Seeking to cut costs in hard times, the Legislature banned most out-of-state travel by state employees. But the travel restriction doesn't apply to lawmakers themselves, dozens of whom are headed to national conferences this week and next at public expense.

The Senate will spend $24,000 to send six senators to this week's American Legislative Exchange Council conference in Atlanta and six others and a staff member to next week's gathering in Philadelphia of the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The House is spending up to $31,000 to send 27 representatives to the ALEC or NCSL conferences. The House limits each lawmaker to $1,150 for one conference at state expense, and the Senate will pay $2,000 for each member.

Legislators clamped down on state money used for agency travel by requiring that it get approval as a mission-critical expense. But lawmakers put no such restrictions on their own travel. The $55,000 cost for their conference travel is the equivalent of funding 21 children in prekindergarten classes, reinstating bonuses for seven teachers who become nationally certified, or paying for $117 vaccines for 470 underprivileged children. Full story here.

Steve Bousquet

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