Well, it's my last week writing for the News-Press. I've had a serious blast this quarter, and it's fitting to (almost) go out (almost) on top.

With Congress in recess last week, and in the spirit of Tom Delay, I spent most of my time crunching numbers and running queries on our congressional private travel database and generally ripping the lid off it.

I had been dreading this, but once you got the hang of Access it turned out to be one of the more enjoyable pieces to write.

Nothing too scandalous, but I threw a lot of numbers out there and put the local delegation's travel in context, so I guess they felt compelled to put it on page one. (If the Supreme Court wasn't a bunch of douchebags, it probably would have gotten even more play. Fortunately, the Jackson jury cooperated.)

If you live in Cali, you might even find the Boxer/Feinstein part interesting. I dunno...

(FYI before you say something, that's not my lead. Frosty, I am looking in your general direction.)


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Congressional travel comes under scrutiny


6/7/05
By DICKIE CRONKITE

NEWS-PRESS STAFF CORRESPONDENT




WASHINGTON -- With congressional travel a hot political controversy, records show a wide range in the number of trips sponsored by private interests that were accepted by Washington lawmakers representing Santa Barbara and California during the past five years.

Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, took 17 trips totaling nearly $36,000, while Elton Gallegly, R-Simi Valley, took only one trip, with three overseas stops, for just under $11,000.

In the Senate, Barbara Boxer took 14 trips totaling nearly $70,000. Fellow Democrat Dianne Feinstein took only three trips -- totaling just $583.

Recent allegations that House Majority Leader Tom Delay of Texas violated House rules and ethics standards by accepting privately funded trips from lobbyists and foreign agents have renewed interest in and scrutiny of congressional travel.

The data about local lawmakers' travel came from an analysis of privately funded congressional trips from Jan. 1, 2000, through May 18 of this year by Medill News Service, in partnership with American Public Media's Marketplace and PoliticalMoneyLine. During that period, members of Congress accepted trips worth about $17 million from corporations, nonprofits and advocacy groups.

The merit of these trips should be judged on a case-by-case basis, said Mary Boyle, spokeswoman for Common Cause, a nonprofit watchdog group that has been monitoring congressional ethics for more than 30 years.

"We do think there is value to these trips -- it's good for members to get out of their districts," said Ms. Boyle.

She added, however, "Some of these trips are about people trying to gain access and influence -- whether it's by traveling around with them or sending lawmakers to a comfortable place. You're sitting at a pool, maybe you're playing golf."


In an e-mail, Mrs. Capps echoed Ms. Boyle's sentiments.

"Privately sponsored congressional travel can be an important tool to educate members on critical issues," Mrs. Capps said. "Clearly, some members abuse the system."


California lawmakers have taken 725 privately funded trips at a cost of about $2.2 million. The average delegate took 13 trips at a total price tag just above $36,000.

Compared with the rest of the California delegation, Mrs. Capps took an above-average number of private trips but her costs were slightly below average. On the other hand, Mr. Gallegly's expenses and trip count were both significantly below average.


LOIS CAPPS


Mrs. Capps, a former nurse who sits on the Health Subcommittee, gave the 2003 commencement address at the UCLA School of Nursing and a 2003 speech at the Yale School of Nursing.

A practicing Lutheran, Mrs. Capps accepted invitations to speak at several Lutheran institutions. In 2001 she traveled to Spokane, Wash., to receive an honorary doctorate and deliver the commencement address at Pacific Lutheran University, her alma mater.

This trip cost $1,460 in airfare and related transportation costs, picked up by the university.

A 2001 Minneapolis speech Mrs. Capps gave on current affairs, sponsored by Mount Olivet Lutheran Church, also had notable domestic transportation costs: $1,750.

Mrs. Capps' chief of staff, Jeremy Rabinovitz, said last-minute, costly ticket purchases were most likely the reason in both cases due to unpredictable congressional voting schedules.

She was also sponsored for two retreats at The Greenbrier, a West Virginia luxury spa resort that hosted 231 different privately funded trips for members of Congress in the past five years, making it one of the more popular destinations.

Four of Mrs. Capps' 17 private trips were overseas. Since 2000, she's been to Israel via private dollars twice. In 2003 the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America paid more than $5,000 for a West Bank fact-finding trip. In February, the National Democratic Institute paid $2,700 for Mrs. Capps to help monitor the Palestinian presidential election.

