March 28, 2024

Congressional Travel

Politicians Still Cashing in on Free Trips

The rules have changed, but Florida's congressional delegation is still getting a free rides, paid for by private interests.

Amy Keller | 11/1/2009

Who’s Paying for Those Trips?

Florida special interests have sponsored their share of congressional junkets over the past decade. Some of the top sponsors:

sugar cane
[Photo: Scott Bauer]
> Florida Sugar Cane League: Helped foot the $78,777 bill for 89 trips that staffers made to Florida between 2000 and 2006 to tour fields and processing plants and learn more about the state’s sugar cane industry.

> Florida Municipal Electric Association: Helped to pay for 22 staffers to visit Florida between 2000 and 2004 so that the aides could learn about Florida’s community-owned electric utilities. The trips totaled $48,435. The American Public Power Association and the Florida Municipal Power Agency also helped pay for some of the trips.

> Florida Farm Bureau: Spent $29,640 from 2000-03 flying congressional staffers to Florida to educate them on various agricultural issues.

> Airbus Industries: Spent $20,265 between 2002 and 2005 shuttling 18 congressional aides to Miami to tour the company’s flight training center.

> International Speedway Corp.: Spent $20,408 between 2003 and 2005 shuttling 26 congressional staffers to Daytona Beach to tour the Daytona International Speedway and learn about the tax treatment of entertainment complexes. At the time, the company was seeking “a permanent extension of the current seven-year depreciation period for motorsports parks.”

> Florida Citrus Mutual: Spent $17,475 between 2000 and 2004 bringing 16 congressional staffers to Florida to learn about the state’s citrus industry.

> Univision: Paid $2,887 in 2007 to fly three members of Congress to Miami to appear on the network’s television shows.

> Biscayne Foundation: Last September flew Michigan Rep. John Conyers and a staffer to Fort Lauderdale at a cost of $1,057 to attend a healthcare town hall meeting at Florida International University. According to the travel certification form that Conyers filed with the House Ethics Committee, the Biscayne Foundation was planning and organizing public field hearings on the healthcare crisis under the auspices of the National Academies of Practice, a Maryland-based non-profit professional organization that advises public policy-makers on healthcare issues. According to its website, the NAP supports a public option for financing universal access to care as well as “innovative interdisciplinary models for primary and preventive care.”

> Seminole Tribe of Florida: Sponsored three staffer trips between 2003 and 2005 at $1,037.

> Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium and Center for Elephant Conservation: Teamed up with Feld Entertainment, owner of Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus, to bring eight congressional staffers (and some of their family members) to Florida between 2000 and 2003 to learn about the southwest Florida groups’ conservation activities. The trips came to $6,295.

Tags: Politics & Law, Government/Politics & Law

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