Blind Trust
Blind Trust
Blind Trust
MEMORANDUM
The sample blind trust agreement attached to this memorandum is made available by the
staff of the Select Committee on Ethics for use by Senate Members, officers, employees, and
their attorneys when drafting proposed trust agreements to be submitted for certification pursuant
to § 102(f)(3) of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, as amended. In any case in which the
use of a blind trust is contemplated, we recommend that the Committee staff be consulted as
early as possible.
Under the statute, a trust agreement is not recognized as creating a blind trust for any
purpose under Federal law unless it has been approved by this Committee prior to its execution.
No form language should be unqualifiedly relied upon. Each provision of the sample trust
agreement should be considered in connection with the circumstances of the particular case and
modified to the extent that may be appropriate. However, many of the provisions are required
by statute and therefore must be included in a proposed trust in order for it to be approved by the
Committee.
TRUST AGREEMENT
THIS TRUST AGREEMENT made and entered into this ______ day of _________,
201__, between __________________________________________ whose home address is
______________________________________________, hereinafter called the Grantor, and
________________________ of __________________________ , whose business address is
__________________________________________________ , hereinafter called the Trustee.
WITNESSETH
GRANTOR is a United States Senator for the State of ____________. To avoid any
conflict of interest, or appearance of any such conflict, which may arise from his duties and
powers in such office and any other office to which he may subsequently be appointed to the
extent provided for by section 102(f)(4)(A) of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (Pub. L.
95-521, as amended) [hereinafter referred to as the “Act”], Grantor hereby creates a trust to be
administered in accordance with the requirements of the Act, which shall become effective on
the date this agreement bears.
The Trustee is an eligible person, as specified in Section 102(f)(3)(A) who meets the
requirements of such section.
Grantor, therefore, hereby delivers to the Trustee, and the Trustee hereby acknowledges
receipt of, the property listed in the annexed Schedule A, subject to the provisions of this Trust
and the Act, and other applicable Federal laws.
The primary purpose of this Trust is to entrust to the Trustee decisions as to when and to
what extent the original assets of the Trust are to be sold or disposed of and in what investments
the proceeds of sale are to be reinvested, without any participation in, or knowledge of, such
decisions by any interested person. Accordingly, the Grantor and the Trustee agree as follows:
FIRST: (A) This Trust shall terminate upon the first to occur of the following -- (1)
Grantor’s ceasing for any reason to serve as a U.S. Senator and in any other
position to which he may have been subsequently appointed or elected in the
Federal Government and Grantor thereafter giving Trustee written notice
directing that this Trust be terminated; or (2) Grantor's death or
incompetence. The period between the date of this agreement and the
termination of the Trust shall be called the “Trust Term”.
SECOND: The Trustee shall administer this trust in accordance with the requirements of
the Act and, in the exercise of its authority and discretion to manage and
control the assets of this Trust shall not consult or notify any interested party.
THIRD: (A) Each asset listed in the annexed Schedule A is free of any restriction
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with respect to its transfer or sale, except as fully described in such Schedule
A, and none of the assets listed are prohibited by any law or regulation.
(B) During the Trust Term, the interested parties shall not pledge, mortgage,
or otherwise encumber their interests in the property held in trust hereunder.
FOURTH: The Trustee shall not knowingly or negligently disclose to the public or to
any interested party any information as to the acquisition, retention, or
disposition of any particular securities or other Trust property; except that,
the Trustee shall promptly notify the Grantor, the U.S. Senate Select
Committee on Ethics, and the Secretary of the Senate, Office of Public
Records when the holdings of a particular asset transferred to the Trust by
any interested party have been completely disposed of or when the value of
that asset becomes less than $1,000.
FIFTH: The income tax return of the Trust shall be prepared by the Trustee or his
designee, and such return and any information relating thereto (other than the
Trust income summarized in appropriate categories necessary to complete an
interested party's tax return), shall not be disclosed to the public or to any
interested party. To effectuate the provisions of this Article FIFTH, the
Trustee shall use its best efforts to provide the interested party, promptly
after the close of each taxable year of the Trust during the Trust Term, with
that information concerning the Trust, including information on income,
expenses, capital gains and capital losses, which is necessary for the
interested party to prepare and file tax returns required by the laws of the
United States and the laws of any State, district or political subdivision;
provided however, that in no event shall the Trustee disclose publicly or to
any interested party any information whatsoever which might identify the
securities or other property which comprise the assets of the Trust or identify
the securities or other property which have been sold from the assets of the
Trust.
