An Arizona legislator said he will propose changing state law to require state officials only buy coach or economy tickets when flying on the taxpayer's dime.

Rep. Walt Blackman, R-Snowflake, told The Arizona Republic he is working on a bill to tighten state travel rules after an audit found Northern Arizona University inappropriately paid for travel expenses incurred by the school's president, Rita Cheng, and her spouse, including about $30,000 for first class and business class tickets to Russia.

“If a commanding officer can travel coach," said Blackman, a U.S. Army veteran, "the president of a university can do the same thing.”

Arizona law already requires the state's public universities to set policies for travel by employees and officials. Northern Arizona University's guidelines say officials should use "the most beneficial, cost effective and practical mode of travel."

An Arizona Board of Regents policy is more explicit, stating officials must use coach or economy class unless they provide a written justification for choosing more expensive tickets.

The Chengs paid for business- and first-class tickets to Russia in fiscal year 2019, plus two additional replacement business-class tickets after they experienced travel delays, the state audit found. The university reimbursed the president for those tickets.

Following the audit, the Northern Arizona University Foundation reimbursed the university for the bulk of the travel expenses.

The trip to Russia, the university said in its response to the audit, included meetings with university and government officials including the U.S. Ambassador to Russia.

For a separate trip to Israel, the university purchased a $5,862 round-trip business-class ticket for Cheng's husband, Tom Cheng, despite an offer from the event sponsor to pay for coach airfare for both the president and her husband.

A review by the Arizona Auditor General's Office found the university did not follow its own policies or the policies of the board of regents. Among other things, the review found employees did not ensure President Rita Cheng's expenses included the required documentation.

After auditors raised questions about the travel expenses, Rita Cheng reimbursed Northern Arizona University $176. The Northern Arizona University Foundation also agreed to pay nearly $38,000 to the school to cover various flights and other travel expenses incurred by Cheng and her husband, according to the audit.

The foundation maintains it followed its normal process for approving the funds.

The audit called on the university to review and strengthen its procedures for approving Cheng's travel expenses.

But some want the state to go even further.

Spending criticized in Flagstaff

Flagstaff radio talk show host Jeff Oravits dedicated his hour-long program on Monday to the audit’s findings.

Oravits said it was no comfort that the Northern Arizona University Foundation eventually paid the bulk of Cheng’s travel expenses. The talk show host said his wife, an NAU alumnus, gets letters from the foundation asking for donations to support causes like scholarships.

“I've got people contacting me left and right saying ‘I don't want to give to that foundation anymore, that's not what that money ought to be used for,’” he said.

Oravits called on lawmakers to pass a bill requiring public officials fly coach or economy class when traveling at government expense. If public officials upgrade, they should have to pay that cost on their own, he said.

The talk show host said later he was working with Blackman on the legislation for the upcoming session, which begins Jan. 13.

NAU Foundation explains payments

Rickey McCurry, the executive director of the NAU Foundation, said the foundation’s board of directors did not need to approve the reimbursement expenses because the board delegates day-to-day operations to him.

He said he followed the normal approval process for the reimbursement to the university. An expense would be submitted to the foundation, then the foundation goes through an approval process and, if approved, pays the expense, he said.

“There was no issue whatsoever with our process and our process was followed,” he said.

The money for travel comes from a foundation fund called the “presidential fund for excellence,” he said. The funds are unrestricted, meaning donors did not designate specific purposes for their dollars to be used. The president can seek support from this fund, he said.

The foundation exists to support the university’s mission, he said, and part of that includes making sure the president has the ability to do things that will enhance student and faculty experiences. Traveling to countries where the university has partnerships and agreements is “certainly in the interest of the university and the students that we serve,” he said.

Contact Andrew Oxford at andrew.oxford@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter at @andrewboxford.

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