North Dakota Ethics Commission OKs Lawmakers’ Expenses Paid Trip to Israel as Educational

House Minority Leader Zac Ista, D-Grand Forks. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – At least one North Dakota lawmaker has been invited to an all-expenses-paid trip to meet with Israel leaders in September and the state Ethics Commission says he can accept.

The five-day trip would be paid for by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which pitches the tour as an opportunity for U.S. lawmakers to learn about the nation’s culture, heritage and government.

An advisory opinion was requested by House Minority Leader Zac Ista, D-Grand Forks. He received an invitation and said he hasn’t yet decided whether he’ll go.

“It’s important to realize that the nation of Israel has its own biases and perspectives that it’s going to present during that trip,” Ista said. But he added that he values the opportunity to learn about another country’s government and culture firsthand.