5 C.F.R. 5 CFR--PART 2634
Title 5 - Administrative Personnel
Amendment from May 16, 2006
5 CFR--PART 2634
Amendment(s) published May 16, 2006, in 71 FR 28236
Effective Date(s): January 1, 2007
21. Section 2634.907 is revised to read as follows:
§ 2634.907 Report contents.
(a) Other than the reports described in §2634.904(a)(3) of this subpart, each confidential financial disclosure report shall comply with instructions issued by the Office of Government Ethics and include on the standardized form prescribed by OGE (see §2634.601 of subpart F of this part) the information described in paragraphs (b) through (g) of this section for the filer. Each report shall also include the information described in paragraph (h) of this section for the filer's spouse and dependent children.
(b) Noninvestment income. Each financial disclosure report shall disclose the source of earned or other noninvestment income in excess of $200 received by the filer from any one source or which has accrued to the filer's benefit during the reporting period, including:
(1) Salaries, fees, commissions, wages and any other compensation for personal services (other than from United States Government employment);
(2) Any honoraria, including payments made or to be made to charitable organizations on behalf of the filer in lieu of honoraria; and
Note to paragraph (b)(2): In determining whether an honorarium exceeds the $200 threshold, subtract any actual and necessary travel expenses incurred by the filer and one relative, if the expenses are paid or reimbursed by the filer. If such expenses are paid or reimbursed by the honorarium source, they shall not be counted as part of the honorarium payment.
(3) Any other noninvestment income, such as prizes, scholarships, awards, gambling income or discharge of indebtedness.
Example to paragraphs (b)(1) and (b)(3).
A filer teaches a course at a local community college, for which she receives a salary of $1,000 per year. She also received, during the previous reporting period, a $250 award for outstanding local community service. She must disclose both.
(c) Assets and investment income. Each financial disclosure report shall disclose separately:
(1) Each item of real and personal property having a fair market value in excess of $1,000 held by the filer at the end of the reporting period in a trade or business, or for investment or the production of income, including but not limited to:
(i) Real estate;
(ii) Stocks, bonds, securities, and futures contracts;
(iii) Livestock owned for commercial purposes;
(iv) Commercial crops, either standing or held in storage;
(v) Antiques or art held for resale or investment;
(vi) Vested beneficial interests in trusts and estates;
(vii) Pensions and annuities;
(viii) Sector mutual funds (see definition at §2640.102(q) of this chapter);
(ix) Accounts or other funds receivable; and
(x) Capital accounts or other asset ownership in businesses.
(2) The source of investment income (dividends, rents, interest, capital gains, or the income from qualified or excepted trusts or excepted investment funds (see paragraph (i) of this section)), which is received by the filer or accrued to his benefit during the reporting period, and which exceeds $200 in amount or value from any one source, including but not limited to income derived from:
(i) Real estate;
(ii) Collectible items;
(iii) Stocks, bonds, and notes;
(iv) Copyrights;
(v) Vested beneficial interests in trusts and estates;
(vi) Pensions;
(vii) Sector mutual funds (see definition at §2640.102(q) of this chapter);
(viii) The investment portion of life insurance contracts;
(ix) Loans;
(x) Gross income from a business;
(xi) Distributive share of a partnership;
(xii) Joint business venture income; and
(xiii) Payments from an estate or an annuity or endowment contract.
Note to paragraphs (c)(1) and (c)(2): For Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), brokerage accounts, trusts, mutual or pension funds, and other entities with portfolio holdings, each underlying asset must be separately disclosed, unless the entity qualifies for special treatment under paragraph (i) of this section.
(3) Exemptions. The following assets and investment income are exempt from the reporting requirements of paragraphs (c)(1) and (c)(2) of this section:
(i) A personal residence, as defined in §2634.105(l), of the filer or spouse;
(ii) Accounts (including both demand and time deposits) in depository institutions, including banks, savings and loan associations, credit unions, and similar depository financial institutions;
(iii) Money market mutual funds and accounts;
(iv) U.S. Government obligations, including Treasury bonds, bills, notes, and savings bonds;
(v) Government securities issued by U.S. Government agencies;
(vi) Financial interests in any retirement system of the United States (including the Thrift Savings Plan) or under the Social Security Act; and
(vii) Diversified mutual funds. (“Diversified” means that the fund does not have a stated policy of concentrating its investments in any industry, business, single country other than the United States, or bonds of a single State within the United States and, in the case of an employee benefit plan, means that the plan's trustee has a written policy of varying plan investments. Whether a mutual fund meets this standard may be determined by checking the fund's prospectus or by calling a broker or the manager of the fund.)
Example 1 to paragraph (c).
