---
type: "LegalText"
title: "5 U.S.C. § 4508"
description: "Limitation of awards during a Presidential election year"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 5
title_name: "GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION AND EMPLOYEES"
chapter_number: "45"
chapter_name: "INCENTIVE AWARDS"
section: "4508"
citation: "5 U.S.C. § 4508"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc05@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t5/s4508"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-05/usc05.xml"
source_hash: "b8d2ba2b2aa84b838fc265f44d2b3e5a8ddfa7ddfd41bd0312c3b619cd55f886"
raw_snapshot_hash: "719fdb18e7085aede50e1e97c1c129fa6058e2c5c12b3d77a9b9044b1769e540"
text_hash: "9df8b46c4a13405f22d0e44082f1697b5017501c87c0d5111b6fbe219a4b6962"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 5 U.S.C. § 4508 - Limitation of awards during a Presidential election year

## Text

(a) For purposes of this section, the term—

(1) “Presidential election period” means any period beginning on June 1 in a calendar year in which the popular election of the President occurs, and ending on January 20 following the date of such election; and

(2) “senior politically appointed officer” means any officer who during a Presidential election period serves—

(A) in a Senior Executive Service position and is not a career appointee as defined under section 3132(a)(4); or

(B) in a position of a confidential or policy-determining character under schedule C of subpart C of part 213 of title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(b) No senior politically appointed officer may receive an award under the provisions of this subchapter during a Presidential election period.

(Added Pub. L. 103–425, § 2(a), Oct. 31, 1994, 108 Stat. 4369.)