Authorization for Acceptance of Travel Expenses from Non-Federal Sources (DI-2000)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

 
 
 
 
You should complete and submit a DI-2000 to the ethics team servicing your Bureau/Office whenever you have been offered travel-related gifts by a non-Federal source(s) in connection with official travel to attend a meeting, conference, or similar event, whether you are personally presenting information on behalf of the agency at the event or accompanying a presenting official at the event.  Please be advised that you must also have an approved travel authorization before the travel begins.  Examples of travel-related gifts include the following:
 
a. Waived registration fee;
 
b. Hotel and airfare; 
 
c. Ground or other type of transportation during the event (e.g., a boat tour; a bus ride to/from certain sites); or
 
d. Meals and/or other travel related services (e.g., baggage expenses, lodging taxes, taxi fare, etc.).
 
 
You should submit a DI-2000 to the ethics team servicing your Bureau/Office as soon as you know you intend to attend a meeting, conference, or similar event in your official capacity and any travel expenses have been offered to you by a non-Federal source in connection with your attendance at the event, but no later than five (5) business days before the event.  This is to ensure (a) your ethics team has time to review your DI-2000; and (b) your approving official has time to review and approve your DI-2000, which must be done prior to the beginning of your travel.  Your approving official is the person with the authority to approve your official travel authorization.
 
 
Every time you submit a DI-2000 to the ethics team servicing your Bureau/Office, you should include the following materials to the extent they are available:
a. A complete copy of the invitation to attend/participate in the event, whether received by email, letter, or otherwise (if otherwise, please provide details);
 
b. The name of the person who invited you to attend the event if not included on the invitation; 
 
c. The event agenda;
 
d. Information showing that travel-related gifts have been offered to you by a non-Federal source (e.g., a statement reflected in the invitation, an email from the event sponsor, an email to the event sponsor memorializing a telephone discussion);
 
e. Information showing the price of each travel-related gift that has been offered to you (e.g., a copy of the event registration page with pricing information; an email from the event point of contact stating the price information; a copy of your travel authorization showing lodging and transportation costs); and
 
f. The website where additional information can be obtained about the event.
 
 
The “sponsor” of an event, also known as the “host” of an event, is the organization that is responsible for actively organizing, planning, and conducting the event intend to attend.  The “sponsor/host” of the event provides more than just the physical space at which the event will be held.  The “sponsor/host” also does more than merely provide financial support for the event.  On occasion, there may be more than one “sponsor” of an event. 
 
 
As an initial matter, only “travel expenses” offered by a non-Federal source in connection with official travel should be included on a DI-2000.  Any expense paid by the government does not need to be included.  The term “travel expenses” is broadly defined and includes:
 
a. Transportation, food, lodging, or other travel related services for official travel (e.g., baggage expenses, lodging taxes, taxi fares, etc.) and offered by any non-Federal source; or
 
b. Registration fees (whether the registration fee itself and any items included in the registration fee also should be included on a DI-2000 will depend on whether you are/are not speaking/presenting information on behalf of your Bureau/Office or the Department at the event (see FAQ No. 7)); or
 
c. In-kind benefits made available to all attendees and that are incident to the event and offered by the non-Federal sponsor/host (see FAQ No. 4) of the event.
 
 
Other offered items that do not constitute “travel expenses” (defined in FAQ No. 5) may not be accepted by your Bureau/Office or the Department on a DI-2000.  However, these items potentially may be accepted by you under another authority, such as the $20 or less gift exception.  If you have any questions regarding whether you may accept any other item that is offered to you, please contact the ethics team servicing your Bureau/Office for further guidance.
 
 
It depends on whether you are a speaker/presenter at the event or only attending the event.  
 
a. If you are a speaker/presenter at the event
 
i. The waived registration fee on the day(s) you speak/present information on behalf of your Bureau/Office or the Department does not need to be included on a DI-2000.  However, if the registration fee includes a meal, reception, entertainment, materials, or any other in-kind benefits offered by the non-Federal sponsor of the event to all attendees as part of the registration fee and you intend to partake of any of these items on the day(s) of your presentation, you must include and itemize the cost of any such item on the DI-2000.
 
ii. If the event is scheduled for multiple days and you will attend the event beyond the day(s) you are speaking/presenting information on behalf of your Bureau/Office or the Department, you must also include the registration fee amount that is charged to others attending the event on those same day(s) on the DI-2000.
 
b. If you are only attending the event, the registration fee amount that is charged to others attending the event on the same day(s) you intend to attend needs to be included on the DI-2000.  Meals and other items included in the registration fee, however, do not have to be itemized separately on the DI-2000.
 
 
Events listed on the agenda but not included as a part of the registration fee, such as meals, receptions, and other events, should be itemized on your DI-2000 and, in some cases, may require you to complete a DI-1958 in addition to a DI-2000.  Please contact the ethics team servicing your Bureau/Office for specific guidance should the agenda of the event you intend to attend include meals, receptions, and other events that are not part of the registration fee.   
 