A filer owns a beach house which he rents out for several weeks each summer, receiving annual rental income of approximately $5,000. He must report the rental property, as well as the city and state in which it is located.
Example 2 to paragraph (c).
A filer's investment portfolio consists of several stocks, U.S. Treasury bonds, several cash bank deposit accounts, an account in the Government's Thrift Savings Plan, and shares in sector mutual funds and diversified mutual funds. He must report the name of each sector mutual fund in which he owns shares, and the name of each company in which he owns stock, valued at over $1,000 at the end of the reporting period or from which he received income of more than $200 during the reporting period. He need not report his diversified mutual funds, U.S. Treasury bonds, bank deposit accounts, or Thrift Savings Plan holdings.
(d) Liabilities. Each financial disclosure report filed pursuant to this subpart shall identify liabilities in excess of $10,000 owed by the filer at any time during the reporting period, and the name and location of the creditors to whom such liabilities are owed, except:
(1) Personal liabilities owed to a spouse or to the parent, brother, sister, or child of the filer, spouse, or dependent child;
(2) Any mortgage secured by a personal residence of the filer or his spouse;
(3) Any loan secured by a personal motor vehicle, household furniture, or appliances, provided that the loan does not exceed the purchase price of the item which secures it;
(4) Any revolving charge account;
(5) Any student loan; and
(6) Any loan from a bank or other financial institution on terms generally available to the public.
Example to paragraph (d).
A filer owes $2,500 to his mother-in-law and $12,000 to his best friend. He also has a $15,000 balance on his credit card, a $200,000 mortgage on his personal residence, and a car loan. Under the financial disclosure reporting requirements, he need not report the debt to his mother-in-law, his credit card balance, his mortgage, or his car loan. He must, however, report the debt of over $10,000 to his best friend.
(e) Positions with non-Federal organizations—(1) In general. Each financial disclosure report filed pursuant to this subpart shall identify all positions held at any time by the filer during the reporting period, other than with the United States, as an officer, director, trustee, general partner, proprietor, representative, executor, employee, or consultant of any corporation, company, firm, partnership, trust, or other business enterprise, any nonprofit organization, any labor organization, or any educational or other institution.
(2) Exemptions. The following positions are exempt from the reporting requirements of paragraph (e)(1) of this section:
(i) Positions held in religious, social, fraternal, or political entities; and
(ii) Positions solely of an honorary nature, such as those with an emeritus designation.
Example to paragraph (e).
A filer holds outside positions as the trustee of his family trust, the secretary of a local political party committee, and the “Chairman emeritus” of his town's Lions Club. He also is a principal of a tutoring school on weekends. The individual must report his outside positions as trustee of the family trust and as principal of the school. He does not need to report his positions as secretary of the local political party committee or “Chairman emeritus” because each of these positions is exempt.
(f) Agreements and arrangements. Each financial disclosure report filed pursuant to this subpart shall identify the parties to, and shall briefly describe the terms of, any agreement or arrangement of the filer in existence at any time during the reporting period with respect to:
(1) Future employment (including the date on which the filer entered into the agreement for future employment);
(2) A leave of absence from employment during the period of the filer's Government service;
(3) Continuation of payments by a former employer other than the United States Government; and
(4) Continuing participation in an employee welfare or benefit plan maintained by a former employer.
Example 1 to paragraph (f).
A filer plans to retire from Government service in eight months. She has negotiated an arrangement for part-time employment with a private-sector company, to commence upon her retirement. On her financial disclosure report, she must identify the future employer, and briefly describe the terms of, this agreement and disclose the date on which she entered into the agreement.
Example 2 to paragraph (f).
A new employee who has entered a position which requires the filing of a confidential form is on a leave of absence from his private-sector employment. During his Government tenure, he will continue to receive deferred compensation from this employer, and will continue to participate in its pension plan. He must report and briefly describe his arrangements for a leave of absence, for the receipt of deferred compensation, and for participation in the pension plan.
(g) Gifts and travel reimbursements—(1) Gifts. Each annual financial disclosure report filed pursuant to this subpart shall contain a brief description of all gifts aggregating more than $305 in value which are received by the filer during the reporting period from any one source, as well as the identity of the source. For in-kind travel-related gifts, the report shall include a travel itinerary, the dates, and the nature of expenses provided.
(2) Travel reimbursements. Each annual financial disclosure report filed pursuant to this subpart shall contain a brief description (including a travel itinerary, dates, and the nature of expenses provided) of any travel-related reimbursements aggregating more than $305 in value which are received by the filer during the reporting period from any one source, as well as the identity of the source.
