20 C.F.R. Subpart A—General
Title 20 - Employees' Benefits
(a) No appropriated funds may be expended by the recipient of a Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement to pay any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of SSA, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with any of the following covered Federal actions: the awarding of any Federal contract, the making of any Federal grant, the making of any Federal loan, the entering into of any cooperative agreement, and the extension, continuation, renewal, amendment, or modification of any Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement. (b) Each person who requests or receives from SSA a Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement must file with SSA a certification, set forth in Appendix A to this part, that the person has not made, and will not make, any payment prohibited by paragraph (a) of this section. (c) Each person who requests or receives from SSA a Federal contract, grant, loan, or a cooperative agreement must file with SSA a disclosure form, set forth in Appendix B to this part, if such person has made or has agreed to make any payment using non-appropriated funds (to include profits from any covered Federal action), which would be prohibited under paragraph (a) of this section if paid for with appropriated funds. (d) Each person who requests or receives from SSA a commitment providing for the United States to insure or guarantee a loan must file with SSA a statement, set forth in Appendix A to this part, whether that person has made or has agreed to make any payment to influence or attempt to influence an officer or employee of SSA, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with that loan insurance or guarantee. (e) Each person who requests or receives from SSA a commitment providing for the United States to insure or guarantee a loan must file with SSA a disclosure form, set forth in Appendix B to this part, if that person has made or has agreed to make any payment to influence or attempt to influence an officer or employee of SSA, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with that loan insurance or guarantee. For purposes of this part: Commissioner means the Commissioner of Social Security. Covered Federal action means any of the following Federal actions: (1) The awarding of any Federal contract; (2) The making of any Federal grant; (3) The making of any Federal loan; (4) The entering into of any cooperative agreement; and, (5) The extension, continuation, renewal, amendment, or modification of any Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement. Covered Federal action does not include receiving from an agency a commitment providing for the United States to insure or guarantee a loan. Loan guarantees and loan insurance are addressed independently within this part. Federal contract means an acquisition contract awarded by the Social Security Administration, including those subject to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) (48 CFR chapter 1), and any other acquisition contract for real or personal property or services not subject to the FAR. Federal cooperative agreement means a cooperative agreement SSA enters into. Federal grant means an award of financial assistance in the form of money, or property in lieu of money, by the Federal Government or a direct appropriation made by law to any person. The term does not include technical assistance which provides services instead of money, or other assistance in the form of revenue sharing, loans, loan guarantees, loan insurance, interest subsidies, insurance, or direct United States cash assistance to an individual. Federal loan means a loan made by SSA. The term does not include loan guarantee or loan insurance. Indian tribe and tribal organization have the meaning provided in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450B). Alaskan Natives are included under the definitions of Indian tribes in that Act. Influencing or attempting to influence means making, with the intent to influence, any communication to or appearance before an officer or employee of SSA, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with any covered Federal action. Loan guarantee and loan insurance means SSA's guarantee or insurance of a loan made by a person. Local government means a unit of government in a State and, if chartered, established, or otherwise recognized by a State for the performance of a governmental duty, including a local public authority, a special district, an intrastate district, a council of governments, a sponsor group representative organization, and any other instrumentality of a local government. Officer or employee of SSA includes the following individuals who are employed by an agency: (1) An individual who is appointed to a position in the Government under title 5, U.S. Code, including a position under a temporary appointment; (2) A member of the uniformed services as defined in section 101(3), title 37, U.S. Code; (3) A special Government employee as defined in section 202, title 18, U.S. Code; and, (4) An individual who is a member of a Federal advisory committee, as defined by the Federal Advisory Committee Act, title 5, U.S. Code appendix 2. Person means an individual, corporation, company, association, authority, firm, partnership, society, State, and local government, regardless of whether such entity is operated for profit or not for profit. This term excludes an Indian tribe, tribal organization, or any other