Morales tops statewide official journey spending

An Oldenburg nunnery tour. The 2025 presidential inauguration. A highschool debate competitors. Annual trade conferences.

State officers logged roughly $97,000 in state bills for journeys throughout Indiana and the nation, in response to new stories filed Wednesday.

That depend contains Gov. Mike Braun, his cupboard secretaries and all statewide officeholders throughout the 2025 fiscal yr, which ran from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025. Of the 19 stories reviewed by the Indiana Capital Chronicle, many officers had solely been in workplace for a part of the fiscal yr.

A brand new state law mandates reporting each Oct. 1 on journey bills for journeys “taken in an official capacity,” together with whether or not state funding was used to cowl prices.

The legislature handed the invoice on the heels of controversy, when Secretary of State Diego Morales left the country for an international trip with out disclosing who paid for his journey. He attended the National Association of Software and Service Companies Global Conference.

Following pushback, Morales mentioned he reimbursed bills for the journey to India utilizing private funds. He reported one other journey to Vancouver in September for a securities convention however mentioned no state funds have been used.

Morales’ report didn’t embody a May journey to Hungary, which he repeatedly emphasised was a private go to in numerous social media posts. He additionally mentioned the journey was paid for by a conservative group.

He documented one other 19 journeys out of state, together with an affiliation convention for secretaries of state in Puerto Rico. Nine of these journeys have been to Chicago, largely to satisfy with overseas dignitaries. The San Juan journey value $4,241 and was the most costly declare, popping out of his workplace’s normal fund.  

Of the practically $33,000 Morales reported spending, roughly a 3rd was dedicated to month-to-month gas prices. The broadly traveled state official previously boasted about his in-state journey, saying he accomplished the 92-county circuit sooner than different statewide officeholders upon taking workplace. 

Some officers offered very particular particulars on their journey, such because the teams they spoke to or met with. But Attorney General Todd Rokita listed solely “official business” for his 100 occasions. Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith usually categorized his journeys as “attend event” or “meeting,” and included an annual horse racing banquet.

Cabinet secretaries additionally different on what they shared within the stories. For instance, one cupboard secretary included a “Secretaries Retreat” on June 24 on the Indiana State Museum, however not each one among her counterparts did the identical. Some included complete spending, whereas others didn’t. 

Other statewide officers

State Comptroller Elise Nieshalla spent the second-most on journey — nearly $12,000 on 71 journeys. Most of them have been to satisfy with county auditors throughout Indiana. She additionally toured an area homeless shelter, served as a panelist or speaker at numerous occasions and visited former Gov. Eric Holcomb. 

Her costliest single journey value about $1,500 to attend the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers annual convention in North Carolina. She additionally went to Ohio, Orlando, Anchorage, Washington, D.C. and Denver.

State Treasurer Dan Elliott racked up $9,300 on greater than 50 journeys. His report was not particular, typically citing a “public event,” “conference” or “meeting.”

His largest journey value $1,470 — to attend “official events” in Washington, D.C. for Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration. Elliott additionally went to New York City, Orlando and Scottsdale. 

Braun reported greater than 144 journeys for simply over $7,800. Over half of that spending was at Trine University, a non-public faculty in Angola, the place he was invited to provide the May graduation handle. 

Flying back from Angola to his private home in Jasper in an Indiana State Police helicopter value $4,200, which got here from ISP’s Aviation Rotary Fund. For the graduation, he claimed one other $19, which got here from ISP’s Motor & Carrier Fund. Braun at all times travels with a safety element offered by the Indiana State Police. 

Most stories calculated gas reimbursements month-to-month, however Braun logged it by journey — probably inflating the variety of reported journeys. Many of these line objects have been below a greenback.

The state’s chief government additionally claimed two ice cream bills, at Glover’s in Frankfort and Zaharako’s in Columbus, for $23 and $33, respectively.

He reported visiting Washington, D.C., 4 instances — for the inauguration and conferences with federal officers — however no different out-of-state journey. Braun, a former U.S. senator, additionally has entry to marketing campaign accounts.

Beckwith submitted $4,300, all for gas bills associated to attending greater than 100 occasions round Indiana. 

He listed 5 out-of-state journeys: an “Army event” in Kentucky and talking occasions in Virginia, Georgia, Ohio and Michigan. But none of these occasions included particular prices. 

Rokita totaled $4,650 in bills for 100 journeys along with his greatest value being $2,237 for a Washington, D.C. go to in September 2025. He had 9 out-of-state journeys, together with seven to the nation’s capital and others to Las Vegas and Yuma, Arizona.

Cabinet secretaries

All eight cupboard secretaries submitted stories alongside the superintendent of Indiana State Police and adjutant normal of the Indiana National Guard. The latter two classes embody former appointees alongside present officers.

One secretary — Mike Speedy, who oversees enterprise affairs — didn’t embody any prices in his report, although his 29 complete journeys included the presidential inauguration and a nunnery tour with an area state lawmaker. 

Management and Budget Secretary Lisa Hershman and Braun’s chief of employees Josh Kelley reported no official journey throughout the interval. Secretary Gloria Sachdev claimed simply $73 in journey bills associated to a Washington, D.C. resort keep for a gathering of well being and human companies secretaries.

The most generally traveled cupboard member was Secretary of Education Katie Jenner, with 71 journeys, adopted by former Secretary of Public Safety Jennifer-Ruth Green, with 65 journeys reported. Jenner’s report covers a yr of journey whereas Green began in late January. 

Jenner extensively logged her statewide journey, together with a number of Indianapolis-area talking engagements alongside dozens of college web site visits throughout the state. Of the $7,198 she reported in complete journey bills, $1,872 of it was dedicated to month-to-month gas card transactions. Her two costliest journeys — to Austin, Texas, and San Diego, California, — value $1,377 and $1,457, respectively, the place she spoke in an official capability at nationwide conferences.

Green reported spending $3,237, although practically all of that was spent on fuel aside from two Washington, D.C. journeys. The March journey says solely “Washington, D.C. Meetings” for $842 whereas the April journey is for “GHSAC,” or the Governors Homeland Security Advisors Council, and value $1,577.

Another notable journey was Secretary of Commerce David Adams Montreal go to for $1,288, which he categorized as a “Business attraction meeting for Bombardier based in Montreal.” Bombardier is a Canadian aerospace producer. Those funds got here from the Indiana Economic Development Foundation’s purse, not state funds. Private companies donate to the opaque account, which Braun has vowed to close.