Section 304-5.3 - What does our approving official need to consider before authorizing acceptance of payment from a non-Federal source for travel expenses for a meeting?(a) The approving official must not authorize acceptance of the payment if the approving official determines that acceptance of the payment under the circumstances would cause a reasonable person with knowledge of all the facts relevant to a particular case to question the integrity of agency programs or operations. The approving official must be guided by all relevant considerations, including but not limited to the- (1) Identity of the non-Federal source;(2) Purpose of the meeting;(3) Identity of other expected participants;(4) Nature and sensitivity of any matter pending at the agency which may affect the interest of the non-Federal source;(5) Significance of the employee's role in any such matter; and(6) Monetary value and character of the travel benefits offered by the non-Federal source.(b) The agency official may find that, while acceptance from the non-Federal source is permissible, it is in the interest of the agency to qualify acceptance of the offered payment by, for example, authorizing attendance at only a portion of the event or limiting the type or character of benefits that may be accepted.