Lame Duck Legislators take going-away gift

Lame Duck Lawmakers Ring Up $13K Tab at Chicago Junket

TnRepot, Oct. 5, 2012

As a parting gift before leaving the state Legislature, five outgoing lawmakers spent more than $13,000 of taxpayer money to go on a four-day junket to Chicago, according to state records.

Here is a list of outgoing lawmakers and how much taxpayers spent sending them to the NCSL annual summit:
Sen. Mike Faulk, R-Church Hill, $2,404.43
Rep. Bill Harmon, D-Dunlap, $2,757.79
Rep. Richard Montgomery, R-Sevierville, $2,739.61
Rep. Jimmy Naifeh, D-Covington, $2,759.34
Rep. Jeanne Richardson, D-Memphis, $2,726.74

Comment: Why should out-going legislators take a trip on the tax payers dime?  I question the need for a lot of these out of town legislative conferences, but there is certainly no justification for an out-going legislator to attend one.  Please note that the speaker of both houses signed off on these trips. What were they thinking?  There seems to be a sense of entitlement once one gets elected and it doesn't matter if you are Democrat or Republican.

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