Her most expensive trip was a 2001 fact-finding mission to India for just under $9,000, sponsored by the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Since 2000, this nonprofit organization, which promotes industrial growth in India, has spent more than $200,000 on privately funded trips for lawmakers across the nation. It ranks eighth out of 2,340 total sponsors.

"She went all over the country and learned a lot about U.S.-Indian relations," Mr. Rabinovitz said. He cited the Central Coast's Asian-Indian community as a major reason for the trip.

Mrs. Capps also took a $7,500 trip to Switzerland sponsored by the Swiss Foundation for World Affairs to observe the signing of the Geneva Accord peace agreements in 2003.


ELTON GALLEGLY


Much of the scrutiny of congressional private travel has focused on members accepting many trips to exotic, resort-like destinations.

But Mr. Gallegly, who sits on the House International Relations Committee and chairs the Subcommittee on Europe and Emerging Threats, said he's taken criticism for not traveling overseas enough.

His three reported trips actually comprised a single two-week expedition overseas. The congressman journeyed to Croatia, Turkey and Morocco on counter-terrorism and fact-finding missions.

In contrast to Mr. Gallegly, Rep. Robert Wexler, the ranking member on Mr. Gallegly's Emerging Threats Subcommittee, has taken 18 trips overseas in the last five years, to destinations including Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Turkey and Kazakhstan.

"I try to listen to everybody's comments and then make the decision .Ê.Ê. whether it's appropriate or not," said Mr. Gallegly. "Traveling is not as easy as people make it out to be, particularly in North Africa, where it was 121 degrees."


Mr. Gallegly added he has no plans to increase his overseas travel. "When you fly back and forth for 19 years .Ê.Ê. flying is the last thing you want to do," he said.

The bulk of Mr. Gallegly's expenses went to travel, but he also managed to log nearly $3,000 in lodging as well as more than $2,000 in meals during the two-week period. Mr. Gallegly said his wife accompanied him.


THE SENATE


Ms. Boxer's 14 privately funded trips averaged out to nearly $5,300 apiece. In sharp contrast, Ms. Feinstein averaged less than $200 per trip.

Both Ms. Feinstein and Ms. Boxer's offices declined to comment on the disparity between the two Democrats. Ms. Feinstein's spokesman, Howard Gantman, said Ms. Feinstein generally "does prefer to pay her own way."


However, Ms. Feinstein's $583 worth of entries included a 2001 trip to Davos, Switzerland, for the 30th World Economic Forum. Mr. Gantman said the senator covered her own travel and lodging.

The Aspen Institute paid for eight of Ms. Boxer's trips, amounting to $57,000 of Ms. Boxer's $68,790 in total trips. The institute, a global policy think tank that sponsors conferences on an array of issues, is by far the leading sponsor of congressional private travel. It spent more than $3 million during the last five years, with the next-closest sponsor spending $600,000.

Courtesy of the institute, Ms. Boxer attended various policy conferences in such locales as Florence, Italy; Grand Cayman Island, British West Indies; Punta Mita, Mexico; and Las Vegas.

"[They're] tremendous learning experiences for her -- she wishes she could go on more of them," said David Sandretti, Ms. Boxer's spokesman. "They get experts from the field -- whether it's foreign policy, immigration, the environment -- these are things that help her be a better senator."


As for the exotic locales, Mr. Sandretti said, "This is where the conferences are. This is where the institute decides to hold them."


Dickie Cronkite writes for Medill News Service from Washington, D.C.


OTHER TRIPS

Much of the debate surrounding congressional private travel examines whether these educational, fact-finding trips should instead be funded with taxpayer money.

In addition to privately funded travel, members of Congress do take government-funded trips, usually as part of a delegation and usually through their House or Senate committee assignments or through federal agencies such as the Defense or State departments. Congressional staffers say the costs for these trips are generally already factored into agency budgets.

According to her office, Ms. Capps has participated in only one government-funded congressional delegation trip, a six-day trip across South Africa exploring issues such as civil rights and HIV/AIDS.

According to his office, Mr. Gallegly has taken four government-funded trips in the last five years. In 2002 he took part in a delegation to Latvia, Estonia, Russia and Poland. That same year, he attended the NATO summit on the State Department's dime. In 2003 he traveled to Thailand, and in 2004 he participated in a delegation to Libya.