(3) Aggregation exception. Any gift or travel reimbursement with a fair market value of $122 or less need not be aggregated for purposes of the reporting rules of this section. However, the acceptance of gifts, whether or not reportable, is subject to the restrictions imposed by Executive Order 12674, as modified by Executive Order 12731, and the implementing regulations on standards of ethical conduct.
(4) Valuation of gifts and travel reimbursements. The value to be assigned to a gift or travel reimbursement is its fair market value. For most reimbursements, this will be the amount actually received. For gifts, the value should be determined in one of the following manners:
(i) If the gift has been newly purchased or is readily available in the market, the value shall be its retail price. The filer need not contact the donor, but may contact a retail establishment selling similar items to determine the present cost in the market.
(ii) If the item is not readily available in the market, such as a piece of art, a handmade item, or an antique, the filer may make a good faith estimate of the value of the item.
(iii) The term “readily available in the market” means that an item generally is available for retail purchase in the metropolitan area nearest to the filer's residence.
(5) New entrants, as described in §2634.903(b) of this subpart, need not report any information on gifts and travel reimbursements.
(6) Exemptions. Reports need not contain any information about gifts and travel reimbursements received from relatives (see §2634.105(o)) or during a period in which the filer was not an officer or employee of the Federal Government. Additionally, any food, lodging, or entertainment received as “personal hospitality of any individual”, as defined in §2634.105(k), need not be reported. See also exclusions specified in the definitions of “gift” and “reimbursement” at §2634.105(h) and (n).
Example to paragraph (g).
A filer accepts a briefcase, a pen and pencil set, a paperweight, and a palm pilot from a community service organization he has worked with solely in his private capacity. He determines that the value of these gifts is: Gift 1—Briefcase: $200 Gift 2—Pen and Pencil Set: $35 Gift 3—Paperweight: $5 Gift 4—Palm Pilot: $275 The filer must disclose gifts 1 and 4 since, together, they aggregate more than $305 in value from the same source. He need not aggregate or report gifts 2 and 3 because each gift's value does not exceed $122.
(h) Disclosure rules for spouses and dependent children—(1) Noninvestment income. (i) Each financial disclosure report required by the provisions of this subpart shall disclose the source of earned income in excess of $1,000 from any one source, which is received by the filer's spouse or which has accrued to the spouse's benefit during the reporting period. If earned income is derived from a spouse's self-employment in a business or profession, the report shall also disclose the nature of the business or profession. The filer is not required to report other noninvestment income received by the spouse such as prizes, scholarships, awards, gambling income, or a discharge of indebtedness.
(ii) Each report shall disclose the source of any honoraria received by or accrued to the spouse (or payments made or to be made to charity on the spouse's behalf in lieu of honoraria) in excess of $200 from any one source during the reporting period.
Example to paragraph (h)(1).
A filer's husband has a seasonal part-time job as a sales clerk at a department store, for which he receives a salary of $1,000 per year. He also received, during the previous reporting period, a $250 award for outstanding local community service, and an honorarium of $250 from the state university. The filer need not report either her husband's outside earned income or award because neither exceeded $1,000. She must, however, report the source of the honorarium because it exceeded $200.
(2) Assets and investment income. Each confidential financial disclosure report shall disclose the assets and investment income described in paragraph (c) of this section and held by the spouse or dependent child of the filer, unless the following three conditions are satisfied:
(i) The filer certifies that the item represents the spouse's or dependent child's sole financial interest, and that the filer has no specific knowledge regarding that item;
(ii) The item is not in any way, past or present, derived from the income, assets or activities of the filer; and
(iii) The filer neither derives, nor expects to derive, any financial or economic benefit from the item.
Note to paragraph (h)(2): One who prepares a joint tax return with his spouse will normally derive a financial or economic benefit from assets held by the spouse, and will also be charged with knowledge of such items; therefore, he could not avail himself of this exception. Likewise, a trust for the education of one's minor child normally will convey a financial benefit to the parent. If so, the assets of the trust would be reportable on a financial disclosure report.
(3) Liabilities. Each confidential financial disclosure report shall disclose all information concerning liabilities described in paragraph (d) of this section and owed by a spouse or dependent child, unless the following three conditions are satisfied:
(i) The filer certifies that the item represents the spouse's or dependent child's sole financial responsibility, and that the filer has no specific knowledge regarding that item;
(ii) The item is not in any way, past or present, derived from the activities of the filer; and
(iii) The filer neither derives, nor expects to derive, any financial or economic benefit from the item.
(4) Gifts and travel reimbursements. (i) Each annual confidential financial disclosure report shall disclose gifts and reimbursements described in paragraph (g) of this section and received by a spouse or dependent child which are not received totally independently of their relationship to the filer.
