And though the United States' governors all share the same title, the nation's 50 state leaders do not share the same salary. Now, governors are taking the national spotlight as they make their decisions. Last week, President Trump walked back statements saying his "authority is total" when deciding when to reopen the economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, instead stating that he was OK with governors taking the lead in deciding when and how to reopen their states. Why should I be able to, at my own discretion, be able to increase my compensation? I choose not to," Bahr said.Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. I am no different than any other Minnesotan that goes home after work each day. "As someone who comes from the transportation industry, per diem is intended to cover increased costs of meals/lodging while not at home. Cal Bahr (R-East Bethel) told WCCO he's no different from any other Minnesotan who goes home after work every day. "The Legislative Salary Council has said that its members would support an increase in salary if per diem were eliminated, and this is what I would like to see. " "Legislative salaries are still too low, but my family is financially able to manage without the extra payments," she said. Paul, and doesn't have other expenses she feels would justify the per diem. She said she is reimbursed for travel and living expenses in St. Tina Liebling (DFL-Rochester) is one of them. The Council is sympathetic to the challenges of the paperwork involved, but most Council members, with experience in both the public and private sectors, recognize this as a standard business practice." As a result, the Council continues to encourage the Minnesota Senate and the House of Representatives to consider eliminating per diems and replacing them with reimbursement for actual expenses. Many Council members have indicated they would support an increase in salary if per diem were eliminated. "Legislative Salary Council members strongly believe that for most legislators, per diems are a non-transparent form of additional salary. It has advocated for eliminating per diem every year, including in the following 2019 report: The Legislative Salary Council which awarded the raise said the pay hike was significant enough to eliminate per diem payments altogether. Most lawmakers take the maximum per diem payments allowed, despite getting a 45% raise in 2017 to $45,000 annually. No vote on police reform after the George Floyd killing. Unlike most public data, per diem payments to Minnesota legislators are not accessible online. Taxpayers, which subsidize per diem payments, must personally request the information.ĭuring this year's three-month legislative session, taxpayers shelled out $1,266,071 in per diem. That's an average of $6,362 per lawmaker, or $449 extra per week on the paycheck - for a session in which some of the biggest items were left undone. The more per diem a legislator receives, the bigger the pension. The meeting went longer than expected and so I had an overlap of about 20 minutes."įor many lawmakers, per diem is a valuable back-door salary increase. bcause we had only one bill to address and it had already been previously reviewed. I thought the zoom committee meeting would be over by 3:30 p.m. reviewing five to 10 news sources, so I had been working nine-and-a-half hours that day when I was scheduled to play golf with my campaign treasurer at 3:45 p.m.
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