SIXTH: An interested party shall not receive any report on the holdings and sources
of income of the Trust other than provided by Article FOURTH of this trust;
except that the Trustee shall --
(A) Make quarterly reports of the total cash value of such interested party’s
interest in the Trust,
(B) Report the net income or loss of the Trust and make other reports
necessary to enable the interested party to complete an individual tax return
required by law (in accordance with Article FIFTH of this Trust), and
(C) Provide an annual report for purposes of section 102(a)(1) and section
102(d)(1) of the Act and Senate Rule 34 of the aggregate amount of the
Trust’s value and income attributable to the beneficial interest in the Trust of
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(A) It relates to a request for a distribution from the Trust of cash or other
unspecified assets of the trust, or
(B) The communication is in writing and is filed by the person initiating the
communication at the office of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics
within five days of the communication, and it relates only --
(1) To the general financial interest and needs of the interested party
(including, but not limited to, an interest in maximizing income or long-term
capital gain),
(3) To directions to the Trustee to sell all of an asset initially placed in the
Trust by an interested party which in the determination of the Grantor creates
a conflict of interest or the appearance thereof due to the subsequent
assumption of duties by the Grantor (but any such direction is not required).
EIGHTH: The interested parties shall not take any action to obtain, and shall take
appropriate action to avoid receiving, information with respect to the
holdings of, and the sources of income of, the Trust, including obtaining a
copy of any Trust tax return filed by the Trustee or any information relating
thereto, except for the reports and information specified in Article SIXTH of
this Trust.
(A) Disclose any information to any interested party with respect to this
Trust that may not be disclosed pursuant to any provision or requirement of
Title I of the Act or this Trust,
(B) Acquire any holding the ownership of which is prohibited by, or not in
accordance with the terms of, this Trust, including the acceptance of any
contribution in cash or in kind to the trust from an individual other than the
Grantor,
(C) Solicit advice from any interested party with respect to this Trust, which
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Sample Trust Agreement December 2010
(A) Solicit or receive any information with respect to this Trust that may not
be disclosed pursuant to any provision or requirement of Title I of the Act or
this Trust, or
ELEVENTH Subject to such amounts as the Trustee may from time to time reserve for the
payment of such income taxes as may be due and payable by the Trust, and
for payment of expenses and compensation as provided for in this Trust,
during the Trust Term the Trustee shall pay to the Grantor $__ at the
beginning of each month.
TWELFTH: In addition to the rights, duties, and powers conferred upon the Trustee by
law, the Trustee shall have the following powers, rights, and discretion with
respect to any Trust property held by him:
(E) To elect, appoint, and remove directors of any corporation, the stock of
which shall constitute Trust property, and to act through its nominee as a
director or officer of any such corporation;
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(H) To register any property belonging to the Trust in the name of its
nominee, or to hold the same unregistered, or in such form that title shall
pass by delivery;
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(2) such person, under all the facts and circumstances, would be determined
to be independent of any interested party with respect to the trust
arrangement pursuant to the requirements of 102(f)(3)(A)(ii),
(5) except as specifically limited in this Trust agreement, to do all such acts,
take all such proceedings, and exercise all such rights and privileges,
although not otherwise specifically mentioned in this Article TWELFTH,
with relation to any such Trust property, as if the Trustee were the absolute
owner thereof, and in connection therewith to make, execute, and deliver any
instruments and to enter into any covenants or agreements binding the Trust.
THIRTEENTH: The Trustee shall not at any time be held liable for any action taken or not
taken or for any loss or depreciation of the value of any property held in the
Trust whether due to an error of judgment or otherwise where the Trustee has
exercised good faith and ordinary diligence in the exercise of its duties such
as would have been exercised by a prudent man.
