TOBACCO INDUSTRY FLEW GOP LAWMAKERS

Congress: Much of the subsidized travel coincided with antitobacco legislation.

Washington_U.S. tobacco companies let Republican lawmakers and their
committees use company jets for dozens of flights last year, the Washington
Post reported Monday, citing a report by congressional Democrats.

The tobacco industry provided far more subsidized travel to Republicans than
any other industry, according to the report prepared by Democrats on the
House Government Reform and Oversight Committee.

Much of the travel occurred as tobacco firms were seeking legislation to
protect them from mounting lawsuits, the report found.

Investigators said they found no reports of Democrats traveling on tobacco
company jets between January 1997 and the end of May 1998, the study period.

Lawmakers and campaign committees must pay the companies the equivalent of
first-class airfare to the same destinations, but private jet travel offered
added convenience and luxury, the Post reported.

According to the report, Republican-controlled entitities made 236 payments
for travel to corporations during the 17 months of Federal Election
Commission disclosures studied, 84 of which went to the tobacco industry.

Democratic entities made 23. Republicans said there was no problem with travel.

They said lawmakers often used the private jets to arrange campaign travel
that would be difficult on commercial flights.

Checked-by: Melodi Cornett