TALLAHASSEE -- Seeking to cut costs in hard times, the Legislature banned most out-of-state travel by state employees. But the travel restriction doesn't apply to lawmakers themselves, dozens of whom are headed to national conferences this week and next at public expense.

The Senate will spend up to $26,000 to send six senators to this week's American Legislative Exchange Council conference in Atlanta and six others and a staff member to attend next week's gathering in Philadelphia of the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The House is spending as much as $31,000 to send 27 representatives to the ALEC or NCSL conferences. The House limits each lawmaker to $1,150 for one conference at state expense and the Senate will pay $2,000 for each member.

NCSL is a larger and longer conference, featuring dozens of workshops, on everything from the economy to election reform to wrongful convictions of felons. Guest speakers include entrepreneur Bill Gates; Bill Purcell, director of the Harvard Institute of Politics, and NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly.

ALEC is a Republican-leaning group that claims its 2009 conference is one of the largest gathering of conservatives this year. Among the featured speakers are former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; author and commentator Peggy Noonan; economist Arthur Laffer; and Pete Coors, chairman of the Molson Coors Brewing Co.

Throughout the spring session, legislators questioned what some considered excessive junketeering by bureaucrats to out-of-state conferences during a grinding recession that led to a massive shortfall in tax revenues. As a result, the new state budget that took effect July 1 limits travel over the next year to ``activities that are critical to each agency's mission.''

No state money can be used to travel out of state unless the agency head approves in writing that the trip is mission-critical. Travel that is related to law enforcement, military, emergency management or public health is exempt from the restriction.

But lawmakers put no such restrictions on their own travel. The $54,000 cost for their conference travel about as funding 16 children in pre-kindergarten classes, or reinstating bonuses for five teachers who become nationally certified, or paying for $117 vaccines for 350 underprivileged children.

Rep. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, said his attendance at the ALEC conference in Atlanta is money well spent.

''Faced with the problems that we have with the property insurance situation in Florida, I feel it's imperative that I get all the information I can to try to solve those problems,'' Hays said. ``I'm going for the working sessions. I'm not just going for the meals and speeches.''

Rep. Jimmy Patronis, a Panama City Republican, the House chairman of ALEC in Florida, is also going to Atlanta, but said he is paying all of the costs out of his own pocket. ''It might be an option that might play a little better at home or in your own back yard,'' Patronis said.

He organized a Friday night ''Florida dinner'' in Atlanta for a total of 37 attendees, and said it took some work to find a restaurant willing to issue 37 separate checks because of the Florida law that prohibits legislators from accepting anything of value from lobbyists.

About half of the House members traveling to a conference are freshmen, including Rep. Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee, who represents thousands of state employees affected by the curtailment of official travel.

''I'm a new member, and I think it's a great way to learn what other states are doing, and even to learn from their mistakes,'' Williams said. ``The only way you can do that is by being there. I'll be taking lots of notes and bringing back lots of information.''

Legislators from the Tampa Bay region who are conference-bound are Republican Sen. Dennis Jones of Treasure Island and Republican Rep. Jim Frishe of St. Petersburg, both of whom are attending the America Legislative Exchange Council conference, which begins today and ends Saturday.

Two senators seeking statewide office are delegates to the ALEC conference: Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, a candidate for attorney general, and Sen. Carey Baker, R-Eustis, who's running for agriculture commissioner.

From South Florida, the travelers to NCSL include Senate Majority Leader Alex Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami, who is also bringing his legislative aide, Patricia Gosney; Sen. Larcenia Bullard, D-Miami; Sen. Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale; and Reps. Ronald Brise, D-North Miami; Dwight Bullard, D-Miami; Joe Gibbons, D-Hallandale Beach; Franklin Sands, D-Weston and Jim Waldman, D-Coconut Creek.

The ALEC delegates from South Florida include Reps. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale; Anitere Flores, R-Miami; Eric Fresen, R-Miami and Matt Hudson, R-Naples, whose district includes a large swath of Southwest Broward.

Staff writer Mary Ellen Klas contributed to this report. Steve Bousquet can be reached at bousquet@sptimes.com

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