 
It depends.  If you are only attending the event, you do not need to itemize these two meals on the DI-2000.  You only need to include the registration fee amount that is charged to others attending the event on the same day(s) you intend to attend on the DI-2000.  
 
If, however, you are speaking/presenting information on behalf of your Bureau/Office or the Department at the event, then: 
 
i. The waived registration fee on the day(s) you speak/present does not need to be included on a DI-2000.  However, if the registration fee includes a meal, reception, entertainment, materials, or any other in-kind benefits offered by the non-Federal sponsor of the event to all attendees as part of the registration fee and you intend to partake of any of these items on the day(s) of your presentation, you must include and itemize the cost of any such item on the DI-2000.
 
ii. If the event is scheduled for multiple days and you will attend the event beyond the day(s) you are speaking/presenting information on behalf of your agency, you must also include the registration fee amount that is charged to others attending the event on those same day(s)) on the DI-2000.
 
 
No, you may not solicit payment for travel expenses from a non-Federal source to attend a meeting, conference, or similar event.  
 
 
No, payments from a non-Federal source(s) for travel related gifts can only be accepted if in-kind or by check or other monetary instrument made out to your Bureau/Office, or the Department of the Interior if you are not a Bureau/Office employee, and never to you personally.  Cash may never be accepted.
 
 
You should immediately inform the ethics team servicing your Bureau/Office for guidance on whether the travel expenses are eligible to be accepted.  In the event such travel expenses are eligible for acceptance, you must submit to your ethics team a request for authorization to accept these benefits within seven (7) working days after your trip ends.  
 
 
Yes, if the exact amount of every travel expense offered to you by a non-Federal source(s) is not available, then you may include an estimate of these expenses on your DI-2000.  However, you are required to provide to the ethics team servicing your Bureau/Office the exact amount for any estimate that was included on your DI-2000 within fifteen (15) days of returning from your travel.
 
 
Generally, no.  Travel expenses accepted from a non-Federal source(s) in connection with official travel using a DI-2000 are considered gifts to the Federal government and therefore not reportable on your financial disclosure report (OGE Form 450 or 278e).  Only travel gifts you, your spouse, and/or dependent children accept personally, rather than on behalf of the Federal government, may be required to be reported on your financial disclosure report to the extent such gifts meet certain reporting thresholds. 
 
 
Yes:  
 
a. If you include any estimated costs for travel-related benefits on your DI-2000, you must provide exact amounts to the ethics team servicing your Bureau/Office within fifteen (15) days of returning from your travel;
 
b. If you receive additional benefits that were not previously approved on a DI-2000, you must submit a new/additional DI-2000 within seven (7) working days after your trip ends.  
 
 
You should consider whether the donor(s) of your travel expenses has any interest in any official matter(s) involving your Bureau/Office or the Department in general.  As part of your analysis, review your work and also consider the work of your colleagues, supervisor, and others in your Bureau/Office and the Department.  If any of the following is applicable to the donor(s), then they would have a matter before your Bureau/Office or the Department and you should disclose such information to your ethics team:
 
a. Seeks or has an existing contract, grant, or cooperative agreement with your Bureau/Office or the Department;
 
b. Seeks or has a lease, permit, or any other similar benefit from your Bureau/Office or the Department; 
 
c. Has a pending enforcement action or litigation involving your Bureau/Office or the Department; 
 
d. Other matters involving DOI-related decision or ruling; or
 
e. Represents any person, company, industry, or entity in connection with items (a)-(d).
 
Note that the list above is not all-inclusive, but rather examples of ways to discern if the donor(s) has matters before your Bureau/Office or the Department.  Also, please be advised that additional discussions may be necessary with the ethics team servicing your Bureau/Office to determine whether the donor(s) has matters before your Bureau/Office or the Department.  
 
A helpful tool to assist you in identifying whether a donor(s) has any existing interest in an official matter before your Bureau/Office or the Department is the USASpending website which can be accessed at https://www.usaspending.gov/.
 
 
No, except under very limited and rare circumstances.  A non-Federal source may pay for your spouse to accompany you on official travel, but only when it is in the interest of and authorized in advance by your Bureau/Office.  All of the limitations and requirements that apply to you will also apply to your accompanying spouse. The ethics team and authorized official of your Bureau/Office will determine whether your spouse's presence at the event is in the interest of the agency.  Your spouse’s attendance/presence at the event MUST:
 
a. Support the mission of your agency or substantially assist you in carrying out your official duties;
 
b. Be for a ceremony at which you will receive an award or honorary degree; or
 
c. Involve their participation in substantive programs related to the agency's programs or operations.
 
 
Please contact the servicing ethics team for your Bureau/Office.  Their contact information is located here.  

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