---
kind: "section"
citation: "10 U.S.C. § 2610"
title: "10"
title_heading: "Armed Forces"
number: "2610"
heading: "Competitions for excellence: acceptance of monetary awards"
release: "119-102"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/10/2610"
units:
  - "Subtitle A — General Military Law"
  - "Part IV — Service, Supply, and Property"
  - "Chapter 155 — Acceptance of Gifts and Services"
---

# §2610. Competitions for excellence: acceptance of monetary awards

- (a) **Acceptance Authorized.—** The Secretary of Defense may accept a monetary award given to the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense by a nongovernmental entity as a result of the participation of the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) in a competition carried out to recognize excellence or innovation in providing services or administering programs.
- (b) **Disposition of Awards.—** A monetary award accepted under [subsection (a)](#a) shall be credited to one or more nonappropriated [fund](/usc/10/2871.md?p=6) accounts supporting morale, welfare, and recreation activities for the command, [installation](/usc/10/2920.md?p=h-5), or other activity that is recognized for the award. Amounts so credited may be expended only for such activities.
- (c) **Incidental Expenses.—** Subject to such limitations as may be provided in appropriation Acts, appropriations available to the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense may be used to [pay](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-15) incidental expenses incurred by the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) to participate in a competition described in [subsection (a)](#a) or to accept a monetary award under this section.
- (d) **Regulations and Reporting.—**
  - (1) The Secretary shall prescribe regulations to determine the disposition of monetary awards accepted under this section and the payment of incidental expenses under [subsection (c)](#c).
  - (2) At the end of each year, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report for that year describing the disposition of monetary awards accepted under this section and the payment of incidental expenses under [subsection (c)](#c).
- (e) **Termination.—** The authority of the Secretary under this section shall expire on February 10, 1998.

## Source credit

(Added Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title III, § 377(a), Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 283; amended Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title X, § 1074(a)(16), Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2659.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Amendments

1996—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 104–201 substituted “on February 10, 1998” for “two years after the date of the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996”.