Massachusetts House lawmakers spent nearly $30,000 in political donations last month on a trip to Cuba billed as an opportunity to learn about the island nation’s interest in biomedical research.
Specifically, the lawmakers paid $28,566 to Marazul Tours, a New Jersey-based travel agent that specializes in trips to Cuba. State Representative Marjorie Decker, who led the trip, announced the plans one day before the 11 lawmakers traveled to the island nation.
House Speaker Ron Mariano and state Representatives Mike Moran, Frank Moran, Mike Day, Mindy Domb, Ken Gordon, John Lawn, Aaron Michlewitz, Jeff Roy, and Jenny Armini were slated to attend the trip, which began Nov. 15. Lawmakers are scheduled to return on Friday.
Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association president Steve Walsh and an aide to Decker, Ryan Telingator, are also on the trip.
Massachusetts’ campaign finance rules are broad, allowing lawmakers to travel on their campaign’s dime as long as they can show it’s for the “enhancement of [their] political future” and is not “primarily for personal use.”
In a statement, Decker said all expenses, including transportation, lodging, and meals, would be paid for by the individual members or their campaign accounts and that no third party would pay expenses related to the trip.
In September and October, lawmakers spent as little as $45 in “agent fees” up to payments of $4,737.20 to the travel agency, according to campaign finance records.
The agency, Marazul Tours, calls itself “the oldest and largest continuously operating travel agency to Cuba.”
Not every lawmaker’s account showed charges to Marazul, meaning they either paid their way without tapping their campaign accounts or were charged in November — charges wouldn’t necessarily show up in campaign finance records until the reporting period ends Dec. 5.
According to Decker, lawmakers were to meet with Cuban public officials, hospital staff, and charities, such as Caritas Cuba, to discuss investing in health care, public health and disease, climate resiliency and flooding, and life sciences.
Ahead of the visit, lawmakers were briefed by the US State Department and met with Massachusetts Representative Jim McGovern, who has long advocated for better relations between the United States and Cuba.
The trip comes as three major health care bills sit in limbo on Beacon Hill, with the Legislature yet to take action on the measures, which would tackle hospital oversight, prescription drug pricing, and substance use disorders.
Before the Cuba trip was announced, Mariano suggested he would take a post-election vacation.
“I have no intent to do anything right now, except maybe take a few days off,” he said in response to questions about changing a voter-approved law governing legislative audits.
Material from State House News Service was used in this report.
Samantha J. Gross can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @samanthajgross.
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