5 U.S.C. § 7353. Gifts to Federal employees
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(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 -
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(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
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(2) whose interests may be substantially affected by the performance or
nonperformance of the individual's official duties.
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(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.
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(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.
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(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.
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(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.
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(d) For purposes of this section -
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(1) the term "supervising ethics office" means -
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(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;
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(B) the Select Committee on Ethics of the Senate, or the Senate as a whole,
for Senators, officers, and employees of the Senate;
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(C) the Judicial Conference of the United States for judges and judicial
branch officers and employees;
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(D) the Office of Government Ethics for all executive branch officers and
employees; and
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(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 title I of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 are transmitted
under such title, except that the authority of this section may be delegated
by such committee with respect to such officers and employees; and
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(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.