Outside groups reimbursed Dem and GOP lawmakers for more than $200,000 in expenses to attend events in the United States and abroad last year, according to a WisPolitics review.
Lawmakers listed honorariums on their statements of economic interests from groups such as the National Conference of State Legislatures, Jobs First Coalition and American Legislative Exchange Council. These payments took care of travel to places such as Tennessee, California and Colorado. Several lawmakers also reported expenses for a trip to Taiwan with other Midwestern legislators.
Overall, 16 senators reported honorariums for 2024, compared to 14 Assembly members. The Legislature gained 37 new members this session, including three who were in the Legislature already but switched chambers. WisPolitics asked the lawmakers and groups for details, including the dates and locations of conferences. Only some lawmakers and groups responded.
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In the Assembly, Majority Leader Tyler August, R-Walworth, reported the most with $36,156.
The largest expense reported by the No. 2 leader in the Assembly came from the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office for $12,880 for a “scholarship” to go on a trip. The next-highest was GOPAC, the Republican political training organization, at $10,090 for attending a conference. This was closely followed by the NCSL at $9,705 for attending a conference.
NCSL told WisPolitics in an email the group does not provide information on who attends its events and referred to individual lawmakers. August did not respond to a request for information on his report.
August also reported $1,586 from the State Government Affairs Council Foundation for attending a conference, $1,119 from ALEC for attending a conference, $716 from the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America for presenting a talk and $53 from Jobs First Coalition also for presenting a talk.
Jobs First Coalition told WisPolitics that August attended a January Legislative Outlook event and Legislative Wrap Up in December.
Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, reported the highest amount in the Senate, with $23,877.
The Republican State Leadership Committee paid the bulk of the expenses, $20,889, for conferences, travel and lodging. LeMahieu also reported $2,390 from GOPAC for a conference, travel and lodging, $546 from Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce for lodging, meals and a conference, and $53 from Jobs First Coalition for meals.
Jobs First Coalition told WisPolitics LeMahieu attended the same legislative outlook and legislative wrap up events in August last year. LeMahieu’s office did not respond to requests for more details on the expenses. WMC said LeMahieu spoke at a conference in his official capacity as majority leader, but did not provide additional details on where and when the event took place.
Lawmakers each year must report expenses paid on their behalf related to government duties exceeding $50, such as: “attendance at a conference, presentation of a talk, participation in a meeting, or for a published work about issues initiated by or affecting state government or state agencies.” Rep. Treig Pronschinske, R-Mondovi, had not filed a report as of Monday.
The rest of the top five in the Senate included:
*Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, who reported $17,820. That included travel expenses paid for by the Council of State Governments under the Toll Fellowship leadership development program, though her form incorrectly named the group as the “Council on State Government.” Roys was selected as a Toll fellow and the CSG expenses were for a five-day leadership bootcamp in Lexington, Kentucky.
She also listed expenses from Future Caucus for an Innovation Fellowship aimed at Gen Z and millennial lawmakers, from the Secular Coalition of America, a group dedicated to “protecting the rights of nonreligious Americans,” to speak at a conference.
Finally, she reported expenses from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office for a scholarship covering travel expenses and food at a “Taiwan’s National Day” reception. Roys posted on Instagram in June about a trip to Taiwan she took with August, Sen. Cory Tomczyk, R-Mosinee, and Rep. Tip McGuire, D-Kenosha, as part of a delegation of Midwestern legislators. The trip took place from June 2-7 according to an itinerary Roys’ office provided.
“Taiwan is both an important trade partner for Wisconsin’s agricultural producers, and American ally and democratic country in a strategically important part of the world,” Roys said in a statement. “Over the course of our short trip, we met with dozens of local and national elected officials as well as business and nonprofit leaders.”
She said topics of discussion included issues such as “trade, agriculture, climate change, energy, and sustainability, national security and defense, AI, advanced manufacturing, and technology, civil society, social media, and democracy in an age of disinformation and foreign election interference, and geopolitical stability.”
