OAR 199-005-0030: Determining the Source of Gifts

(1) ORS 244.025 and 244.040(2)(e) limit the receipt of gifts from sources that could reasonably be known to have a legislative or administrative interest in the vote or decision of the public official who holds any official position or office. This rule is intended to clarify how a public official determines who the source of the gift is. Public officials need to be aware of the source of any gifts they receive (or those that are received by their relatives or members of their household), regardless of amount, to make sure that they comply with the $50 limit on gifts from a single source in a calendar year. To that end, public officials should not accept gifts in any amount without obtaining information from the person or entity offering the gift as to who is the source of the gift. It is the public official's personal responsibility to ensure that no single source provides gifts exceeding an aggregate value of $50 in a calendar year, if the source has a legislative or administrative interest. (2) The source of any gift provided to a public official is the ultimate payer(s) of the expense. (3) The $50 gift limit in ORS 244.025 applies separately to the public official or candidate, and to the public official or candidate's relatives or members of household. Each such individual may accept gifts from a single source of a total of $50 per calendar year.