shareUpdate: Legislators Report Gifts/Trips
Date: 01/29/2013
LEGISLATORS REPORT PERSONAL GIFTS/TRIPS
Members of the 2013 General Assembly reported accepting more than $220,000 worth of free meals, tickets to football games, overseas trips and other freebies last year, according to legislators' annual disclosure forms.
The average value of the gifts was down to $325 from $433 in 2010, the most recent comparable post-election year. The overall number of gifts increased to 682 from 589 during the same period.
Top Recipients -- All Gifts/Travel
Top Recipients - Sporting Events
Top Recipients - Conferences/Travel
Under Virginia law, General Assembly members can accept personal gifts in any amount, provided that each January they disclose any valued at more than $50.
In 2012, there also was an uptick in the number of legislators who were reimbursed by taxpayers for attending out-of-state conferences.