Posted on 08/31/2010 12:36:19 PM PDT by La Lydia
The Wall Street Journal reports today that Rep. Solomon Ortiz has been contacted by House investigators who are looking into the use of overseas travel stipends, according to lawmakers who were also contacted. This follows the newspaper's reporting in March that stipends had been used for unauthorized purposes, and that some lawmakers were apparently ignorant of the rules governing use of the money.
Congressional rules say the daily travel funds, called a per diem, must be spent on meals, cabs and other travel expenses. But when lawmakers travel, many of their meals and expenses are picked up by other people, such as foreign officials or U.S. ambassadors. That can leave lawmakers with leftover money. Lawmakers routinely keep the extra funds or spend it on gifts, shopping or to cover their spouses' travel expenses, according to dozens of current and former lawmakers.
The articles do not accuse Ortiz, a Democrat whose district includes Corpus Christi, of any specific wrongdoing but quote his suggestion that it's routine for lawmakers on a trip to spend some of their allotment, then pocket the remainder. Some lawmakers (none noted from Texas) provided records indicating they return the difference to the U.S. Treasury.
The House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, which is conducting the investigation, is barred under House rules from making its findings clear until after the November election. The newspaper reports that the subjects of the investigation are split cleanly along party lines, three Democrats, three Republicans.
The use of taxpayer-funded travel by public officials has been in the news, with a California activist calling attention to lawmakers who pay for expenses related to their work in Austin from campaign funds while still accepting the taxpayer-funded $168 per diem. Dave Palmer alleges wrongdoing by 34 Houston and San Antonio legislators and filed complaints with the Travis County district attorney and the Texas Ethics Commission earlier this month, the San Antonio Express-News reported...
That is money in their pockets that THE GOVERNMENT TOOK OUT OF OUR POCKETS. Elaborating on the concept of "share the wealth." This guy thinks he's in Mexico.
Who’s this guy think he is, a CBC member?
No moral center, just an overarching sense of entitlement by the ruling class.
As someone that lives in South Texas I can assure you that this doesn’t belong in “Breaking News” or any kind of News for that matter.
Does Free Republic have a “Business As Usual” category?
Took 3 paragraphs ti ID the party affiliation. Who says the media isn’t biased?
Is an understatement.
Never in my life have I seen such open corruption.
It was more an organized crime syndicate than it was a govt.
I was doing the best with what I had to work with. I knew it didn’t go in the religion category.
Can someone ask Pelosi when the swamp-draining she promised is going to start?
I'm not so sure - down here some people get elected over and over no matter what they do. Voting Democrat is almost “religious.”
There are a lot of elections where the Republicans don't even put up a candidate. What for, they have no chance of winning.
And as far as the fellow this story is goes, he'll lose the election ONLY if he's in jail (and if he could run, he'd probably win from there!).
This isn’t surprising, but it is disgusting.
I work for State government and I can tell you that every time I travel, if I don’t need to pay out of pocket for a meal (like if my boss pays for it, or a free contintental breakfast comes with a hotel room), I never claim money for that meal on my travel claim. I wouldn’t dream of it.
If I didn’t have to pay out of my own pocket for the meal, why in the world would I think the taxpayers should give me money for it?
She is too occupied with her “fill the swamp” activities.
vaudine
Party not given, must assume it’s a demwit.
His name is Ortiz. He is from Texas. You’ve done the math.
Never in my life have I seen such open corruption.
It was more an organized crime syndicate than it was a govt.
That's why Republicans have been getting much more competitive recently. In 2006 when Repulublicans were getting clobbered all over the US and in Texas, Nueces county Republicans elected a Republican County Judge and Sheriff for the first time since Reconstruction. In 2008 we elected a majority on the county commission for the first time since Reconstruction.
In 2010, we hope to make historic victories in lots of other races. We hope to get a 4-1 majority on the county commission by picking up Precinct 2. If that happens, Oscar Ortiz, the corrupt brother of the corrupt Congressman will be the only DemocRAT on the commission. We're also trying to unseat the "honorable" congressman's clueless son, Solomon Ortiz, Jr. from the state house of representatives. Last year Texas Monthly magazine (no friend of conservative Republicans) in their biennial 10 best and 10 worst legislator edition, nominated Jr. as "furniture." In a previous legislative session Jr. actually had to ask Governor Perry to veto his own bill. At least Jr. had a bill named after himself. His father, Congressman Ortiz, has never authored a bill in his almost 28 years in Congress!
Has that “Snaggle Tooth” Carlos Valgez been thrown in jail yet?
Last I heard he took Grant Jones place as DA.
Both of them needed to be thrown under the jail when I lived there.
One of Jone’s assistant DA’s threatened my life. I caught the Chief of police Bill Banner in a nice little cover up of police corruption. Valdez had his county attorneys prosecuting innocent people to cover up police corruption.
Word of advice, you better watch some of the ones that claim to be repub.
Bubba the javelina shall return!
Long live Bubba.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.