Between January 2000 and May 2004, private and nonprofit organizations spent about $14.4 million to send members of the House and Senate on more than 4,800 trips, according to an analysis of congressional travel disclosure forms by Medill News Service in partnership with American Public Media's Marketplace program and American RadioWorks.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., reported 13 trips totaling $60,234. Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., reported accepting $584 total in travel expenses for three trips; however, each senator had one trip that she reported on annual financial disclosure forms, which do not require senators to state costs of the trips. Rep. Bob Filner, D-Chula Vista, reported eight privately sponsored trips, worth more than $7,000 in travel, lodging and food, from 2000 to 2003. Filner did not travel in 2004, according to records filed with the House Legislative Resource Center.

Filner traveled twice for fact-finding missions, including a trip to Cuba in 2002 sponsored by the Center for International Policy. The congressman also accepted sponsorship from the Women's International Zionist Organization to deliver a speech. And he attended a civil rights pilgrimage in 2000, paid for by the Faith and Politics Institute, and the U.S. - Mexico Futures Forum, paid for by the University of California, Berkeley, in 2003.

The American Hellenic Council, the Air Force Sergeants Association and the National Education Association each sponsored domestic trips where Filner accepted awards.

Filner did not respond to requests for an interview.

Feinstein participated in the 2001 World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, but reported paying for the transportation and lodging personally. The Forum covered Feinstein's $180 meal costs for the four-day trip.

The majority of Boxer's records were for travel outside of the lower 48 states, including conferences in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Cayman Islands, Italy, Spain, London and two trips to Punta Mita, Mexico. The Aspen Institute, a global policy think-tank, paid for seven of Boxer's trips. Boxer's husband accompanied the senator on every trip but one.

Neither Boxer's nor Feinstein's offices responded to requests for comment.

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