State legislators claimed a total of $1,192,639 in taxpayer money in 2009 for expenses they incurred by traveling to and from Madison, according to records released Friday by the Legislature Clerk’s office.
Lawmakers from outside Dane County can claim up to $88 per day in reimbursements, and those from the county can claim up to $44 every day they travel to their office.
The total number of funds legislators asked for in reimbursements is up about 30 percent from 2008.
Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker, D-Schofield, claimed the most in per diem expenses at $16,368. Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, came in second with $15,488 claimed.
Five democratic representatives are tied at third with $13,464 claimed in expenses. These included Rep. Kim Hixson, D-Whitewater, Ann Hraychuck, D-Balsam Lake, Cory Mason, D-Racine, Marlin Schneider, D-Wisconsin Rapids, and Leon Young, D-Milwaukee.
Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause in Wisconsin, said high numbers can be cause for concern in tough economic times.
“Particularly at a time when there’s a huge budget deficit and people are being laid off and money’s tight, then public money becomes very, very precious,” Heck said. “You do want to have some accounting for what those dollars are for and if it’s spent wisely.”
Heck said one of the issues with per diem expenses is that legislators can claim them simply by coming into their Madison office, whether or not they actually get any work done that day. Legislators need to do a good job of explaining their expenses, Heck added.
Although anything to do with public funds is important, per diem expenses are not a huge issue, said University of Wisconsin political science professor Barry Burden.
Burden said per diem benefits are mainly a symbolic issue because some legislators use them heavily and others do not. Even for the ones that make use of the benefits, however, it is not enough to affect the state treasury, Burden added.
“Those people could leave office, join the private sector and serve on 10 corporate boards and make that much in a month,” Burden said. “It’s not an easy life. I’m willing to cut them some slack.”
