[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 22, Volume 1]
[Revised as of April 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 22CFR3.8]

[Page 15]
 
                       TITLE 22--FOREIGN RELATIONS
 
                     CHAPTER I--DEPARTMENT OF STATE
 
PART 3--GIFTS AND DECORATIONS FROM FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 3.8  Approval of retention of gifts or decorations with employing agency for official use.

    (a) At the request of an overseas post or an office within the 
employing agency, a gift or decoration deemed to have been accepted on 
behalf of the United States may be retained for official use. Such 
retention should be approved:
    (1) For the Department of State, by the Chief of Protocol;
    (2) For IDCA, by AID's Director of Management Operations;
    (3) For AID, by the Director of Management Operations; and
    (4) For USICA, by the Associate Director for Management.

However, to qualify for such approval, the gift or decoration should be 
an item which can be used in the normal conduct of agency business, such 
as a rug or a tea service, or an art object meriting display, such as a 
painting or sculpture. Personal gift items, such as wristwatches, 
jewelry, or wearing apparel, should not be regarded as suitable for 
``official use''. Only under unusual circumstances will retention of a 
decoration for official use be authorized. Every effort should be made 
to place each ``official use'' item in a location that will afford the 
largest number of employees, and, if feasible, members of the public, 
the maximum opportunity to receive the benefit of its display, provided 
the security of the location is adequate.
    (b) Items approved for official use must be accounted for and 
safeguarded as Federal property at all times under standard Federal 
property management procedures. Within 30 days after the official use of 
a gift has been terminated, the gift or decoration shall be deposited 
with the designated depository office of the employing agency to be held 
pending completion of disposal arrangements by the General Services 
Administration.