A review of legislative travel for the past two years shows senators and representatives regularly take part in national lawmaking associations, most often the nonpartisan National Conference of State Legislatures.

Other trips involved meetings set up by the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council or even the National Conference of Insurance Legislators.

The only travel not tied to one of these groups was a trip to Washington, D.C., taken by House Republican leaders. They met with military leaders about Hill Air Force Base and also talked with Utah's congressional delegation about other issues.

That makes the legislative delegation heading to China's Liaoning Province in early July unusual.

"We are breaking new ground," said Ogden Democratic Rep. Neil Hansen.

Not exactly.

Utah signed a similar sister-state agreement with South Korea's Gyeonggi Province back in 1994.

U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop was then the state House speaker. He remembers signing the agreement but does not recall if any legislator went to Gyeonggi.

Utah renewed the agreement as recently as 2004. In a letter dated Jan. 2, of that year, Gyeonggi officials said they have had "visiting exchanges in the past" and they hoped for more.

Later that month, a delegation from Korea visited with then House Speaker Marty Stephens.

But that seems to be the last connection. House Majority Leader Dave Clark knew nothing about the Korean sister-state agreement.

"I don't think I have had an opportunity to meet any folks from Korea," he said.

Lawmakers do take regular trips to Taiwan, as do Salt Lake County leaders, but the Taiwanese government always foots the bill hoping to engender goodwill with American politicians.

mcanham@sltrib.com