Expense allowances are focus of lawmaker pay panel
A handful of former Minnesota lawmakers shared advice Friday about legislator compensation with an independent panel that will decide if current state lawmakers get a raise, with ancillary expense accounts increasingly in the commission's focus.
A constitutional amendment approved in November by voters created the 16-member citizens council, which will render its verdict by March 31. Sitting lawmakers have no influence over the decision and are barred by law from communicating with the commission members.
So, the panel has leaned on testimony of ex-legislators for details about what it's like to serve and whether the pay level has had any side effects. There hasn't been a pay raise since 1999 and presently stands at $31,000, excluding various allowances for technology, rural member lodging and meals. Legislative leaders earn slightly more than rank-and-file members.
Former DFL House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher told the Legislative Salary Council that static pay has started to price people out of serving in St. Paul.
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"The Legislature is becoming a body of those who have already served in their careers, and are retired. Or those who can take the risk early in their careers, they're young. And we are losing the middle," Kelliher said.
There wasn't consensus about the ideal pay among the two Republicans --former Sen. David Hann of Eden Prairie and former Rep. Mary Liz Holberg of Lakeville -- and three DFLers -- Kelliher of Minneapolis and former Sens. Roger Moe of Erksine and Gene Merriam of Coon Rapids. Hann and Holberg didn't offer a figure; Moe said high $40,000s to low $50,000s and Merriam said about $60,000.
"In terms of where the salary is now and that it hasn't been adjusted in some time and that's also the general average income in the state, I think that would be reasonable compensation," Moe said.
Hann, who is running for state GOP chairman, said he opposed creation of the independent commission because legislators should have to fully account for how tax dollars are spent. He said the public has the mistaken impression that lawmakers earn six figures, but he said raising pay too much could make the job more about the paycheck than a "sense of duty and commitment."
There appeared to be agreement that daily expense allowances shouldn't be used to supplement lawmaker pay. Lawmakers can also claim up to $66 per day in the House and $86 a day in the Senate for meals and incidentals during session.
While the commission is examining total compensation, its role is limited to setting pay. It would be up the Legislature to reduce or eliminate per diem.
Commission member Greg Fox of Duluth summed up the challenge before the panel.
"The transparency in compensation certainly has a great deal of appeal to me," Fox said to Kelliher. "What would be the incentive for the Legislature, what would you have to put out there for them to phase out per diem as suggested?"
She answered that a raise would have to be big enough for lawmakers to forego per diem. "You have to benchmark it to something more to say we're going to finally cut away that," she said.