Reporting a Gift to the CSU

Gift to CSU - Not the Individual (Form 801)

There are limited circumstances where gifts that afford a personal benefit to a CSU employee can be considered a gift to the CSU, and therefore need not be reported on the employee’s electronic Form 700: Statement of Economic Interests. Mostly, these are travel gifts, including accommodations and food associated with the travel.

To qualify as a gift to the CSU, the following strict statutory requirements must be met:

• The travel payment must be pre-approved in writing by the campus representative appointed  to handle such gifts;
• The designated campus representative must receive and control the gift and make the determination of which CSU employees will travel.  The donor may not designate by name, title, class or otherwise who will travel or otherwise use the gift;
• The travel must be for official CSU business;
• AND CSU must report the payment to the FPPC on a Conflict of Interest Form 801: Gifts to Agency and Instructions [pdf], and post it on the CSU website within 30 days of receipt or use.

Failure to comply with any of these requirements will result in the gift being classified as personal to the individual who traveled, and reportable on his/her electronic Form 700: Statement of Economic Interests.

Travel payments are limited to the amount of CSU’s own reimbursement rates.  If the cost of travel exceeds this rate, the difference is considered a gift to the employee and, if over $50 is reportable on the employee’s electronic Form 700: Statement of Economic Interests.