Two local congressmen Tuesday defended their acceptance of privately-fund trips, saying travel is a legitimate part of their job.

U.S. Reps. Barney Frank and James McGovern expressed dismay that a study on congressional travel lumped them with colleagues accused of accepting lavish vacation trips from lobbyists.

The Center for Public Integrity conducted the study that found that members of Congress and their staff have taken $50 million in privatelyfunded trips since 2000.

The group said the trips were often paid for by lobbyists and organizations with business before Congress.

The practice undermines the integrity of Congress and public confidence in government, the group said. Frank and his staff were listed in the study as having accepted the most in trips among Massachusetts congressmen over the period studied. His trips had a value of $126,269.

McGovern and his staff came in second in Massachusetts at $75,539.

However, the Massachusetts contingent was on the low end for accepting trips, coming in at 26th among the 50 state delegations.

Frank was ranked 111th out of the 691 members of the House and Senate who served during the period studied. McGovern was ranked 238th.

Frank, D-Newton, said his travel was mostly to speak to colleges, gay civil rights groups and liberal organizations.

He said he believes in speaking as often as possible to young people, and as one of the few openly gay members of Congress, frequently addresses civil rights issues.

As a member of the House Financial Services Committee, Frank said he has three times attended international economic conferences.

Those conferences involve giving speeches and attending panel discussions three times a day, he said.

The groups involved paid his travel expenses, he said.

`` Is it better for the government to pay?'' he asked. McGovern, D-Worcester, said he took trips to places such as remote areas of Colombia plagued by civil war that were funded by groups like Oxfam America.

He said privately funded trips are better than official government trips because you are allowed to go anywhere you want and talk to anyone you want.

`` We are spending billions of dollars in Colombia. I want to know what's going on. We are entitled to know if our money is being wisely invested, or is it a waste,'' he said.

McGovern has also taken five trips to Cuba paid for by the Washington Office on Latin America and the Hemingway Foundation.

He said he is working to improve relations with Cuba and is helping to preserve Ernest Hemingway's home and writings in Cuba.

McGovern said many taxpayers disagree with his work in Cuba, so he does not want the government paying for his trips there.

He also said State Department officials try to limit access to places and people on official government trips.

McGovern said he has taken government trips to Iraq and East Timor.

Both congressmen said they never accepted golf trips or vacations, such as those provided by convicted lobbyists like Jack Abramoff.

McGovern and Frank said they were disappointed in the failure of the study to distinguish between golf trips and speech-making or fact-finding travel.

`` They make it sound like all travel is bad. Why is travel to make a speech somewhere a bad thing?'' Frank asked.

JIM HAND can be reached at 508-236-0399 or at jhand@thesunchronicle.com.