{
  "id": "RS22231",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RS22231",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 307505,
      "date": "2005-08-26",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T19:33:21.385029",
      "title": "The Acceptance of Gifts of Free Meals by Members of Congress",
      "summary": "Under House and Senate Rules, Members and staff may not solicit gifts for themselves, and may\nnot\naccept gifts from any source except in narrowly defined circumstances expressly set out in the\nrespective rules. There is  no  general exception to the current gift rule prohibitions for the\nacceptance\nof free \u201cmeals,\u201d and thus meals provided by outside, private third parties to Members\nor staff are\nconsidered \u201cgifts\u201d to them, and may not be accepted unless under circumstances\nwhich meet other\nspecific exceptions. There are a number of circumstances under which Members or staff  may \naccept\nfree meals offered by private individuals under express exceptions in the congressional rules. The\nmost common exceptions to the gifts prohibitions are for gifts of  de minimis  value (under\n$50); the\nexception for gifts from and between family members; gifts made on the basis of a \u201cpersonal\nfriendship\u201d; personal hospitality at the home of an individual; or meals which are part of a\npermissible event attended by the Member or employee. Gifts from those who are lobbyists, foreign\nagents, or who otherwise have an interest in congressional business are of particular concern and\nrequire the exercise of the most caution under House and Senate Rules. The House Committee on\nStandards of Official Conduct has noted, for example, that under the so-called \u201cpersonal\nfriendship\u201d\nexemption \u201cwhere a Member or staff person is offered a gift by a lobbyist or someone else\nwho has\ninterests before Congress and either ... the gift is not paid for personally, or there has not been\nreciprocal gift giving, the official should not accept the gift on the basis of the personal friendship\nprovision.\u201d",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
      "formats": [
        {
          "format": "HTML",
          "encoding": "utf-8",
          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RS22231",
          "sha1": "82f1f93280426e522573fdd25adc5c14acf46190",
          "filename": "files/20050826_RS22231_82f1f93280426e522573fdd25adc5c14acf46190.html",
          "images": null
        },
        {
          "format": "PDF",
          "encoding": null,
          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RS22231",
          "sha1": "f51e7f34075cab084b1f38e973b8808b77420d90",
          "filename": "files/20050826_RS22231_f51e7f34075cab084b1f38e973b8808b77420d90.pdf",
          "images": null
        }
      ],
      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": []
}