excerpt from NYT Times article
http://nytimes.com/2005/06/13/politics/13travel.html
"Representative F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., a Wisconsin Republican
elected in 1978, has accepted more money in privately financed trips
than any other member of Congress since 2000, according to
PoliticalMoneyLine.
Interest groups have spent almost $177,000 on Mr. Sensenbrenner's
travels, including trips to Japan, Thailand, France, Germany, Belgium,
Liechtenstein, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Bahrain and Dubai. His domestic
travels included a $4,800 trip to Las Vegas sponsored by the National
Association of Broadcasters and a $3,900 trip to San Francisco sponsored
by the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, both in April.
Mr. Sensenbrenner said his role as chairman of the House Judiciary
Committee required fluency in national security issues - including
"intellectual property and developing technology" - some of which reach
across national borders.
"Privately funded trips are an effective way for me to learn about these
issues and press for international cooperation without having taxpayers
foot the bill," he said in a statement.
For special interest groups, the trips represent an unparalleled
opportunity to spend time with lawmakers and members of their staff in
rarified settings. Companies like Microsoft, General Electric, Walt
Disney and AT&T have spent tens of thousands of dollars on Congressional
travel, as have industry groups like the Nuclear Energy Institute and
the United States Chamber of Commerce.