Below is a condensed version of this topic; for complete guidance please refer to the House Ethics Manual, Chapter 2 on gifts.
Gift Disclosure
Members, officers, and certain employees must disclose information in annual financial statements. Schedule VI of the statements concerns gifts received by the reporting individual, and in general, the donor, description and value of all gifts aggregating more than $335 from a single source during the year must be disclosed on that schedule. 62 Information on certain gifts received by the spouse or dependent of the Member or employee may need to be disclosed as well.63 However, the statute also provides that in an “unusual case,” a gift need not be aggregated “if a publicly available request for a waiver is granted.”64 A House Member or staff person wishing a waiver of the reporting requirement must submit a written waiver request to the Standards Committee. Additional information on the reporting of gifts on one’s annual Financial Disclosure Statement, and the criteria for granting a waiver of the reporting requirement, are provided in the Financial Disclosure Instructions booklet issued by the Standards Committee.
In addition, tangible gifts of over minimal value that may be received from foreign governments must be disclosed at the time such gifts are required to be turned over to the United States, that is, within 60 days of receipt.
62 5 U.S.C. app. 4 § 102(a)(2).
63 Id. § 102(e)(1)(C).
64 Id. § 102(a)(2)(C). |