(ii) A filer who is a new entrant as described in §2634.903(b) of this subpart is not required to report information regarding gifts and reimbursements received by a spouse or dependent child.
(5) Divorce and separation. A filer need not report any information about:
(i) A spouse living separate and apart from the filer with the intention of terminating the marriage or providing for permanent separation;
(ii) A former spouse or a spouse from whom the filer is permanently separated; or
(iii) Any income or obligations of the filer arising from dissolution of the filer's marriage or permanent separation from a spouse.
Example to paragraph (h)(5).
A filer and her husband are living apart in anticipation of divorcing. The filer need not report any information about her spouse's sole assets and liabilities, but she must continue to report their joint assets and liabilities.
(i) Trusts, estates, and investment funds—(1) In general. (i) Except as otherwise provided in this section, each confidential financial disclosure report shall include the information required by this subpart about the holdings of any trust, estate, investment fund or other financial arrangement from which income is received by, or with respect to which a beneficial interest in principal or income is held by, the filer, his spouse, or dependent child.
(ii) No information, however, is required about a nonvested beneficial interest in the principal or income of an estate or trust. A vested interest is a present right or title to property, which carries with it an existing right of alienation, even though the right to possession or enjoyment may be postponed to some uncertain time in the future. This includes a future interest when one has a right, defeasible or indefeasible, to the immediate possession or enjoyment of the property, upon the ceasing of another's interest. Accordingly, it is not the uncertainty of the time of enjoyment in the future, but the uncertainty of the right of enjoyment (title and alienation), which differentiates a “vested” and a “nonvested” interest.
Note to paragraph (i)(1): Nothing in this section requires the reporting of the holdings of a revocable inter vivos trust (also known as a “living trust”) with respect to which the filer, his spouse or dependent child has only a remainder interest, whether or not vested, provided that the grantor of the trust is neither the filer, the filer's spouse, nor the filer's dependent child. Furthermore, nothing in this section requires the reporting of the holdings of a revocable inter vivos trust from which the filer, his spouse or dependent child receives any discretionary distribution, provided that the grantor of the trust is neither the filer, the filer's spouse, nor the filer's dependent child.
(2) Qualified trusts and excepted trusts. (i) A filer should not report information about the holdings of any qualified blind trust (as defined in §2634.403) or any qualified diversified trust (as defined in §2634.404).
(ii) In the case of an excepted trust, a filer should indicate the general nature of its holdings, to the extent known, but does not otherwise need to report information about the trust's holdings. For purposes of this part, the term “excepted trust” means a trust:
(A) Which was not created directly by the filer, spouse, or dependent child; and
(B) The holdings or sources of income of which the filer, spouse, or dependent child have no specific knowledge through a report, disclosure, or constructive receipt, whether intended or inadvertent.
(3) Excepted investment funds. (i) No information is required under paragraph (i)(1) of this section about the underlying holdings of an excepted investment fund as defined in paragraph (i)(3)(ii) of this section, except that the fund itself shall be identified as an interest in property and/or a source of income.
(ii) For purposes of financial disclosure reports filed under the provisions of this subpart, an “excepted investment fund” means a widely held investment fund (whether a mutual fund, regulated investment company, common trust fund maintained by a bank or similar financial institution, pension or deferred compensation plan, or any other investment fund), if:
(A)(1) The fund is publicly traded or available; or
(2) The assets of the fund are widely diversified; and
(B) The filer neither exercises control over nor has the ability to exercise control over the financial interests held by the fund.
(iii) A fund is widely diversified if it holds no more than 5% of the value of its portfolio in the securities of any one issuer (other than the United States Government) and no more than 20% in any particular economic or geographic sector.
(j) Special rules. (1) Political campaign funds, including campaign receipts and expenditures, need not be included in any report filed under this subpart. However, if the individual has authority to exercise control over the fund's assets for personal use rather than campaign or political purposes, that portion of the fund over which such authority exists must be reported.
(2) In lieu of entering data on a part of the report form designated by the Office of Government Ethics, a filer may attach to the reporting form a copy of a brokerage report, bank statement, or other material, which, in a clear and concise fashion, readily discloses all information which the filer would otherwise have been required to enter on the concerned part of the report form.
(k) For reports of confidential filers described in §2634.904(a)(3) of this subpart, each supplemental confidential financial disclosure report shall include only the supplemental information:
(1) Which is more extensive than that required in the reporting individual's public financial disclosure report under this part; and
(2) Which has been approved by the Office of Government Ethics for collection by the agency concerned, as set forth in supplemental agency regulations and forms, issued under §§2634.103 and 2634.601(b) (see §2634.901(b) and (c) of this subpart).
