NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The state tightened travel rules last year because of the budget, but the Channel 4 I-Team found state lawmakers using tax money for trips all over the map, even islands and popular vacation spots.

When the I-Team first looked into this last year, lawmakers were found traveling to places like California wine country for conferences, all while non-elected state employees were ordered not to travel to conferences because of budget constraints.

This year, tax dollars sent lawmakers to places like Key Biscayne, Fla., Las Vegas and New Orleans for conferences.

"I think it's crazy," said taxpayer advocate Ben Cunningham. "Lawmakers should be the leaders; they should be the example setters."

While Tennesseans shivered at home in 49-degree weather in December, lawmakers enjoyed 70-degree weather while attending conferences in places like St. Petersburg, Fla.

These travels were made while the stock market was plummeting, the governor was threatening layoffs and the state's 48,000 employees were reminded they were not to travel to conferences unless it was for an emergency or it was mandatory.

The I-Team looked at what lawmakers spent in the first quarter last year, including hotel and flight reimbursements. From December 2007 to February 2008, it cost taxpayers nearly $30,000.

This year, during the same time period, lawmakers traveled even more and cost taxpayers $33,354.95.

"They're throwing this up in our faces, and saying, you know, 'We're going to apply these standards to state workers, but we're going to travel around the country at taxpayer expense,'" Cunningham said.

The biggest traveler in the state House is Rep. Joe Towns of Memphis. In one month alone, he traveled to Florida, Washington, D.C., and Santa Fe.

When Towns isn't a legislator, he runs an entertainment company. He even describes himself as being in the film industry, and taxpayers paid for him to go to Santa Fe for the city's film festival.

"So was it a good move for somebody that owns an entertainment company to go to a film festival on the taxpayer dime?" Channel 4 reporter Jeremy Finley asked Towns.

"Of course it is," Towns said. "Do you know how much the film industry bring to this state? … We're sitting by allowing money go to Canada, allowing money to go to Kentucky, go to the rest of these states. Yes, of course it is. And it has nothing to do with me being involved in the film industry.

"So what? Yes, I own it. And you should own something, too," said Towns.

Towns also said why he thinks it's important for lawmakers like himself to travel: to learn from out-of-state conferences.

"Do you know how much ignorance there is in this state? Everyone needs to go somewhere. They need to go to the moon to find a better way of doing things in this state," he said.

In the state Senate, Memphis Sen. Reginald Tate's travels cost taxpayers the most: nearly $2,700 in three months to travel to conferences in New Orleans, Atlanta and Huntsville.

"State employees have been told not to travel to conferences. Lawmakers, though, can go pretty much wherever they want to. Is that fair?" Finley asked Tate.

"I wouldn't say we as lawmakers have the same rules," Tate said. "For the information I'm getting out of it and the information that I'm taking this back to these educational programs ... in the city of Memphis, I definitely think it's worth it."

"I will travel more this year," said Towns. "You know why? Because the policy allows it to happen."

Tate said many of the conferences he attends is paid for by the groups putting on the conferences.

But the costs rack up for taxpayers, because lawmakers get a per diem for food and drink and often have their flights reimbursed.

See where lawmakers traveled in the first quarter:

Senators' travel expenditures

House travel expenditures