Arizona lawmakers may give themselves a significant boost in money to cover their daily expenses during the legislative session.
The Senate Appropriations Committee voted Wednesday to set the per diem rate for lawmakers to match the reimbursement for federal employees when they travel to Phoenix for business. Republican Sen. David Gowan of Sierra Vista said the current rates of $60 for rural lawmakers and $35 for Maricopa County residents haven’t changed since the 1980s. Under HB2053, rural lawmakers would get $56 a day for food and $151 for lodging during most of the year. Legislators living in the Phoenix area would get the $56 food allowance but no money for lodging.