Governor's flights

In his State of the State address Wednesday evening, Gov. Jay Nixon proposed a leaner operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Yet while the governor is proposing to cut spending, he continues to bill state agencies for his flights in lieu of paying for them out of his office budget.

Missouri lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say the governor's travel expenses should be more transparent.

In an Associated Press story earlier this week, it was reported that both House Speaker Steven Tilley and Minority Leader Mike Talboy say they plan on adding provisions to budget bills for state departments barring agencies from using funds for gubernatorial travel.

While the practice of allocating the cost of travel to the various state departments has some precedent, particularly if a department head is traveling with the governor, some question it.

Ed Martin, former chief of staff to former governor Matt Blunt recently said of Nixon's cost allocation, "The process of spreading state allocations is political cover."

An audit of the Missouri Department of Mental Health by former state auditor Susan Montee also cited concerns with the governor's cost allocation.

"It does not appear appropriate for state agencies to bear the cost of such flights that provide no clear benefit to the applicable agencies. These funding practices distort the actual costs of operating the DMH and the governor's office," the audit said.

Nixon's predecessor, Matt Blunt, used campaign dollars to fund his travels for the first three years of his term as governor. After deciding not to run for re-election, Blunt did use a state plane for official state business.

There's no question that governors need to use air travel. And while Nixon frequently uses this mode of transportation, it's increasingly clear that a more transparent practice should be used.

In a time when state departments are facing further cuts, it's only fair to ask the governor to use his own budget to cover his travel expenses.