Kansan congressmen report modest finances

State's representatives disclose less wealth than their peers

? Members of the U.S. House of Representatives include wealthy heirs and affluent business people, but none is from Kansas, according to personal finance reports released Monday.

Not that the four Kansans serving in the House aren’t comfortable — most House members and senators earned $150,000 last year.

But their wealth is modest compared with some colleagues, such as paper manufacturing heir F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., R-Wis., who estimated his fortune at $9 million, or the top House Democrat, California Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who has vineyards worth $6 million to $26 million.

The annual disclosure forms, which cover 2002, list assets and income in broad ranges that make it nearly impossible to know exactly how much a lawmaker is worth.

Kansans are heavily invested in retirement accounts, mutual funds and stocks — some in companies with a major stake in energy, prescription drug or other bills under consideration in Congress.

Republican Rep. Jerry Moran reported stock in Boeing Co., ChevronTexaco, ExxonMobil, Halliburton Co., Pfizer, Schlumberger Ltd. and Transocean Sedco Forex Inc., worth $20,007-$126,000.

Republican Rep. Todd Tiahrt listed nearly two dozen mutual funds and stocks, including Boeing Co., AMR Corp., the parent of American Airlines, and Microsoft Corp., worth $49,021-$385,000.

Much of the wealth of Kansas Democratic Rep. Dennis Moore is tied up in his retirement accounts. Moore reported six IRAs worth $245,006-$600,000.

And Republican Rep. Jim Ryun reported IRAs worth $101,002-$251,000. Lawmakers are not required to report their homes, but Ryun did, listing his Capitol Hill residence as worth $250,001-$500,000.

He also reported rental income of $1,001-$2,500, which an aide said comes from a home office that Ryun rents to his campaign.

Senators’ reports were released last week.

The reports also detail free travel, some paid for by interests with business before the lawmakers. Trips must be for information-gathering, and they must be reported, but they are legal. Kansans were relatively modest in this respect, too. Moore and Moran reported no expenses-paid trips in 2002.

Ryun took three, two of them courtesy of Destiny Image Publishing, the Christian publishing company that published Ryun’s book, “Heroes Among Us,” in July 2002.

The company paid for a four-day trip to Los Angeles in July and a two-day trip to Colorado Springs, Colo., in December.

In addition, a religious public policy group called WallBuilders paid for a three-day trip in May to its headquarters in Aledo, Texas. WallBuilders promotes religion in government, education and the family.

Tiahrt, his wife, Vicki, and their three children traveled in January 2002 to Hawaii for a weeklong trip courtesy of the American Association of Airport Executives. The Tiahrts paid for their children’s portion of the trip.