Miss. spends millions on travel to distant sites
Hundreds of Mississippi government employees have traveled abroad, from Abu Dhabi to Winnipeg, on the taxpayers’ tab and oversight of such travel appears lax even as agency budgets have been cut.
State records show that from fiscal year 2004 through early this year, more than 300 employees or elected officials from at least 42 agencies have traveled outside the continental United States. Some have made several trips, and the travel spans the globe.
Many state officials appear to favor beautiful resort areas when they travel outside the continental U.S. on the taxpayers’ dime. They’ve been to Maui, Waikiki Beach and Honolulu in Hawaii; Montego Bay, Jamaica; the U.S. Virgin Islands; Rome and Paris.
Mississippi government officials are regulars in Puerto Rico, with dozens of trips made by 65 employees or officials, mainly for conferences and seminars. The U.S. commonwealth island in the Caribbean is particularly popular with the state Department of Transportation, which has sent at least 24 officials and employees there.
Commercial Dispatch
6/21/12
