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HELENA – Gov. Steve Bullock will reimburse the state for travel using the state-owned plane that coincided with campaign events, going back to the start of his term.

Bullock will pay $2,671.84, according to a news release sent Friday afternoon.

The governor's legal counsel has advised the governor can use state-owned aircraft to fly to a location and attend a campaign event as long as he is also attending official state events on the same day. Attendance at campaign events or other nonofficial events must be ancillary to the official business. When the governor attends ancillary campaign events, the state must be reimbursed for any increased cost associated with the aircraft as a result of the attendance.

The new policy the governor adopted and made retroactive to the start of his term will refund the state, though the release said increased costs to the state are very rare due to the fixed costs associated with the trips.

The governor is paying the state back for costs from 21 trips. The state plane costs $500 an hour to operate, according to a Bullock spokeswoman. That works out to Bullock paying back an average of $127.23 per trip.

Former governors from both parties also have paid part of the costs in similar situations.