"The Ox", interviewed Representative Dan Severson and Senator Michelle Fischbach, both took a nice shot at Senator Tarryl Clark.
Both legislators talked about Tarryl Clark's taking $30,000+ in per diem in the context of the legislature needing to show leadership in cutting costs with the oversized deficit.
It's true. Senator Clark, took $30,314.89 in per diem and alternate compensation last year.
$12,864 total in per diem, $9312 during session and $3552 in the interim.
$4,053.19 in mileage.
$10,830 in lodging.
$1,517.70 in travel.
$1,050 for an intern.
She's also in a high profile leadership position within the Senate that requires some pretty extensive travel.
Fiscal conservative legislator Dan Severson made a pretty sizable haul, for someone throwing stones in his glass house, $24,015.41.
$7315 in per diem.
$941 in district travel.
$12,868.47 in lodging.
$2,140.94 in mileage.
$750 in other expenses.
Come on Dan, cut down on some of those lodging expenses! Maybe they should just sleep in their offices until they get the State's work done? Kind of like this Congressman from Utah.
Senator Fischbach, a strong fiscal conservative when the money isn't going to her pocket, fared pretty well too, per diem wise.
Fischbach hauled in a whopper...$26,832.98!
$9,888 in total per diem, $9,312 in session and $576 in the interim.
$2,331.25 in mileage.
$1,375 in communications.
$12,738.73 in lodging.
$600 on an intern.
For the record, I believe these per diem and alternate compensation bits are backdoor pay increases and have always opposed them. So while Severson and Fischbach call out Clark on her per diem and alternate compensation, I would hope that Severson and Fischbach hold themselves to the same standard.
2 responses to "That Glass Houses Thing..."
I'm guessing that Tarryl voted to increase the per diem pay to $96 a day. That is, after Ray Vandeveer forced the full Senate to vote for that increase.
To contrast that, Dan Severson didn't vote to increase per diem.
Finally, the per diem costs are somewhat inflated because the leegislature no longer a part time legislature as defined by law.
Let's remember that the time when the legislature isn't in session is filled with legislative meetings & hearings.
Finally, let's not forget that they're using these hearings to think of more ways to spend the taxpayers' money & that these out-of-session hearings cost money to run.
Why is it that the DFL won't limit its budget?
It's pretty convenient to vote against something and still obtain all the benefits of what you stood against.