A May 12 article regarding state legislators’ travel expenses included a statement that we, the taxpayers, reimbursed Rep. Vito Barbieri $1,226 for attending “the 2014 American Legislative Exchange Council [ALEC] conference — a conservative think tank focused on free-market, limited government and division of powers between federal and state governments.” I would appreciate an explanation as to why we paid for what appears to me to be a private event/Judith Farrey, Hayden, letter to the editor, Coeur d'Alene Press.