45 C.F.R. § 706.10 Gifts, entertainment, and favors.
Title 45 - Public Welfare
(a) Except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (e) of this section, an employee shall not solicit or accept, directly or indirectly, any gift, gratuity, favor, entertainment, loan, or any other thing of monetary value from a person who: (1) Has, or is seeking to obtain, contractual or other business or financial relations with the Commission; (2) Conducts operations or activities that are regulated by the Commission; or (3) Has interests that may be substantially affected by the performance or nonperformance of the employee's official duty. (b) Exceptions from the prohibitions contained in paragraph (a) of this section are as follows: (1) Gifts, entertainment, and favors that derive from family or personal relationships (such as those between parents, children, or spouse of the employee and the employee) when the circumstances make it clear that it is those relationships rather than the business of the persons concerned that are the motivating factors; (2) Acceptance of food and refreshments of nominal value on infrequent occasions in the ordinary course of a luncheon or dinner meeting or other meeting or on an inspection tour where an employee may properly be in attendance; (3) Acceptance of loans from banks or other financial institutions on customary terms to finance proper and usual activities of employees, such as home mortgage loans; and (4) Acceptance of unsolicited advertising or promotional material, such as pens, pencils, note pads, calendars, and other items of nominal intrinsic value. (c) Employees shall not solicit a contribution from another employee for a gift to an official superior, make a donation as a gift to an official superior, or accept a gift from an employee receiving less pay than themselves. This paragraph, however, does not prohibit a voluntary gift of nominal value or donation in a nominal amount made on a special occasion such as marriage, illness, or retirement. (d) An employee shall not accept a gift, present, decoration, or other thing from a foreign government unless authorized by Congress as provided by the Constitution and 5 U.S.C. 7342. (e) Neither this section nor §706.11 precludes an employee from receipt of bona fide reimbursement, unless prohibited by law, for expenses of travel and such other necessary subsistence as is compatible with this part, for which no Government payment or reimbursement is made. This paragraph, however, does not allow employees to be reimbursed, or payment to be made on their behalf, for excessive personal living expenses, gifts, entertainment, or other personal benefits.
Title 45: Public Welfare
PART 706—EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES AND CONDUCT
Subpart B—Ethical and Other Conduct and Responsibilities of Employees
§ 706.10 Gifts, entertainment, and favors.
