AUSTIN - Taxpayers footed the bill for close to $1 million in security costs for 23 foreign trips by GOP Gov. Rick Perry and his wife over seven years, according to records obtained under the Public Information Act by the San Antonio Express-News/Houston Chronicle.

The actual security tab for 2004-2010 is higher than the $928,477.71 revealed in records provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety, which includes the Executive Protection Bureau, for trips made by the Perrys together or separately.

That's because the security cost couldn't be obtained for five additional foreign trips made in 2006-2007 by Perry or his wife Anita. DPS said it routinely destroys travel records after three years. Expenses for older trips included in the tally had been previously obtained by the Express-News/Chronicle.

The newspapers submitted their latest request for information on trip expenses Aug. 23, but didn't receive the records until Wednesday.

The focus is on security costs because the state doesn't pay for many of the governor's direct travel costs. But the cost of the security detail is paid primarily from the state highway fund, which is fueled by the state gasoline tax and vehicle registration fees.

Perry, Texas' longest-serving governor, has made far more foreign trips than his predecessors. Former governors George W. Bush and the late Ann Richards traveled to Mexico. Bush also made a much noted trip to Israel (preceded by a stop in Italy) before launching his presidential campaign.

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Political analysts said it's not unusual for governors to travel outside the country, particularly for economic development. Southern Methodist University political scientist Cal Jillson said it's an important part of their job. But security details are a "relatively new thing," Jillson said.

"There are lots of Texans who are suffering economic hardships. The state budget is out of whack. One way that a governor might show a sensitivity to this and awareness of it, and a determination to resolve it, is to pull in the purse-strings a little bit on his own staff and his own travel budget and the size of his security detail," Jillson said.

Democratic candidate for governor Bill White's campaign has zeroed in on Perry's travel as part of its storyline that Perry is a part-time governor who doesn't spend enough time attending to Texas' business.

Perry's staff says travel is an important part of luring jobs to Texas and promoting economic development.

"He's broken records for foreign travel. The question is, what are we really getting out of this? What's in it for taxpayers? Rick Perry likes to fly around the country and fly around the world promoting himself," said White spokeswoman Katy Bacon. "The trips are part of a larger lifestyle issue for Perry, who's been living off of taxpayers for 25 years, and he has just forgotten it's not his money."

Perry's deputy chief of staff, Kathy Walt, said the value of the travel is clear. She added that the governor "leaves security decisions to the trained, experienced law enforcement professional at DPS."

"Texas jobs depend on selling Texas-made goods and services to the world. It makes good business sense for state and local government and business leaders to travel to foreign markets in an effort to further expand business opportunity and create more jobs in Texas," Walt said, adding that "a number of his trips have led to business opportunities or allowed him to help close the deal on foreign investments in the state."

She said Mrs. Perry is a "strong 'ambassador' for the state."

More Information Security cost for foreign trips by Gov. and/or Mrs. Perry See More Collapse

University of Texas at Austin political scientist Bruce Buchanan didn't see a major issue for Perry in the matter, particularly since most of the trips are for economic development.

"The governor can't be expected to avoid all trips that might require some security coverage just because he's governor," Buchanan said. "Bottom line, this particular category does not look to me like a major violation of any kind of ethical code."

The Perrys together have traveled to the Bahamas; Italy; the United Arab Emirates and Qatar; Grand Cayman; Israel (twice), once in conjunction with a trip to Jordan; France and Sweden; and China.

Perry also has traveled to Mexico five times; Iraq three times; Afghanistan; Turkey; and to Taiwan and Korea in conjunction with the China trip. Mrs. Perry has traveled to England three times, once in conjunction with a trip to Slovakia; Mexico; Japan twice; Germany twice; Malta; Italy and France; the Czech Republic, Azerbaijan (after France and Sweden with Perry); Canada; Spain; and Brazil and Argentina.

Purposes cited by the governor's office for the trips include business recruitment, promoting trade and investment, promoting Texas as a tourist destination or attending official functions such as Mexican presidential inauguration activities. Most trips fell into such categories.

There were other reasons for some trips: the 2006 Grand Cayman trip was a vacation; Perry went to Turkey for the Bilderberg conference; and he received awards and met with dignitaries on the two trips to Israel. The much-reported 2004 trip to the Bahamas with campaign donors was described as an "education policy retreat."

Perry's trips to Iraq and Afghanistan were to visit troops. They didn't carry state security costs because the secret service did the job, according to DPS.

DPS releases security expense totals in broad categories: Base pay for officers on a trip; overtime; airfare; hotels; car rental and other ground transportation; and meals or other expenses. Costs for trips before 2008 didn't include base pay or overtime, said DPS spokeswoman Tela Mange said. So those items would push the total higher if they could be obtained.

Citing security concerns, DPS doesn't release travel vouchers with spending details. It also doesn't release the number of officers on particular trips or even the total number in the security detail.

Hearst Newspapers, which owns the Express-News/Chronicle, and Cox Texas Newspapers have sued for access to the vouchers, saying they're public information and their release wouldn't be a security threat. Lower courts have ruled for the newspapers and the case is before the Texas Supreme Court.

Direct expenses for Perry on the trips largely have been covered by his campaign or a non-profit corporation that gets funding from corporations, organizations and individuals and works with Perry's office to promote economic development.

Other entities, such as the travel industry, another government or a company, sometimes pick up the tab. Walt said tourism co-operative fees, which she said are paid voluntarily by communities to promote themselves as travel destinations, mostly have paid for Mrs. Perry's tourism promotion travel.

Of some $340,246.79 tallied in direct travel expenses for the Perrys, just $3,539.41 was paid by the state, when Perry went to Washington on his way to Iraq and Afghanistan and to Mexico City for a border governors' meeting, according to Perry's office. The state also paid $123.15 for meals when Mrs. Perry went to Azerbaijan to speak to a forum on expanding the role of women in cross-cultural dialogue.

The largest private in-kind contribution for direct travel costs, valued at $180,741.55, was when Doug Pitcock provided the use of a plane for the Perrys' 2009 trip to Israel. Pitcock is CEO of Williams Brothers Construction.

The biggest security tab was for the Perrys' trip June 12-23 to China, Taiwan and Korea to host "Salute to Texas Week" and promote economic development and tourism, at $129,499.10, including $20,202.43 just for hotels.

The security tab for a June 2-10, 2008 trip by the Perrys to France and Sweden for a trade and investment conference and recruitment mission was close behind at $126,800.53, with $34,784.98 for hotels.

Craig McDonald of Texans for Public Justice said the specifics s should be available to taxpayers.

"In the spirit of transparency, which the governor claims to support, we ought to be able to see the bills. The taxpayers ought to know when their governor takes a trip what exactly its costing us, and why it's costing us that amount," he said. "I think that can be done in a way that doesn't jeopardize the security of the governor."

Bill Hammond of the Texas Association of Business said the benefit of Perry's trips is "to make people around the country and around the world aware that under his leadership, Texas is the best place in the country to do business, and one of the best places in the world to do business.

"I think it's cost-effective for the governor to travel on behalf of the state of Texas and bring business to Texas," Hammond said. "I'm not familiar enough with the precise results from these trips. I assume they have a track record of success if they continue to do them."