Travel Spending Rises

Yesterday, Kevin Landrigan noted in his Nashua Telegraph column that the travel budget for the New Hampshire House has jumped quite a bit despite limits on out-of-state travel in the Executive Branch.

Norelli defended the fact that despite the economic downturn, spending on legislative travel went up by about $25,000 over the last year.

Norelli noted that while travel budgets may have grown smaller in other states, those lawmakers get hefty salaries, compared with the $100 annual pay here, and they have large campaign war chests from which they can finance junkets.

The Portsmouth Democrat also noted that since she has taken over the House, she has made sure that the majority party didn't dominate the taxpayer-financed journeys. Republicans aren't getting half the travel money, but it's more than 40 percent of what's been spent, which is in keeping with their representation in the Legislature.

By contrast, several of Norelli's predecessors made a career out of doling out nearly all of the travel money to members of their own party.

Well, as long as everyone is spending our money for out-of-state travel, I guess that makes it alright.