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FIFTEENTH: Except as provided in Article SIXTH of this Trust, the Trustee shall make no
accounting to the Grantor until the date of termination of this Trust, and, at
such time, it shall be required to make full and proper accounting and turn
over to the Grantor all assets of the Trust then held by it the said Trustee.
SIXTEENTH: The Trustee shall be compensated in accordance with the table in the
annexed Schedule B, or as provided for by the laws of the State of
__________________.
SEVENTEENTH: The Trustee (and any substitute or successor) shall have the right, by a duly
acknowledged instrument delivered to the Grantor to resign as Trustee in
which event the Grantor shall designate and appoint a substitute or successor
Trustee (subject to the prior written approval of the U.S. Senate Select
Committee on Ethics) in his place and stead, which shall have all of the
rights, powers, discretions, and duties conferred or imposed hereunder upon
the original Trustee.
EIGHTEENTH: Any amendment of the terms of this Trust Agreement, including the
appointment of a substitute or successor Trustee, shall require the prior
written approval of the Committee, upon a showing of necessity and
appropriateness unless it relates to the testamentary provisions of this trust.
Any such substitute or successor Trustee shall have all of the rights, powers,
discretions, and duties conferred or imposed hereunder upon the original
Trustee.
The term “interested party” as used in this Trust means the Grantor, his spouse, any minor or
dependent child, and their representatives.
The validity, construction, and administration of this Trust shall be governed by the Act
(and regulations thereunder) and the laws of the State of ___________________.
_____________________________
Grantor
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_____________________________
Trustee
By: __________________________
__________________________
(title)
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CERTIFICATION OF INDEPENDENCE
OF TRUSTEE OF QUALIFIED BLIND TRUST
2. The undersigned and any officer or employee of the undersigned person or entity who is involved
in, or who will be involved in the management or control of the trust:
(a) Is independent of and not associated with any interested party so that the trustee or other
person cannot be controlled or influenced in the administration of the trust by any
interested party (an “interested party” is defined in § 102(f)(3)(E) of the Act);
(b) Is not and has not been an employee of or affiliated with any interested party and is not a
partner of, or involved in any joint venture or other investment with, any interested party;
and
(c) Is not a relative of any interested party (a “relative” is defined in § 109(16) of the Act).
_________________
Address
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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December 2010
The following is the language of the qualified blind trust provisions of the public financial
disclosure requirements of Title I of the Ethics in Government Act, as amended. For a copy of
the full text of the Act, contact the Senate Ethics Committee.
(2) A reporting individual need not report the holdings of or the source of income from any of the holdings of--
(A) any qualified blind trust (as defined in paragraph (3));
(B) a trust--
(i) which was not created directly by such individual, his spouse, or any dependent child, and
(ii) the holdings or sources of income of which such individual, his spouse, and any dependent child have no
knowledge of; or
(C) an entity described under the provisions of paragraph (8), but such individual shall report the category of the
amount of income received by him, his spouse, or any dependent child from the trust or other entity under subsection
(a)(1)(B) of this section.
(3) For purposes of this subsection, the term "qualified blind trust" includes any trust in which a reporting
individual, his spouse, or any minor or dependent child has a beneficial interest in the principal or income, and
which meets the following requirements:
(A) (i) The trustee of the trust and any other entity designated in the trust instrument to perform fiduciary duties
is a financial institution, an attorney, a certified public accountant, a broker, or an investment advisor who--
(I) is independent of and not associated with any interested party so that the trustee or other person cannot be
controlled or influenced in the administration of the trust by any interested party; and
(II) is not and has not been an employee of or affiliated with any interested party and is not a partner of, or
involved in any joint venture or other investment with, any interested party; and
(III) is not a relative of any interested party.
(ii) Any officer or employee of a trustee or other entity who is involved in the management or control of the
trust--
(I) is independent of and not associated with any interested party so that such officer or employee cannot be
controlled or influenced in the administration of the trust by any interested party;
(II) is not a partner of, or involved in any joint venture or other investment with, any interested party; and
(III) is not a relative of any interested party.
(B) Any asset transferred to the trust by an interested party is free of any restriction with respect to its transfer or
sale unless such restriction is expressly approved by the supervising ethics office of the reporting individual.
