select Committee on Ethics of the Senate, or the Senate as a whole, for Senators, officers, and employees of the Senate;

(C)the Judicial Conference of the United States for judges and judicial branch officers and employees;

(D)the Office of Government Ethics for all executive branch officers and employees; and

(E)in the case of legislative branch officers and employees other than those specified in subparagraphs (A) and (B), the committee referred to in either such subparagraph to which reports filed by such officers and employees under subchapter I of chapter 131 of this title are transmitted under such subchapter, except that the authority of this section may be delegated by such committee with respect to such officers and employees; and

(2)the term “officer or employee” means an individual holding an appointive or elective position in the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of Government, other than a Member of Congress.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2022—Subsec. (d)(1)(E). Pub. L. 117–286 substituted “subchapter I of chapter 131 of this title are transmitted under such subchapter,” for “title I of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 are transmitted under such title,”. 2002—Subsec. (b)(4). Pub. L. 107–347 added par. (4). 1990—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 101–280, § 4(d)(1)(A), substituted “branch” for “branches” in introductory provisions. Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 101–280, § 4(d)(1)(B), substituted “by, the” for “by the” and “entity” for “agency”. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 101–280, § 4(d)(2), substituted “A Member of Congress or an officer or employee” for “An employee”. Subsec. (d)(1)(B). Pub. L. 101–280, § 4(d)(3)(A)(i), substituted “officers,” for “officers”. Subsec. (d)(1)(E). Pub. L. 101–280, § 4(d)(3)(A)(ii), amended subpar. (E) generally. Prior to amendment, subpar. (E) read as follows: “the ethics committee with which the officer or employee is required to file financial disclosure forms, for all legislative branch officers and employees other than those specified in subparagraphs (A) and (B), except that such authority may be delegated; and”. Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 101–280, § 4(d)(3)(B), substituted “Government,” for “Government”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Ethics of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 5, One Hundred Twelfth Congress, Jan. 5, 2011.

Effective Date

of 2002 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 107–347 effective 120 days after Dec. 17, 2002, see section 402(a) of Pub. L. 107–347, set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 3601 of Title 44, Public Printing and Documents. Limitation on Acceptance of Honorary Club Memberships Pub. L. 110–402, § 2, Oct. 13, 2008, 122 Stat. 4255, as amended by Pub. L. 117–286, § 4(c)(10), Dec. 27, 2022, 136 Stat. 4354, provided that: “(a) Definitions.—In this section:“(1) Gift.—The term ‘gift’ has the meaning given under section 13101(5) of title 5, United States Code. “(2) Judicial officer.—The term ‘judicial officer’ has the meaning given under section 13101(10) of title 5, United States Code. “(b) Prohibition on Acceptance of Honorary Club Memberships.—A judicial officer may not accept a gift of an honorary club membership with a value of more than $50 in any calendar year.”

§7353 Gifts to Federal Employees

Summary

Title 5, §7353

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Effective Date

Effective Date

Citations & Metadata