ST. CLOUD, Minn. -- Some Minnesota legislators get more money from the state in per diem payments and other forms of compensation than they do from their yearly salary.
The St. Cloud Times reported Sunday that so far this year, 18 state senators and representatives got more in per diem, mileage, lodging, travel and other reimbursement in nine months than what's provided by their annual salaries.
Lawmakers have not raised their $31,140 yearly salary since 1998, but earlier this year they voted to increase the out-of-pocket reimbursement level, or per diem, from $66 to $96 a day in the Senate and from $66 to $77 in the House. Lawmakers can claim the per diem any day they travel to the Capitol on legislative business.
Most lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, defend the per diem payments and other expense reimbursements as necessary to representing their constituents.
"It's 305 miles from my garage at home to the garage here (in St. Paul), and that's just one way," said Rep. Bernie Lieder, DFL-Crookston, who claimed $35,320.68 in alternate compensation through Oct. 1, putting him at the top of his House colleagues.
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The top Senate recipient through Sept. 17 was Sen. Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, with $40,878.08. The total cost of legislators alternate compensation exceeds $3.65 million so far this year and is likely to rise higher even though legislators aren't scheduled to meet in session again until February.
Lieder, the chairman of the House Transportation Finance Committee, said many who top the lists are committee chairmen from communities far from St. Paul. Many of those committees conduct business even when the Legislature is not in session.
"Especially with this bridge collapse, I've been here pretty much non-stop lately," Lieder said. "Usually, I get home Friday night or Saturday morning, and I drive back here Sunday night. It's a sacrifice you make. They say this job is part-time, but it's not."
David Schultz, professor of government ethics and public policy at Hamline University, said the rising per diem rates are a way to get around public opposition to increased pay for politicians.
"They've been using the per diem and reimbursement process instead of increasing their salaries," Schultz said. "It's a hidden way of getting extra compensation. But it's bad for accountability, because it's hard for the public to find out. It's also something the public doesn't get, because it's hard for the public to find out. It's also something the public doesn't get, because for most of us, our salary has to cover our living expenses."
Legislators can get reimbursed for costs such as food, parking, dry cleaning and other expenses during the session and after if work brings them to the Capitol. Lawmakers who live at least 50 miles from St. Paul are eligible for lodging and mileage reimbursements, and changes in House and Senate rules earlier this year allowed greater Minnesota members to claim up to $1,200 a month year-round for Twin Cities housing.
They don't have to produce receipts for the per diem reimbursements, which accounted for more than $2.2 million of the total spent on alternate compensation so far this year.
"I wouldn't call it compensation, because these are expenses they've already accrued," said Paul Schmelzer, the House comptroller. "When you add up the entire cost of the Legislature, it's less than one-half of 1 percent of the state's total budget, and that's for 201 legislators and also 250 staff."
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An increase in legislator salaries would require a vote by the House and Senate and the governor's signature. But an increase in per diem and other reimbursements only requires a vote by the respective rules committees, which is what happened this year.
"Because per diem hadn't been raised in quite a while, and because it reflected inflation since it was last changed, I think it made sense," said Sen. Tarryl Clark, DFL-St. Cloud, the assistant majority leader. Clark claimed $26,894.29 in reimbursements so far this year.
Other states have commissioned outside agencies to determine compensation for lawmakers. Minnesota could consider a similar system, said Rep. Mary Ellen Otremba, DFL-Long Prairie, who claimed $31,039.69 (she disputed that figure, saying it included some reimbursements from 2006).
"There's rural members who don't serve on committees that are important to their districts because of the travel involved and they don't want to take the hit for getting reimbursed," she said. "I think we're very frugal in what we claim."
Sen. Paul Koering, R-Fort Ripley, who claimed $30,841.23 this year, said lawmakers should vote to increase their salaries and decrease their per diem.
"To me, that makes perfect sense," he said. "I think we should set it ourselves and explain it to the people. I get about 75 to 80 cents per person I represent per year. If that's too much, I don't know what I can say."
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Information from: St. Cloud Times, http://www.sctimes.com
