(a) Prior to the approval of any contract by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, or by any organizational unit of the authority, the authority shall adopt an ordinance comparable to Chapter 9.5 (commencing with Section 89500) of Title 9 of the Government Code, which regulates the acceptance of gifts by members of the authority, members of the board of an organizational unit, and designated employees, as defined by Section 82019 of the Government Code, of the authority. The ordinance shall prohibit any designated employee of the authority from accepting gifts with a total value of more than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) in a calendar year from any single source.

(b) The ordinance shall require the limitations on receiving gifts by members of the authority, and members of the board of an organizational unit who are not elected local officials to be substantially comparable to those specified by Chapter 9.5 (commencing with Section 89500) of Title 9 of the Government Code.

(c) For the purposes of this section, “gift” has the same meaning as defined in Section 82028 of the Government Code.

(d) (1) Payments, advances, or reimbursements, for travel, including actual transportation and related lodging and subsistence which is reasonably related to a governmental purpose, or to an issue of local, state, national or international public policy, is not prohibited or limited by this section if either of the following apply:

(A) The travel is in connection with a speech given by a member, member of the board of an organizational unit, or designated employee, the lodging and subsistence expenses are limited to the day immediately preceding, the day of, and the day immediately following the speech, and the travel is within the United States.

(B) The travel is provided by a government, a governmental agency, a foreign government, a governmental authority, a bona fide public or private educational institution, as defined in Section 203 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, or a nonprofit charitable or religious organization which is exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or by a person domiciled outside the United States which substantially satisfies the requirements for tax exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

(2) Gifts of travel not described in paragraph (1) are subject to the limits in this section.

(3) Paragraph (1) applies only to travel which is reported on the recipient’s statement of economic interest.

(4) For purposes of this section, a gift does not include travel which is provided by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

(5) (A) The policy shall specify appropriate penalties for violations by employees including, but not limited to, personnel action.

(B) The policy shall specify appropriate penalties for violations by members of the authority, and the members of the board of an organizational unit who are not subject to Chapter 9.5 (commencing with Section 89500) of Title 9 of the Government Code, which shall include, but not be limited to, removal from office by the appointing authority.

(Amended by Stats. 1997, Ch. 900, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 1998.)