Lobbying scandal could dent tourism

[NVMojo]

WASHINGTON -- Las Vegas stands to lose a tiny but high-profile slice of its tourist market if Congress approves a proposal to ban privately funded travel for lawmakers and their staffs.

Current law allows trade associations, many of which lobby Congress, to pay for lawmakers' travel. But the practice has been under fire in recent weeks amid fallout from a lobbying scandal.

Groups have spent almost $20 million since 2000 on nearly 6,700 "fact-finding" and "educational" trips for lawmakers, ranging from mundane day-trips in obscure towns to weeklong stays in exotic locales, according to PoliticalMoneyLine, which tracks congressional travel. The bills range from less than $100 to $20,000.

Lawmakers who have jetted off to vacation hotspots like the Bahamas, Rome and Hawaii on the dime of interest groups have been under increasing scrutiny amid partisan sniping over lobbying corruption.

more...

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/sun/2006/jan/27/520034522.html

[global1]

1. Watch - Congress Will Probably Vote Themselves A Travel Budget....

and justify it as a way of doing business without being influenced. I bet their trips and excursions will wind up being more than that which they are taking today under current rules.

[NVMojo]

2. good point and they will chalk it up to providing "economic development"

for these poor cities. Bleeding heart conservatives.