*Tomczyk, who reported $14,380 for a scholarship from ALEC and from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office for a “cultural ambassador trip.” Tomczyk’s office and ALEC did not respond to requests for more details.
*Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, D-Madison, who reported $9,800. That included expenses paid by the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators to “discuss energy efficiency, community engagement and create tools for energy equity” in Hawaii. She also listed expenses for an NCSL “Legislative Study Tour” in Ireland, NCSL “State Legislative Leaders Symposium” in Washington D.C.,“Wisconsin Legislative Leaders Cohort” trip to Washington, D.C., and “Wisconsin Legislative Leaders Consortium” in Los Angeles, California.
“The limited number of workshops and study tours I choose to attend provide me with the opportunity to learn from experts in policy areas, see firsthand how innovative initiatives are working elsewhere, share our Wisconsin experiences, and foster important relationships with peers around the country and the world,” Hesselbein said in an email statement to WisPolitics.
*Sen. Mary Felzkowski, R-Tomahawk, who reported $7,649. She listed expenses for four National Conference of Insurance Legislators meetings, including one in Costa Mesa, California. She also reported expenses for an American Legislative Exchange Council state chair fly-in and the group’s 51st annual meeting, which was held in Denver, Colorado.
Felzkowski’s office noted the senator chaired NCOIL’s Financial Services & Multi-Lines Issues Committee and ALEC’s Human Services Task Force. Her office said both groups provided Felzkowski with opportunities to learn about legislation and how other states are approaching issues.
In addition to August, the rest of the top five in the Assembly included:
*Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, who reported $15,762. The bulk of his expenses were from the National Conference of State Legislatures at $11,086 to attend a conference, as well as $4,047 for another conference from the State Legislative Leaders Foundation.
“I have been involved with NCSL for 10 years now and have served as president,” Vos said in an email statement to WisPolitics. “I am currently on the Executive Committee so I am very invested in the organization. I enjoy being able to meet with legislators from both sides of the aisle from across the country to hear about what is happening in their respective states.”
Vos did not comment on any other part of his report in the statement.
Vos again reported a reimbursement to “give a talk” for Jobs First Coalition: this year’s was $628.
Jobs First Coalition told WisPolitics Vos also attended the legislative outlook and legislative wrap up events last year. The bulk of his expenses from Jobs First Coalition, however, came from an August state leadership event at Erin Hills Golf Course in Hartford.
The Jobs First Coalition is a not-for-profit advocacy group whose website says its mission includes supporting policies to create and retain family-supporting jobs.
It’s also linked to Jobs First, a 501(4) that does independent expenditures in state races, typically to support Republicans, and the Jobs First Coalition Political Fund, a 527 that does a mix of independent expenditures and issue ads.
Vos’ wife, former GOP state Rep. Michelle Litjens, is a fundraising consultant who has been a lead fundraiser for the Jobs First Coalition.
*McGuire, D-Kenosha, who reported $12,880, all from the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office for a scholarship for the same trip Roys shared on social media.
*Rep. Alex Dallman, R-Green Lake, who reported $8,013. He listed expenses from the American Legislative Exchange Council for “attendance and participation at 51st Annual Meeting and Conference,” which the ALEC site indicates was in July in Denver, CO, and “attendance and participation at State and Nations Policy Summit” in DC in November, according to ALEC. Dallman also listed expenses from GOPAC for attending a west swing state event and the state leadership retreat.
Dallman did not respond to requests for comment on where and when these events were located or any details about the events.
*Rep. Nate Gustafson, R-Fox Crossing, reported $7,578 for expenses from several groups. The Consumer Technology Association paid for the Consumer Electronics Show, Google paid for an AI Summit in Chicago and Microsoft for a “Microsoft Campus Speaking Engagement.” Gustafson also reported expenses from ALEC for a States and Nation Policy Summit, the Pacific Legal Foundation for “legislator fly in-Nashville” and Young Americans for Liberty for “Halzitt Policy Summit,” which the American Action Fund website indicated was in Nashville, Tenn., in November.
Gustafson did not respond to requests for more details on when he attended these events and where they were.
