Rep. Bill Owens
/ file photo
WATERTOWN (AP) -- New York Congressman Bill Owens says he'll pay back more than $22,000 to the sponsor of a trip he and his wife took to Taiwan.
The news organization ProPublica reported that Owens' December trip was organized by a lobbying firm founded by former New York Sen. Alfonse D'Amato. Members of Congress can't take officially-connected travel organized by lobbyists.
Owens got approval for the trip, which he said was related to job creation, and listed the Chinese Culture University as the sponsor. He says he didn't know that contact with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office affected the trip's permissibility. D'Amato's firm lobbies for that office.
Owens says he followed the rules but in "an abundance of caution," will use personal funds to pay back the $22,132 spent on the trip.
(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
