OCIO Speaker Request Form

Terms & Conditions

OCIO will confirm or decline requests for the Official's attendance at your event approximately 1-month to 6-weeks prior to the date of the event.

You may not include the OCIO Official’s name, title, and/or photo in any materials until we confirm attendance.  You also may not list the OCIO Official as "invited" until we confirm attendance.

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS OR APPEARANCES BY OCIO: INFORMATION FOR OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS CONCERNING PROHIBITED GIFTS

Organizations that invite OCIO Officials to speak or otherwise participate in their events or activities often ask whether gifts or other tokens of appreciation are permissible.  An Executive Order precludes, subject to certain exceptions, OCIO Officials from accepting gifts valued at any amount from registered lobbyists and lobbying organizations.  Gifts received from media organizations, or 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations are not subject to the lobbyist gift ban provided that the employee of the organization offering the gift is not him or herself a registered lobbyist.  In addition, federal ethics regulations prohibit, subject to certain exceptions, any federal government employee, including OCIO Officials, from personally accepting honoraria, gifts, favors, opportunities, benefits, discounts, or other items of value worth more than $20 that are offered because of official position or tendered by those who may have matters before the Department.  The following items, however, may be offered and accepted without regard to the $20 limit or the lobbyist gift ban, except where noted in italics.

• Modest items of food and refreshments, such as soft drinks, coffee, and donuts, offered other than as part of a meal.
• Food, refreshments, and entertainment offered in a group setting with other attendees at an event or conference at which OCIO Officials will deliver official remarks as a speaker or panel participant, if provided by the sponsoring organization on the day of the OCIO Official’s presentation.
• Food, refreshments, and entertainment at a widely attended gathering for which there is an agency interest in the OCIO Official’s attendance, if the invitation has been tendered directly by the sponsoring organization that is holding the event.  An invitation from a third party who has purchased tickets to the event cannot be accepted unless more than 100 persons will attend, and the market value of free attendance is $350 or less.  Complimentary widely attended gathering invitations from registered lobbyists or lobbying organizations, other than nonprofit or media organizations may not be accepted.
• Plaques, certificates, and trophies that are intended solely for presentation and that have little intrinsic value are acceptable tokens of appreciation.  (Note that art objects, glass works, sculptured trophies and similar items that have residual value or utility, even where diminished by an engraving, logo, or other marking, may not be accepted personally as a token of appreciation.  Under certain circumstances, such valuable items may be presented to OCIO Officials, but these gifts must be treated as gifts to the Department for retention or display in accordance with applicable regulations.)
• Native artwork, crafts, or other items representative of traditional native culture offered by Indian tribes or Alaska native villages that do not exceed $200 in value.  (Note that if the tribe or village has specific matters presently pending for decision by OCIO, then acceptance is permitted only upon a written determination of agency interest.)
• Food, refreshments, and entertainment, as well as tangible items of appreciation, valued at $350 or less offered by foreign governments, foreign political parties, and international or multinational organizations of which the United States is a member.  Tangible items exceeding $350 may be accepted on behalf of the Department for retention or display in accordance with applicable regulations.
• Food, refreshments, and entertainment at a meeting or event in a foreign country attended by foreign nationals and offered by persons or organizations other than a foreign government, if the value does not exceed the Department of State’s maximum per diem rate for that area.  Complimentary hospitality tendered in a foreign country by registered lobbyists or lobbying organizations, other than nonprofit or media organizations may not be accepted.

Other rules apply to honorary degrees and awards for meritorious public service or achievement that include gifts of monetary value or that are signified by presentation items other than plaques, certificates, or trophies.  These situations must be reviewed and approved in advance by the Department.  Your assistance in ensuring compliance with these requirements will avoid an awkward or embarrassing situation in which items tendered impromptu must be declined or returned.  Your cooperation in advising OCIO of any proposed gifts is appreciated.