Things that make you go hmmmmm….
In July, the Arizona State University came under scrutiny for spending “exorbitantly on lobbying efforts.” On Monday, Arizona lawmakers announced the Foundation was picking up the tab for their visit to Mexico.
The ASU Foundation disputes the claim that it is funding the trip. Bret Hovell, Associate Vice President, ASU Office of Media Relations and Strategic Communications reports that the trip was paid for “by private donations for the non-partisan Arizona Legislative Academy, which he says is an educational course for newly-elected members of the state legislature.” According to its website, the Arizona Legislative Academy is facilitated by the Arizona State University College of Public Service & Community Solutions and ASU Morrison Institute for Public Policy. According to the Arizona Daily Star, the Arizona Legislative Academy, which paid for the Legislator’s trip to Mexico, is a new program at ASU that “was founded by former House Speaker and current Arizona Corporation Commissioner Andy Tobin, who takes a $100,000 salary, from money he’s raised for the program.”