Alaska salary commission votes to cut state lawmakers' expense payments

JUNEAU — In a 3-1 decision on Tuesday, the board that sets the salaries of Alaska’s state legislators voted to cut lawmakers’ daily expense payments by almost two-thirds.

The proposal, which will be finalized in a Jan. 18 commission meeting, automatically comes into effect in 2023 unless lawmakers specifically vote it down.

“This is the way we’re going to move forward,” said former Democratic state Sen. Johnny Ellis, who chairs the commission.

Tuesday’s decision is the culmination of a yearslong effort intended to address public concerns about the cost of lawmakers’ expense payments, known as per diem.

Lawmakers receive $50,400 in base salary but also may collect $293 per day for living expenses. Over the past six years, Alaska lawmakers have been called into 15 special sessions, each lasting as long as 30 days, in addition to their 121-day regular sessions. From 2015 through 2021, because of the special sessions, legislators have collected an average of $35,000 per year in per diem.

Read more: https://www.adn.com/politics/alaska-legislature/2022/01/04/alaska-salary-commission-votes-to-cut-state-lawmakers-expense-payments/
(Anchorage Daily News)