Minnesota's 134 House members will get a retroactive $20 bump in their per diem payments, with the change coming as lawmakers are also poised to see a July 1 salary hike.
Higher daily expense payments, salaries on tap for Minnesota legislators
House members signed off this week on a $20 increase to their per diem pay, a move GOP legislators disputed.
June 8, 2023 at 6:42PM
Legislators in the lower chamber previously could qualify for a $66 payment to cover expenses like meals each day they are conducting official work. The House Rules and Legislative Administration Committee signed off Wednesday on a resolution boosting that figure to align with the Senate's $86 payments.
"This is intended to match the Senate per diem," said DFL House Majority Leader Jamie Long of Minneapolis, adding that they "certainly don't believe the Senate is worth $20 more a day for the work that they do on behalf of our state."
Per diems can account for a sizable portion of some lawmakers' income — occasionally topping $10,000 — while others choose not to accept the money. Lawmakers can also file for reimbursement for a range of expenses, including lodging and mileage.
GOP committee members opposed the move, questioning the timing of a post-session vote and the fact that documents detailing the changes weren't publicly posted until the night before Wednesday's committee meeting.
"I find it concerning that we're raising per diem once we're out of session. The public is not paying attention. It's retroactive. I don't know why this wasn't done earlier," said Rep. Kristin Robbins, R-Maple Grove. Rep. Elliott Engen, R-White Bear Township, called the move "self-centered" and "egregious."
However, Rep. John Huot, DFL-Rosemount, said the change had been discussed and included in a state government budget bill lawmakers passed last month.
Long said he indicated earlier this year that he wanted to boost per diems, but they needed to wait until the Legislature appropriated the money to make the change. Recent staff absences left them scrambling and they had to post the documents late, he said.
The per diem increase could cost around $350,000 during long legislative years and $270,000 during short years, House Controller Barb Juelich told the committee. It is retroactive to the start of the 2023 session on Jan. 2.
Lawmakers are also going to receive a 7.25% salary boost on July 1, raising their pay to $51,750. An appointed Legislative Salary Council set that figure, contending the current pay level is discouraging people from running for office.
Members of legislative leadership can earn more than that. On Wednesday, rules committee members voted to add two more people to the list of House leaders who can receive higher pay. The majority whip and assistant minority leader can now earn 140% of what other members make.
The committee also boosted House staff members' pay and allowed them to cash out up to 40 hours of vacation, certain overtime or compensatory time. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle supported those moves. The Legislature has been losing workers to the executive branch and local governments that can pay more, Long said, and this gets them closer to being competitive.
"We haven't been able to keep up with inflation with our salaries to date. And so this, I think, will go a long ways towards doing that," he said.
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