Rep. Tom Petri, R-Wis., was doing legitimate government business when the Bicycle Leadership Conference sent him to San Diego in February 2004 for a speaking engagement



Rep. Tom Petri, R-Wis., was doing legitimate government business when the Bicycle Leadership Conference sent him to San Diego in February 2004 for a speaking engagement

Legal vs. wrong on travel

Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service

(KRT) - The following editorial appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Wednesday, May 11:

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Among other bad things, the scandal surrounding House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, has discredited the notion that members of Congress ought to get out of Washington more often and travel to places other than their home states and districts.

But while it is inarguably good for legislators to travel as a means to educate themselves, that doesn't mean that all travel, though legal, is good. Nor does it mean that the public ought not to be concerned about conflicts of interest or the appearance of such conflicts when special interests bankroll the trips.

At issue are trips taken by Wisconsin's congressional delegation, as outlined in an article Monday by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Katherine M. Skiba. There is no evidence that anyone in the delegation violated any laws or rules governing travel. But the fact that no rule violation occurred may have more to do with how wimpy the rules governing such travel are. Some lawmakers ought to pay more attention to both the spirit and the letter of the rules.

[Excerpt]

It is perfectly possible, for instance, that Rep. Tom Petri, R-Wis., was doing legitimate government business when the Bicycle Leadership Conference sent him to San Diego in February 2004 for a speaking engagement. In January, Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., went on a fact-finding and education trip to Florida, courtesy of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and the Commonwealth Fund.

While travel is important, lawmakers should be wary of accepting anything of value, be it a gift or a trip, from any organization or person who has brought, or is likely to bring, potentially controversial business before Congress.

When this story was posted in May 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:


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May 7, 2005: This Week's Top Stories "Peace Corps Online" on recess until May 21 7 May Carol Bellamy taking the reins at World Learning 7 May Gopal Khanna appointed White House CFO 7 May Clare Bastable named Conservationist of the Year 7 May Director Gaddi Vasquez visits PCVs in Bulgaria 5 May Abe Pena sets up scholarship fund 5 May Peace Corps closes recruiting sites 4 May Hill pessimistic over Korean nuclear program 4 May Leslie Hawke says PC should split into two organizations 4 May Peace Corps helps students find themselves 3 May Kevin Griffith's Tsunami Assistance Project collects 50k 3 May Tim Wright studied Quechua at UCLA 2 May Doyle not worried about competition 2 May Dodd discusses President's Social Security plan 1 May Randy Mager works in Blue Moon Safaris 1 May PCVs safe in Togo after disputed elections 30 Apr Michael Sells teaches Islamic History and Literature 28 Apr

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May 7, 2005: Special Events "Iowa in Ghana" on exhibit in Waterloo through June 30 "American Taboo" author Phil Weiss in Maryland on June 18 Leland Foerster opens photo exhibition at Cal State RPCV Writers scholarship in Baltimore - deadline June 1 Gary Edwards' music performed in Idaho on May 24 RPCVs: Post your stories or press releases here for inclusion next week.

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