Remember Civil Beat‘s report that some Hawaii lawmakers accepted gifts of iPads and DVDs? It got us thinking about what kind of loot flows into the U.S. Capitol.

First, a primer on congressional gifts rules: In the House, representatives and staffers are banned from accepting “anything of value from anyone,” who is a registered lobbyist, an agent or foreign principal or company employing such individuals. 

As for gifts from anybody else? They can be OK, up to a point. Lawmakers and staff members can only accept gifts up to a value of $100 per year per gift-giver. But gifts valued at $10 or less don’t count toward that total (unless they’re given repeatedly from the same source in a manner that would go against the spirit of the law). 

A spokeswoman for Rep. Colleen Hanabusa says the freshman congresswoman has neither accepted any gifts nor turned any away. 

On the Senate side, the gifts rules are slightly different, but Sen. Daniel Akaka‘s spokesman said he is unaware of any gifts to the senator in the past three years that would require disclosure. 

“Most gifts that we get come from visitors, usually food,” Akaka spokesman Jesse Broder Van Dyke told DC808 in an email. ”When we book visitors we tell them that the Senator is not able to accept gifts and discourage them from bringing them.

“If visitors ignore our request, which they often do, and still bring candies, snacks, etc, we leave them out front in the receptionist area for everyone to have, which is allowed.” 

Sen. Daniel Inouye‘s office has not yet replied to our inquiry. 

UPDATED 8/4/11, 12:44 p.m.

We caught up with Susan Michels, a spokeswoman in Rep. Mazie Hirono‘s office. She says the congresswoman follows gift regulations “scrupulously.” As for the omiyage that constituents inevitably bring for Hirono? 

“We like to share those with all visitors so they can have a small taste of Hawaii,” Michels said.