More Representatives Fail to Report Trips

The Oregonian reports that two state lawmakers, including the new House Minority Leader Bruce Hanna, may have violated state law by failing to report several lobbyist-sponsored trips in 2004 and 2005.

The state ethics commission will vote Friday on whether to make a preliminary finding that two Oregon legislators violated state law by failing to report lobbyist-paid trips to Sunriver as required.

The commission's staff said in reports made public this week that Sen. Roger Beyer, R-Molalla, and Rep. Bruce Hanna, R-Roseburg, did not report office-related trips to Sunriver in 2004 and 2005 on their annual disclosure forms filed with the commission. Public officials face a civil penalty of up to $1,000 for each reporting violation, and the Legislature voted this year to increase the maximum penalty to $5,000 in January 2008.

The two Representatives failed to report the trips until this winter, notably after last year's scandal in which it was revealed that seven legislators did not report multiple lobbyist-sponsored trips.

Beyer and Hanna attended a candidate conference held at Sunriver by the Oregon Grocery Association in August 2004. Hanna, who became the House Minority Leader two weeks ago, also attended an Oregon Association of Hospitals & Health Systems event there in July 2005. The organizations spent $185 on Beyer's visit and $363 on Hanna's visits.

While the two lawmakers did not report the events at the time, Beyer filed an amendment in December 2006 adding the Sunriver visit to his disclosure form, and Hanna amended his forms this January to include the events.

Read the rest. It may not be as glamorous as an $18,000 trip to Maui, but will this latest revelaton taint the new Republican House leadership?

Discuss.