(C) The trust instrument which establishes the trust provides that--
(i) except to the extent provided in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, the trustee in the exercise of his
authority and discretion to manage and control the assets of the trust shall not consult or notify any interested party;
(ii) the trust shall not contain any asset the holding of which by an interested party is prohibited by any law or
regulation;
(iii) the trustee shall promptly notify the reporting individual and his supervising ethics office when the
holdings of any particular asset transferred to the trust by any interested party are disposed of or when the value of
such holding is less than $ 1,000;
(iv) the trust tax return shall be prepared by the trustee or his designee, and such return and any information
relating thereto (other than the trust income summarized in appropriate categories necessary to complete an
interested party's tax return), shall not be disclosed to any interested party;
(v) an interested party shall not receive any report on the holdings and sources of income of the trust, except a
report at the end of each calendar quarter with respect to the total cash value of the interest of the interested party in
the trust or the net income or loss of the trust or any reports necessary to enable the interested party to complete an
individual tax return required by law or to provide the information required by subsection (a)(1) of this section, but
such report shall not identify any asset or holding;
(vi) except for communications which solely consist of requests for distributions of cash or other unspecified
assets of the trust, there shall be no direct or indirect communication between the trustee and an interested party with
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respect to the trust unless such communication is in writing and unless it relates only (I) to the general financial
interest and needs of the interested party (including, but not limited to, an interest in maximizing income or long-
term capital gain), (II) to the notification of the trustee of a law or regulation subsequently applicable to the reporting
individual which prohibits the interested party from holding an asset, which notification directs that the asset not be
held by the trust, or (III) to directions to the trustee to sell all of an asset initially placed in the trust by an interested
party which in the determination of the reporting individual creates a conflict of interest or the appearance thereof
due to the subsequent assumption of duties by the reporting individual (but nothing herein shall require any such
direction); and
(vii) the interested parties shall make no effort to obtain information with respect to the holdings of the trust,
including obtaining a copy of any trust tax return filed or any information relating thereto except as otherwise
provided in this subsection.
(D) The proposed trust instrument and the proposed trustee is approved by the reporting individual's supervising
ethics office.
(E) For purposes of this subsection, "interested party" means a reporting individual, his spouse, and any minor or
dependent child; "broker" has the meaning set forth in section 3(a)(4) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934
(15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(4)); and "investment adviser" includes any investment adviser who, as determined under
regulations prescribed by the supervising ethics office, is generally involved in his role as such an adviser in the
management or control of trusts.
(F) Any trust qualified by a supervising ethics office before the effective date of title II of the Ethics Reform Act
of 1989 shall continue to be governed by the law and regulations in effect immediately before such effective date.
(4) (A) An asset placed in a trust by an interested party shall be considered a financial interest of the reporting
individual, for the purposes of any applicable conflict of interest statutes, regulations, or rules of the Federal
Government (including section 208 of title 18, United States Code), until such time as the reporting individual is
notified by the trustee that such asset has been disposed of, or has a value of less than $ 1,000.
(B) (i) The provisions of subparagraph (A) shall not apply with respect to a trust created for the benefit of a
reporting individual, or the spouse, dependent child, or minor child of such a person, if the supervising ethics office
for such reporting individual finds that--
(I) the assets placed in the trust consist of a well-diversified portfolio of readily marketable securities;
(II) none of the assets consist of securities of entities having substantial activities in the area of the reporting
individual's primary area of responsibility;
(III) the trust instrument prohibits the trustee, notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (3)(C)(iii) and
(iv) of this subsection, from making public or informing any interested party of the sale of any securities;
(IV) the trustee is given power of attorney, notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (3)(C)(v) of this
subsection, to prepare on behalf of any interested party the personal income tax returns and similar returns which
may contain information relating to the trust; and
(V) except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, the trust instrument provides (or in the case of a trust
established prior to the effective date of this Act which by its terms does not permit amendment, the trustee, the
reporting individual, and any other interested party agree in writing) that the trust shall be administered in
accordance with the requirements of this subsection and the trustee of such trust meets the requirements of paragraph
(3)(A).
