Lawmaker to Audit Travel Spending

AUSTIN (AP/Staff) – Republican State Rep. Dan Flynn of Van, a conservative and self-described expert in financial management, says he will audit his own spending habits after The Associated Press asked him about thousands of dollars in questionable travel expenses, including more than $11,000 that was billed both to taxpayers and his political campaign. Flynn had no immediate explanation for the bills from fancy hotels and other costs described on expense reports as political travel at one agency and then official state business at another. The lawmaker, a former bank examiner, said taxpayer reimbursements went straight into his personal account via direct deposit. He could not say if he kept the money or reimbursed the private account he used to pay for the travel. If private campaign funds are used to pay for travel and then a lawmaker gets taxpayer reimbursements for the same expenditures, rules require them to pay back the campaign, officials say.