State Representative Steve King, a Grand Junction Republican, is facing an ethics investigation into whether he charged both the state and his campaign for travel expenses totaling $1,025 in April and May (via The Denver Post). Republican Representative Mark Waller sums up the issue: "It's a payday loan from the campaign account. He's a rural legislator who makes $30,000 a year. He had car problems and doesn't have money to rent a car." It was unclear to several on the legislative panel that heard the case yesterday whether borrowing from a campaign, asking the state for reimbursement, and then repaying the campaign poses an ethical problem. But Representative Jim Riesberg, a Greeley Democrat, says being short on funds is no excuse for the odd paperwork. ColoradoPols is having a field day with the investigation, noting that if King had been forced to go to a payday lender, he "would have had to take out two loans for the maximum of $500 each. That would have cost him $150." Westword is musing along the same lines: "No word on whether King paid the state any interest." The panel has made no decisions but is seeking additional information from King and legislative staffers before moving forward. Another meeting is scheduled for February 12, and a decision is expected by February 18, according to Colorado Ethics Watch, the group that initially called out King for double-dipping.