This story was originally published by the Indiana Capital Chronicle.
By Whitney Downard and Niki Kelly
Indiana Capital Chronicle
October 2, 2025
An Oldenburg nunnery tour. The 2025 presidential inauguration. A high school debate competition. Annual industry conferences.
State officials logged roughly $97,000 in state expenses for trips across Indiana and the nation, according to new reports filed Wednesday.
That count includes Gov. Mike Braun, his cabinet secretaries and all statewide officeholders during the 2025 fiscal year, which ran from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025. Of the 19 reports reviewed by the Indiana Capital Chronicle, many officials had only been in office for part of the fiscal year.
A new state law mandates reporting every Oct. 1 on travel expenses for trips âtaken in an official capacity,â including whether state funding was used to cover costs.
The legislature passed the bill on the heels of controversy, when Secretary of State Diego Morales left the country for an international trip without disclosing who paid for his travel. He attended the National Association of Software and Service Companies Global Conference.
Following pushback, Morales said he reimbursed expenses for the trip to India using personal funds. He reported another trip to Vancouver in September for a securities conference but said no state funds were used.
Moralesâ report didnât include a May trip to Hungary, which he repeatedly emphasized was a personal visit in various social media posts. He also said the trip was paid for by a conservative group.
He documented another 19 trips out of state, including an association conference for secretaries of state in Puerto Rico. Nine of those trips were to Chicago, mostly to meet with foreign dignitaries. The San Juan trip cost $4,241 and was the most expensive claim, coming out of his officeâs general fund.
Of the nearly $33,000 Morales reported spending, roughly a third was devoted to monthly fuel costs. The widely traveled state official previously boasted about his in-state travel, saying he completed the 92-county circuit faster than other statewide officeholders upon taking office.
Some officials provided very specific details on their travel, such as the groups they spoke to or met with. But Attorney General Todd Rokita listed only âofficial businessâ for his 100 events. Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith generally categorized his trips as âattend eventâ or âmeeting,â and included an annual horse racing banquet.
Cabinet secretaries also varied on what they shared in the reports. For example, one cabinet secretary included a âSecretaries Retreatâ on June 24 at the Indiana State Museum, but not every one of her counterparts did the same. Some included total spending, while others didnât.
State Comptroller Elise Nieshalla spent the second-most on travel â almost $12,000 on 71 trips. Most of them were to meet with county auditors all around Indiana. She also toured a local homeless shelter, served as a panelist or speaker at various events and visited former Gov. Eric Holcomb.
Her most expensive single trip cost about $1,500 to attend the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers annual conference in North Carolina. She also went to Ohio, Orlando, Anchorage, Washington, D.C. and Denver.
State Treasurer Dan Elliott racked up $9,300 on more than 50 trips. His report was not specific, often citing a âpublic event,â âconferenceâ or âmeeting.â
His largest trip cost $1,470 â to attend âofficial eventsâ in Washington, D.C. for Donald Trumpâs presidential inauguration. Elliott also went to New York City, Orlando and Scottsdale.
Braun reported more than 144 trips for just over $7,800. Over half of that spending was at Trine University, a private school in Angola, where he was invited to give the May commencement address.
Flying back from Angola to his private home in Jasper in an Indiana State Police helicopter cost $4,200, which came from ISPâs Aviation Rotary Fund. For the commencement, he claimed another $19, which came from ISPâs Motor & Carrier Fund. Braun always travels with a security detail provided by the Indiana State Police.
Most reports calculated fuel reimbursements monthly, but Braun logged it by trip â potentially inflating the number of reported trips. Many of those line items were under a dollar.
The stateâs chief executive also claimed two ice cream expenses, at Gloverâs in Frankfort and Zaharakoâs in Columbus, for $23 and $33, respectively.
He reported visiting Washington, D.C., four times â for the inauguration and meetings with federal officials â but no other out-of-state travel. Braun, a former U.S. senator, also has access to campaign accounts.
Beckwith submitted $4,300, all for fuel expenses related to attending more than 100 events around Indiana.
Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com.
