Tribune editorial: State needs better way to track travel
The North Dakota Ethics Commission needs to adopt new travel and financial disclosure rules for all state agencies and the Legislature. Even travel financed by outside groups should be tracked.
The recent guilty plea by former Sen. Ray Holmberg, R-Grand Forks, to child sex tourism charges revealed flaws in rules involving legislative travel.
Holmberg racked up about $109,000 in travel costs between 2013 and his resignation in 2022. That's more than any other legislator. And, as chair of Legislative Management from 2013-18, he approved legislative travel including his own. That included his trips to Puerto Rico, Alaska and Miami Beach.
It's an embarrassment to the state and the Legislature that he might have used some of his trips to have sex with minors in the Czech Republic. Before the scandal was brought to light he was considered one of the most knowledgeable legislators in the state. He was among the longest-serving legislators in the state.
He served as the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and was considered an expert on the state's budget and finances. So he was able to travel the world without raising questions about his spending.
Not all of his travel expenses came out of the legislative branch's budget. Holmberg and many other legislators took and continue to take trips funded by outside groups.
The North Dakota Monitor reported that state data shows the Legislature spent about $460,000 in taxpayer money on out-of-state travel from 2014-24.
Holmberg was able to travel so much partly because he approved it and partly because legislators were encouraged to attend conferences and other events.
House Majority Leader Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson, argues there are legitimate benefits for legislative travel. Legislators are able to discuss issues with other leaders and bring home ideas.
Lefor wants to make a change so no legislator approves his or her own travel.
The Tribune Editorial Board isn't opposed to legislative travel or trips by members of other state agencies. However, better records of travel, its purpose and its results need to be maintained.
When someone travels at the expense of an outside group it needs to be tracked in a similar manner.
The Ethics Commission is considering new travel and financial disclosure rules to create a centralized online platform for public officials' travel records, according to Executive Director Rebecca Binstock.
The commission needs to notify the public of a comment period and hold a public hearing on any changes before they can be adopted. So no changes will be immediate.
It needs to be done.
Travel needs to be transparent. If someone wants to check on legislative or other state travel, there should be a database to check. There's no indication of other problems with legislative travel, but there needs to be a better way to monitor. It's for the benefit of not just the public, but also legislators and other state officials.
