Lawmakers take money during impasse

BY ROBERT SWIFT

Times-Shamrock Writer

Lawmakers representing Wyoming County have collected more than $11,400 so far in daily reimbursements from the 101-day stalemate over the state budget earlier this year.

The payments, called per diems, are earnings in addition to a lawmaker's annual base salary of $78,314. The purpose of per diems is to reimburse lawmakers for lodging, meals and other expenses incurred while being away from home at the Capitol or attending a committee meeting in other parts of the state.

Twenty-five of northeast Pennsylvania's 30 senators and House members collected per diems from July 1 - when the budget was due - until Oct. 9 when the $27.8 billion budget was enacted, according to records provided by the House and Senate chief clerks' offices in response to a Scranton Times-Tribune request under the state's Right-to-Know Law.

The total of per diems claimed is still rising because not all per diem payments for lawmakers have been processed.

If legislators had passed a budget by the June 30 deadline and gone on their traditional summer recess until mid-September, they would have had fewer or no opportunities to collect per diems.

Instead, lawmakers were able to claim a per diem up to $158 a day without needing receipts for much of the stalemate. On Oct. 1, the Internal Revenue Service established a higher maximum per diem of $163 for the new federal fiscal year.

While some area lawmakers claimed per diems amounts less than the maximum, just to cover actual expenses, others took the maximum and claimed reimbursement for many days when no votes were cast in the Capitol.

The founder of a Carlisle-based political reform group is critical of per diems, comparing them to a second salary for lawmakers.

"Under this second salary, they don't even have to pay taxes for the most part," said Tim Potts of Democracy Rising.

Pennsylvania's budget fight was marked by a protracted deadlock between Gov. Ed Rendell and lawmakers over how to erase a $3 billion revenue deficit from the previous fiscal year with a mix of new taxes and spending cuts, and head off projected future deficits.

The budget fight saw long periods of inactivity and bursts of frenetic activity. State employees and lawmakers went without pay for several weeks until a stopgap budget was enacted Aug. 5. A measure to give the state more oversight over troubled municipal pension funds was approved in September. Rank-and-file House Democrats balked at a leadership-driven budget deal, resulting in a round of negotiations near the end to drop controversial proposals to tax small games of chance licensees and arts organizations.

The House was in voting session 29 days and the Senate 31 days during this period. House lawmakers can claim per diems for voting and non-voting session days, non-session days, committee days and overnight stays. Senators can claim per diems for session days and non-session days, typically for a committee hearing or overnight stay.

Representing Wyoming County in part, Rep. Karen Boback, R-117, Harveys Lake, claimed per diems amounting to $1,580 as of July 21; Rep. Jim Wansacz, D-114, Old Forge, claimed $6,096 in per diems as of Oct. 5; and Rep. Sandra Major, R-111, Montrose, claimed $4,740 in per diems as of Sept. 30.

Boback's district includes Eaton, Exeter, Forkston, Monroe, North Branch, Northmoreland, Noxen and Windham townships in Wyoming County.

Wansacz's district only includes Factoryville Borough in Susquehanna County.

Major's house district includes the rest of Wyoming County not represented by Boback or Wansacz.

Wansacz collected half of his $6,096 in per diems on days when lawmakers were not casting votes.

Nineteen of Wansacz's 41 per diems were for days when votes were not cast.

Wansacz said work on several legislative issues account for his taking per diems on non-voting session days. These include a bill Wansacz sponsored to give neighboring municipalities more say on landfill issues that won House approval in August, the still-unresolved table games legalization issue and a major bill on Marcellus Shale drilling that he has yet to introduce.

Sen. Baker, of Lehman Twp., doesn't take per diems. She said she submits receipts for actual expenses incurred.

"I believe that submitting only for actual and necessary expenses is the best way to be accountable," Baker said.

The senator submitted expenses totaling $2,083 for the period to cover lodging at a hotel that includes breakfast and dinner in its rates, said aide Jen Wilson on Friday. This shows a considerable savings from the $5,500 Baker would have received if she had submitted per diems for the comparable period, added Wilson.

Legislative records lag in reflecting per diem costs. Lawmakers have a grace period of several months to seek reimbursement.

The Examiner's Robert Baker also contributed to this story.