LITTLE ROCK -- Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and his wife accepted more than $73,000 in trips last year, with a nonprofit foundation and the state Republican Party picking up the tab for his three overseas trade missions, he reported in documents filed Monday.
The Republican governor detailed more than 20 trips he and first lady Susan Hutchinson accepted from outside groups in his annual statement of financial interest. The former congressman took office in January 2015.
The bulk of the trips were for trade missions, with the state Economic Development Foundation paying more than $41,000 for the governor and first lady's airfare and travel expenses to Europe and Asia last year. The state Republican Party paid more than $22,000 for Hutchinson's trips, including more than $2,400 for his trade mission to Cuba in September.
Hutchinson's office said the party asked the state GOP to pay for the trip since it wasn't arranged by the state. Hutchinson's office said the party has had a standing offer for the governor to use leftover funds the party had raised for the inauguration for some office needs.
"The governor thought it was important to make sure taxpayers did not pay for most of these trips," Hutchinson spokesman J.R. Davis said. "He did that through the party and the foundation in most cases."
Hutchinson's Democratic predecessor, former Gov. Mike Beebe, reported he and his wife received more than $36,000 in travel and airfare during his final year in office in 2014. The bulk of the travel expenses were paid for by the state Economic Development Foundation for a trade mission to Europe.
Other groups paying for trips by Hutchinson included the Republican Governors Association, the Border Patrol Foundation and the Charles Koch Institute. Hutchinson also reported he and the first lady received more than $4,000 in gifts. They included an honorary membership to Pinnacle Country Club in Little Rock valued at $2,772 and a $250 pair of Arkansas cuff links from former Major League Baseball player Torii Hunter.
Aside from his $141,000 salary as governor, Hutchinson reported earning more than $12,500 as board of directors for Hutchinson Securities Strategies and more than $12,500 in dividends from B2G Global Strategies, a California-based consulting firm. Elected officials are not required to list specific income amounts, only whether it amounts to more than $1,000 or more than $12,500.
Other elected officials reporting trips include Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, who accepted more than $20,000 in airfare and travel expenses. The bulk of the trips were paid for by the Republican Attorneys General Association.
Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin reported he and his wife, Elizabeth, accepted a pair of concert tickets valued at $500 from John Oates of the band Hall and Oates. Griffin said he met Oates through his work on intellectual property issues in Congress.
State Desk on 02/02/2016