(ii) In any instance covered by subparagraph (B) in which the reporting individual is an individual whose
nomination is being considered by a congressional committee, the reporting individual shall inform the congressional
committee considering his nomination before or during the period of such individual's confirmation hearing of his
intention to comply with this paragraph.
(5) (A) The reporting individual shall, within thirty days after a qualified blind trust is approved by his supervising
ethics office, file with such office a copy of--
(i) the executed trust instrument of such trust (other than those provisions which relate to the testamentary
disposition of the trust assets), and
(ii) a list of the assets which were transferred to such trust, including the category of value of each asset as
determined under subsection (d) of this section.
This subparagraph shall not apply with respect to a trust meeting the requirements for being considered a
qualified blind trust under paragraph (7) of this subsection.
(B) The reporting individual shall, within thirty days of transferring an asset (other than cash) to a previously
established qualified blind trust, notify his supervising ethics office of the identity of each such asset and the
category of value of each asset as determined under subsection (d) of this section.
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Sample Trust Agreement December 2010
(C) Within thirty days of the dissolution of a qualified blind trust, a reporting individual shall--
(i) notify his supervising ethics office of such dissolution, and
(ii) file with such office a copy of a list of the assets of the trust at the time of such dissolution and the category
of value under subsection (d) of this section of each such asset.
(D) Documents filed under subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) of this paragraph and the lists provided by the trustee
of assets placed in the trust by an interested party which have been sold shall be made available to the public in the
same manner as a report is made available under section 105 [5 USCS Appx. § 105] and the provisions of that section
shall apply with respect to such documents and lists.
(E) A copy of each written communication with respect to the trust under paragraph (3)(C)(vi) shall be filed by
the person initiating the communication with the reporting individual's supervising ethics office within five days of
the date of the communication.
(6) (A) A trustee of a qualified blind trust shall not knowingly and willfully, or negligently, (i) disclose any
information to an interested party with respect to such trust that may not be disclosed under paragraph (3) of this
subsection; (ii) acquire any holding the ownership of which is prohibited by the trust instrument; (iii) solicit advice
from any interested party with respect to such trust, which solicitation is prohibited by paragraph (3) of this
subsection or the trust agreement; or (iv) fail to file any document required by this subsection.
(B) A reporting individual shall not knowingly and willfully, or negligently, (i) solicit or receive any information
with respect to a qualified blind trust of which he is an interested party that may not be disclosed under paragraph
(3)(C) of this subsection or (ii) fail to file any document required by this subsection.
(C) [Caution: For inflation-adjusted civil monetary penalties, see 28 CFR 85.3.]
(i) The Attorney General may bring a civil action in any appropriate United States district court against any
individual who knowingly and willfully violates the provisions of subparagraph (A) or (B) of this paragraph. The
court in which such action is brought may assess against such individual a civil penalty in any amount not to exceed
$ 10,000.
(ii) The Attorney General may bring a civil action in any appropriate United States district court against any
individual who negligently violates the provisions of subparagraph (A) or (B) of this paragraph. The court in which
such action is brought may assess against such individual a civil penalty in any amount not to exceed $ 5,000.
(7) Any trust may be considered to be a qualified blind trust if--
(A) the trust instrument is amended to comply with the requirements of paragraph (3) or, in the case of a trust
instrument which does not by its terms permit amendment, the trustee, the reporting individual, and any other
interested party agree in writing that the trust shall be administered in accordance with the requirements of this
subsection and the trustee of such trust meets the requirements of paragraph (3)(A); except that in the case of any
interested party who is a dependent child, a parent or guardian of such child may execute the agreement referred to
in this subparagraph;
(B) a copy of the trust instrument (except testamentary provisions) and a copy of the agreement referred to in
subparagraph (A), and a list of the assets held by the trust at the time of approval by the supervising ethics office,
including the category of value of each asset as determined under subsection (d) of this section, are filed with such
office and made available to the public as provided under paragraph (5)(D) of this subsection; and
(C) the supervising ethics office determines that approval of the trust arrangement as a qualified blind trust is in
the particular case appropriate to assure compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
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