I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1081
To amend title 44, United States Code, to direct the Archivist of the United
States to maintain an inventory of all gifts received from domestic
sources for the President, the Executive Residence at the White House,
or a Presidential archival depository.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 15, 2001
Mr. OSE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Government Reform
A BILL
To amend title 44, United States Code, to direct the Archi-
vist of the United States to maintain an inventory of
all gifts received from domestic sources for the President,
the Executive Residence at the White House, or a Presi-
dential archival depository.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Accountability for
Presidential Gifts Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) There is no clear accountability for Presi-
dential gifts, since multiple lists of such gifts are
separately maintained by different Federal agencies,
including by the White House Gifts Unit, the Na-
tional Park Service, and the National Archives and
Records Administration.
(2) The lack of a consolidated record of the re-
ceipt, administration, and disposition of Presidential
gifts creates confusion about the status of some of
those gifts.
(3) Requiring the National Archives and
Records Administration to maintain an inventory of
Presidential gifts would eliminate such confusion
and ensure accountability.
SEC. 3. INVENTORY OF PRESIDENTIAL GIFTS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 22 of title 44, United
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing:
‘‘§ 2208. Inventory of Presidential gifts
‘‘(a) The Archivist shall maintain a current inventory
of all Presidential gifts.
‘‘(b) The inventory shall include, with respect to each
Presidential gift, the following information:
‘‘(1) The date of receipt by the Federal Govern-
ment.
‘‘(2) A description.
‘‘(3) The estimated cost or appraised value.
‘‘(4) The donor.
‘‘(5) Any indication of whether the intent of the
donor was to make the gift to the United States or
to the President personally.
‘‘(6) The current location and status of the gift,
including identification of the Federal agency or
other person having control of the gift.
‘‘(c) The head of a Federal office or agency, including
any unit in the Executive Office of the President, having
possession of any record containing information regarding
the receipt, location, control, or disposition of a Presi-
dential gift shall, upon receipt of such information, report
such information to the Archivist in accordance with regu-
lations issued by the Archivist under this section.
‘‘(d) The Archivist shall make available to the public,
upon request, any information in the inventory maintained
under this section.
‘‘(e) The Archivist shall report to the Committee on
Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee
on Government Reform of the House of Representatives
each proposed disposition of a Presidential gift other
than—
‘‘(1) a gift from a relative of the President; and
‘‘(2) a gift having a value of less than $250.
‘‘(f)(1) The Archivist shall issue regulations imple-
menting this section.
‘‘(2) The Archivist may not issue any nonbinding
guidance for purposes of this section.
‘‘(g) In this section:
‘‘(1) The term ‘gift’ has the meaning that term
has under section 109 of the Ethics in Government
Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.).
‘‘(2) The term ‘Presidential gift’ means any gift
to or for the benefit of the President personally, the
President in his or her official capacity, the Execu-
tive Residence at the White House, or a Presidential
archival depository, other than a gift from a foreign
government (as that term is defined in section
7342(a) of title 5, United States Code).’’.
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections
for chapter 22 of title 44, United States Code, is amended
by adding at the end the following:
‘‘2208. Inventory of Presidential gifts.’’.
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