November 15, 1996
                                   DO-96-046

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 should
be submitted to OGE no later than November 30, 1996, concerning
payments received during the period beginning on April 1, 1996, and
ending on September 30, 1996.  Agencies are required to submit
negative reports.

     As of the date of this DAEOgram, the General Services
Administration (GSA) has not finalized a standard reporting form. 
Please refer to the GSA regulation implementing 31 U.S.C. § 1353
and its reporting requirement 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 the order in which that
information must be presented.