Indian organization with respect to expenditures specifically permitted by other Federal law. Reasonable compensation means, with respect to a regularly employed officer or employee of any person, compensation that is consistent with the normal compensation for such officer or employee for work that is not furnished to, not funded by, or not furnished in cooperation with the Federal Government. Reasonable payment means, with respect to professional and other technical services, a payment in an amount that is consistent with the amount normally paid for such services in the private sector. Recipient includes all contractors, subcontractors at any tier, and subgrantees at any tier of the recipient of funds received in connection with a Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement. The term excludes an Indian tribe, tribal organization, or any other Indian organization with respect to expenditures specifically permitted by other Federal law. Regularly employed means, with respect to an officer or employee of a person requesting or receiving a Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement or a commitment providing for the United States to insure or guarantee a loan, an officer or employee who is employed by such person for at least 130 working days within one year immediately preceding the date of the submission that initiates agency consideration of such person for receipt of such contract, grant, loan, cooperative agreement, loan insurance commitment, or loan guarantee commitment. An officer or employee who is employed by such person for less than 130 working days within one year immediately preceding the date of the submission that initiates agency consideration of such person shall be considered to be regularly employed as soon as he or she is employed by such person for 130 working days. SSA means the Social Security Administration. State means a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory or possession of the United States, an agency or instrumentality of a State, and a multi-State, regional, or interstate entity having governmental duties and powers. (a) Each person must file a certification, and a disclosure form, if required, with each submission that initiates SSA consideration of that person for: (1) Award of a Federal contract, grant, or cooperative agreement exceeding $100,000; or (2) An award of a Federal loan or a commitment providing for the United States to insure or guarantee a loan exceeding $150,000. (b) Each person must file a certification, and a disclosure form, if required, if he or she receives: (1) A Federal contract, grant, or cooperative agreement exceeding $100,000; or (2) A Federal loan or a commitment providing for the United States to insure or guarantee a loan exceeding $150,000, unless such person previously filed a certification, and a disclosure form, if required, under paragraph (a) of this section. (c) Each person must file a disclosure form at the end of each calendar quarter in which there occurs any event that requires disclosure or that materially affects the accuracy of the information contained in any disclosure form previously filed by that person under paragraphs (a) or (b) of this section. An event that materially affects the accuracy of the information reported includes: (1) A cumulative increase of $25,000 or more in the amount paid or expected to be paid for influencing or attempting to influence a covered Federal action; or (2) A change in the person(s) or individual(s) influencing or attempting to influence a covered Federal action; or, (3) A change in the officer(s), employee(s), or Member(s) contacted to influence or attempt to influence a covered Federal action. (d) Any person who requests or receives from a person referred to in paragraphs (a) or (b) of this section: (1) A subcontract exceeding $100,000 at any tier under a Federal contract; (2) A subgrant, contract, or subcontract exceeding $100,000 at any tier under a Federal grant; (3) A contract or subcontract exceeding $100,000 at any tier under a Federal loan exceeding $150,000; or, (4) A contract or subcontract exceeding $100,000 at any tier under a Federal cooperative agreement, must file a certification, and a disclosure form, if required, to the next tier above. (e) All disclosure forms, but not certifications, must be forwarded from tier to tier until received by the person referred to in paragraphs (a) or (b) of this section. That person must forward all disclosure forms to SSA. (f) Any certification or disclosure form filed under paragraph (e) of this section will be treated as a material representation of fact upon which all receiving tiers must rely. All liability arising from an erroneous representation will be borne solely by the tier filing that representation and will not be shared by any tier to which the erroneous representation is forwarded. Submitting an erroneous certification or disclosure constitutes a failure to file the required certification or disclosure, respectively. If a person fails to file a required certification or disclosure, the United States may pursue all available remedies, including those authorized by section 1352, title 31, U.S. Code. (g) No reporting is required for an activity paid for with appropriated funds if that activity is allowable under either subpart B or C of this part.
Title 20: Employees' Benefits
PART 438—RESTRICTIONS ON LOBBYING
Subpart A—General
§ 438.100 Conditions on use of funds.
§ 438.105 Definitions.
§ 438.110 Certification and disclosure.
