State Rep. Brian Sims, Pennsylvania’s first elected openly gay lawmaker, will make a “routine amendment” to his Statement of Financial Interests regarding an April 2015 trip to Seattle to speak at Microsoft, according to Dan Siegel, a political consultant working with Sims.
Adam Bonin, Sims’ lawyer, told PGN he expected those updates would be filed with the Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission by the end of the week.
Both said Microsoft paid for Sims’ flight and hotel, which amounted to more than $650, the minimum that triggers a requirement to report it to the state. Neither could immediately confirm the exact value of the trip. Sims spoke about how the business could be more inclusive of members of marginalized communities, according to a statement from the legislator’s team.
“It was an oversight,” Siegel said. “He conflated it with a personal trip he made within months of that trip.” A friend provided airplane tickets to the West Coast for a separate personal visit.
A story published Oct. 3 by City & State Pennsylvania, a monthly publication covering politics that expanded from New York this year, indicated that a tipster raised questions about improper reporting of thousands of dollars in travel reimbursements last year. The publication said its investigation further found Sims collected more than $53,000 in speaking fees since his election in 2012.
Sims was in committee hearings with the state legislature Oct. 4 and unavailable for comment.
Rob Caruso, executive director of the State Ethics Commission, spoke generally with PGN about Statements of Financial Interests. He did not evaluate Sims’ case directly. Caruso said the commission conducts an informal review of any amended financial statements.
“The commission generally will accept that amended filing,” Caruso said, unless someone contacts the commission to report a potential conflict of interest, which could trigger a formal inquiry.
The inclusion of previously unreported flight and hotel costs in the statement “in and of itself wouldn’t raise a red flag,” Caruso said. But he noted Section 1103 D of the Ethics Act, which states, “No public official or public employee shall accept an honorarium.”
“I don’t think that gives a whole lot of wiggle room for being paid for a speaking arrangement,” he said.
The statement from Sims’ team said the speaking arrangements mostly took place at colleges. Sims has spoken frequently about his experience as an openly gay football player in college and other LGBT issues.
“For years preceding his being elected he was regularly invited to speak at institutions of higher learning and Fortune 500 companies about issues relating to equality and representation,” the statement said. “… Since becoming the first member of the LGBTQ community ever elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly, Brian has attended these speaking engagements less frequently … In an abundance of ethical caution, Rep. Sims secured approval from the Counsel of the House Democratic Caucus before continuing his speaking engagements … These speeches do not address his legislative role at all.”
Sims also received scrutiny for a trip to Israel with other state legislators and to Tanzania for a charity climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro. He told City & State Pennsylvania he paid for the travel with campaign funds. To the best of his knowledge, Bonin said, the money came from Sims’ state campaign account, not what was raised for his attempted run for Congress last year.
“Candidates can use campaign funds under the election code for anything that can influence the outcome of the election, as well as … for charitable efforts,” Bonin said, noting politicians have bought tickets for charity events or placed ads in programs with campaign funds.
He said the trip to Tanzania “very comfortably fits in that longstanding precedent.”
Sims traveled there to raise money for the Military Assistance Project, a veterans’ charity. It’s headquartered at 20th and Market streets in Philadelphia, which Bonin noted is part of Sims’ district. Event organizers told City & State Pennsylvania that Sims raised $7,000 for the Military Assistance Project.
Bonin said the Israel trip was relevant to Sims’ role as a legislator. He added Sims could justifiably spend campaign funds on an activity that helps him become a better legislator, and therefore stand a better chance at reelection.