MN Senate Approves Expense Increase

02/22/2007

7 Republicans balk at proposal to raise per diem to $96


BY BILL SALISBURY
Pioneer Press


Minnesota senators voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to take the money and run.

The Senate voted 59-7 to ratify an increase in daily expense allowances from $66 to $96 per senator — a 45 percent boost.

The ratification came with a hitch: Those who voted for it automatically get the expense payments, known as per diems. The seven senators who voted against it don't get it.

"You can't vote 'no' and take the dough," Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis, said after the vote.

The seven dissenters — all Republicans — can still collect expense checks. But first, they must tell the Senate fiscal staff how much they will take, and that paperwork will be public.

Voting "no" were Sens. Ray Vandeveer, of Forest Lake; Dick Day, of Owatonna; David Hann, of Eden Prairie; Bill Ingebrigtsen, of Alexandria; Amy Koch, of Buffalo; Geoff Michel, of Edina; and Pat Pariseau, of Farmington.

"I don't know how we spend $96 (a day) on meals," Michel said during the Senate debate. "That's a pretty healthy diet."

Day said voters "didn't send us here to raise our salaries the first days we're here."

Senators actually have been collecting at the $96 rate since Jan. 10, when the Senate Rules Committee approved the increase. Senators receive the $96 per diem seven days a week while the Legislature is in session. They do not have to submit receipts.

Two of the senators who voted "no" on Wednesday already had been taking less than the maximum: Ingebrigtsen ($76) and Vandeveer ($66). Three DFLers also have been taking less than $96 — Richard Cohen, of St. Paul ($85); John Marty, of Roseville ($66); and Don Betzold, of Fridley (no payments for weekends and holidays).

No further action was required to raise the per diem after the Jan. 10 vote.

But Vandeveer forced the full Senate to take a second look at it. He called the per diem increase a backdoor pay raise and said all senators should vote on it so voters can hold them accountable. In an unprecedented action, the Rules Committee agreed.

"This brought transparency to the issue," Pogemiller, the Rules Committee chairman, said after the floor vote.

But several Republican senators complained that forcing opponents of the per diem increase to submit requests to get their expense payments was "disrespectful" and a partisan shot by Democratic leaders. Sen. Tom Neuville, R-Northfield, likened it to "punishment for having the audacity to disagree."

Pogemiller dismissed that argument as "silly." He noted that the Rules Committee approved the ratification resolution on a unanimous, bipartisan vote, and it got strong support from both parties in the floor vote.

Pogemiller said the increase simply covered inflationary costs. Senators had not raised their expense payments since 2001.

Denying the dough to those who voted "no" apparently was an attempt to prevent hypocrisy.

"I believe one of the things that goes on is that people often vote 'no' on things and then take advantage of what others vote 'yes' on," Pogemiller had said earlier.

The House Rules Committee voted last month to increase that chamber's expense payments from $66 to $77.

All legislators are paid $31,140 a year in salary, a sum that has not increased since 1999. In addition to per diem, outstate lawmakers are eligible for housing allowances and reimbursement for mileage.


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HOW THEY VOTED

The state Senate voted 59-7 on Wednesday to ratify a measure setting senators' expense allowance at $96 a day. Voting yes were 44 Democrats and 15 Republicans. Voting no were seven Republicans.

DEMOCRATS VOTING YES: Anderson (St. Paul); Bakk (Cook); Berglin (Minneapolis); Betzold (Fridley); Bonoff (Minnetonka); Carlson (Eagan); Chaudhary (Fridley); Clark (St. Cloud); Cohen (St. Paul); Dibble (Minneapolis); Doll (Burnsville); Erickson Ropes (Winona); Foley (Coon Rapids); Higgins (Minneapolis); Kubly (Granite Falls); Langseth (Glyndon); Larson (Bloomington); Latz (St. Louis Park); Lourey (Kerrick); Lynch (Rochester); Marty (Roseville); Metzen (South St. Paul); Moua (St. Paul); Murphy (Red Wing); Olseen (Harris); Olson, M. (Bemidji); Pappas (St. Paul); Pogemiller (Minneapolis); Prettner Solon (Duluth); Rest (New Hope); Rummel (White Bear Lake); Saltzman (Woodbury); Saxhaug (Grand Rapids); Scheid (Brooklyn Park); Sheran (Mankato); Sieben (Newport); Skoe (Clearbrook); Skogen (Hewitt); Sparks (Austin); Stumpf (Plummer); Tomassoni (Chisholm); Torres Ray (Minneapolis); Vickerman (Tracy); Wiger (North St. Paul)

REPUBLICANS VOTING YES: Fischbach (Paynesville); Frederickson (New Ulm); Gerlach (Apple Valley); Gimse (Willmar); Johnson (Ham Lake); Jungbauer (East Bethel); Koering (Fort Ripley); Limmer (Maple Grove); Neuville (Northfield); Olson, G. (Minnetrista); Ortman (Chanhassen); Robling (Jordan); Rosen (Fairmont); Senjem (Rochester); Wergin (Princeton)

REPUBLICANS VOTING NO: Day (Owatonna); Hann (Eden Prairie); Ingebrigtsen (Alexandria); Koch (Buffalo); Michel (Edina); Pariseau (Farmington); Vandeveer (Forest Lake)

REPUBLICANS NOT VOTING: Dille (Dassel)