Before the Aftermath? Delay Baiting and Repercussions

[Annie]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/13/p...a4c0096f5&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

June 13, 2005
With Attention on DeLay, a Flurry of Travel Filings (Better Late Than Never, Some Say)
By GLEN JUSTICE

WASHINGTON, June 12 - With scrutiny being heaped on Representative Tom DeLay of Texas and other lawmakers over privately financed trips, dozens of members of Congress are moving to set their travel disclosures in order.

Roughly 214 lawmakers - half Republicans and half Democrats - have filed reports late since July of last year, some waiting up to five years after taking a trip to properly disclose their travels, according to PoliticalMoneyLine, a nonpartisan group that tracks political spending. Travel records have been available for years but did not attract much attention or analysis until recently.

Political analysts say the disclosures are an effort to head off political and legal difficulties as the issue of Congressional travel draws increasing attention. The House Ethics Committee, which is not functioning while the two parties feud over staffing, is expected to decide whether to examine whether Mr. DeLay, the House majority leader, and other lawmakers violated restrictions on lobbying and travel.

"In this climate, you want to try to get it right, even if it is late," said Stanley Brand, a former general counsel to the House of Representatives who has advised lawmakers on ethics. "You get a little more credit if you have self corrected."

Privately financed trips are a major perk of office in the House and the Senate, as well as one of the few avenues for corporations, trade associations and partisan policy groups to openly spend large amounts directly on lawmakers.

Members of Congress have participated in more than 5,900 trips with a total cost of some $17.6 million since 2000, and that does not include travel financed by the government or their campaigns. Lawmakers have attended retreats at a spa and golf resort in West Virginia, attended policy forums in Qatar and visited oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.

Though there is no dollar limit on privately financed trips, lawmakers are required to disclose where they visit, who financed the trip and what it cost. With news media scrutiny heightened, and with next year's elections approaching, some lawmakers are now correcting errors and oversights to avoid trouble.

For example, Representative Luis V. Gutierrez, an Illinois Democrat elected in 1992, filed reports last month detailing 23 trips he took since 2000, according to PoliticalMoneyLine.

Mr. Gutierrez reported a "fact-finding and educational" trip to Taiwan in 2001 that cost the Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce about $8,600, records show. That same year, he went to Puerto Rico and Los Angeles to participate in an immigration rally and other events as the guest of the Service Employees International Union - a trip that cost about $3,700, records show. Mr. Gutierrez also made trips to Guadalajara and Acapulco in Mexico, to Amman in Jordan and Tel Aviv in Israel, as well as to less exotic destinations like Tampa, San Antonio and Phoenix.

Scott Frotman, a spokesman for Mr. Gutierrez, said the representative reviewed his travel disclosures after the issue drew national attention. What he found was common: the trips were disclosed as required in the annual report of his personal finances, but not in the more comprehensive filings due within 30 days of returning from a trip. It is there that the cost of the trips is disclosed.

"It was an administrative error, and it has been corrected," Mr. Frotman said.

Representative Ellen O. Tauscher, a California Democrat elected in 1996, filed 21 reports last month accounting for trips all over the country since 2001, most of which were paid for by the Democratic Leadership Council, where she serves as national vice chairwoman.

"Like many Congressional offices, we recently conducted a review of our travel records," Hayley Rumback, a spokeswoman for Ms. Tauscher, said in a statement. "While all travel was properly disclosed on annual financial disclosure statements, some additional travel disclosure forms were not filed. We have corrected this oversight."

Some former and current members of Congress say the trips serve a useful purpose, allowing lawmakers to discuss issues with world leaders, take a firsthand look at global hot spots or take the measure of policy solutions at home. Former Representative Pat Toomey, a Republican who now heads the conservative Club for Growth, said a trip to Israel and Jordan while in office was constructive.

"It was a very valuable crash course and education in the politics, the geography and some of the history," Mr. Toomey said.

He also said there was the potential for abuse: "If you discover a trip to the Bahamas in January, it might be worth a look at the itinerary."

Representative F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., a Wisconsin Republican elected in 1978, has accepted more money in privately financed trips than any other member of Congress since 2000, according to PoliticalMoneyLine.

Interest groups have spent almost $177,000 on Mr. Sensenbrenner's travels, including trips to Japan, Thailand, France, Germany, Belgium, Liechtenstein, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Bahrain and Dubai. His domestic travels included a $4,800 trip to Las Vegas sponsored by the National Association of Broadcasters and a $3,900 trip to San Francisco sponsored by the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, both in April.

Mr. Sensenbrenner said his role as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee required fluency in national security issues - including "intellectual property and developing technology" - some of which reach across national borders.

"Privately funded trips are an effective way for me to learn about these issues and press for international cooperation without having taxpayers foot the bill," he said in a statement.

For special interest groups, the trips represent an unparalleled opportunity to spend time with lawmakers and members of their staff in rarified settings. Companies like Microsoft, General Electric, Walt Disney and AT&T have spent tens of thousands of dollars on Congressional travel, as have industry groups like the Nuclear Energy Institute and the United States Chamber of Commerce.

Some of the largest spenders are policy groups such as the Aspen Institute, which has spent more on Congressional travel since 2000 than any other group, at more than $3 million, according to PoliticalMoneyLine.

The Aspen Institute runs a program that gathers both Republican and Democratic lawmakers together with academics and experts in locations around the world to discuss issues like foreign policy, education and the environment. The institute does not accept money for the program from lobbyists or special interests, said a spokesman, Jim Spiegelman.

"Ours is a purely educational pursuit," Mr. Spiegelman said. "One purpose is to edify and educate. Another is to bring together different sides of the aisle."