HARRISBURG -- Former state Rep. Mike Veon has paid off the last $41,000 of his campaign debt, thanks in large part to the House Democratic Campaign Committee, whose members are among those he now is paid to influence in his role as a lobbyist.

A year ago, Mr. Veon had $62,000 in debt from his failed re-election bid in 2006, but post-election fund-raisers in Harrisburg and Pittsburgh last February put a dent in that.

In October, Gov. Ed Rendell gave $5,000 from his own campaign funds, which Mr. Veon promptly applied to a loan from Greystone Bank, election finance reports show. In November and December, the House Democratic Campaign Committee gave Mr. Veon $40,683, enough to wipe out the rest of his debt.

Mr. Veon, who represented Beaver County and now lives in Harrisburg, could not be reached for comment.

Some officers of the campaign committee, including state Rep. Dan Frankel, object to using its funds to retire former members' debt and say they weren't consulted about the decision.

"I don't think it's appropriate for the campaign committee to be doing that," said Mr. Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, who is co-chairman of its fund-raising committee. "The function of the campaign committee is to help elect Democrats; that's our mission, and I'm not sure this action helps advance that."

In any case, it should have been discussed with the committee's members or, at least, its leaders, he said.

State Rep. Todd Eachus, chairman of the campaign committee, said he made the decision himself after consulting with caucus leaders.

"This isn't a consensus-building exercise. The committee is structured to win elections, and I'm the general chair," said Mr. Eachus, D-Luzerne. "This is a decision I made and I stand by it. I would do the same thing for Dan Frankel if he lost tomorrow."

In tough elections, costs can be extraordinary, he said. In Mr. Veon's case, the campaign tab came to $2 million in 2006, campaign records show.

Mr. Veon's new job as a lobbyist has added a wrinkle to the issue. His firm, Veon & Associates, is paid to lobby members of the Legislature on tobacco regulation and other issues.

Mr. Eachus said Mr. Veon's position as a lobbyist was not a factor in the decision to pay off his debt.

"That's an individual circumstance, but it doesn't change the fact that Mike Veon was a dedicated member of the Democratic caucus," he said. "If any other member were to lose their elections, the campaign committee would respond the same."