It's $163. It's called per diem, the amount of money a state legislator can get every day whenever the House or Senate is in session, even weekends. It's $1,100 per week on top of a $78,314.66 annual salary. In June, a statewide investigating Grand Jury recommended that the practice be eliminated, or at a minimum, reduced to actual expenses incurred.Republican House candidate Justin Simmons and Democrat Senate candidate Rock Orloski are on the same page here. On his campaign web page, Simmons has vowed to refuse any per diem money. Orloski has made the same pledge. Here's how Orloski explains it.
"Senator Pat Browne has a secret piggy ban funded by the taxpayers: per diems. A per diem is nothing more than a back-door pay raise which State Senators can collect, upon request. A State Senator does not automatically get a per diem. The Senator must ask for it. State Senators are not a shy bunch. Between December 2007 and October 2009, State Senators made 5,560 requests for per diems, costing taxpayers $774,700.00. Senator Browne made 155 request for per diems in 2008-2009, putting $17,300.00 in his pocket on top of his salary.
"Senator Andy Dinniman (Demo - 19th district) and Senator Richard Alloway (Rep - 33rd district) have tried to end the practice. So far, their bipartisan effort has failed. Senator Browne will not support them.
"I have repeatedly asked Senator Browne to release his 2010 per diems. On February 1, 2010, the Senator's wife, Heather Browne, became a registered lobbyist with Pugliese Associates, a rich and powerful Harrisburg lobbying form with strong connections with Republican legislators, particularly former Speaker of the House John Perzel. It is no secret that registered lobbyist with Pugliese are provided expense accounts for wining and dining legislators. There are even unconfirmed reports that Pugliese provides apartments for their out-of-town lobbyists, for use while they are in Harrisburg.
"If there was ever a State Senator who did not need per diems for coming to work in Harrisburg, it is a State Senator who is married to a lobbyist with an expense account and a free apartment. Hence, it occurred to me that it was within the realm of possibility that Senator Browne ceased requesting per diems after his wife joined Pugliese Associates. I asked him anyway, half expecting the answer to be NONE. Senator Browne ignored the question. I went to the Clerk of the Senate. He gave me the answer.
"So far, in calendar year 2010, Senator Browne made 50 separate per diem requests for a total of $6,361.00 with the first "processed date" occurring eight days after Heather Browne became a registered lobbyist. January, 2010 processed requests are not included.
"Incomplete records for 2008 thru October, 2010 show that Senator Browne has received at least $23,661.00 in per diems during that period of time. (November and December 2009 and January 2010 per diems were not available).
"I am reminded by a famous observation by Gilbert Keith Chesterton about similar public officials: 'The horrible thing about all legal officials, even the best, about all judges, magistrates, barristers, detectives and policeman, is not that they are wicked (some of them are good), not that they are stupid (some of them are quite intelligent), it is simply that they have got used to it.'
"Pat Browne has been a State Legislator a long time ... really, too long. The salary. The per diems. The lobbyist salary for the wife. The business expense account for the wife. Pat Browne simply got used to it."
26 comments:
Bernie -
He had a legitimate issue, but I think Orloski crossed a line here.
It's one thing to attack Browne's wife's job and the system that allows it. This gets more personal and seems to attack Browne's wife.
"...The business expense account for the wife"?
Whether Orloski likes it or not, expense accounts are not evil. I bet Attorney Orloski even charges expenses to his law practice as well.
It appears that it's desperation time, and Orloski's sleazy side is showing.
i think you misread the letter. it's not attacking heather.
To Rick: Use Spell Check
Bernie -
This is very important stuff.
Thanks for the time it must have taken you to investigate and report.
Pat Browne could have been voted out this election go-around, if only the Ds had taken the time to investigate Heather Browne's February appointment as a lobbyist. Maybe you will write about why the Ds did not pursue this issue.
To read about Heather's new job now, two weeks before the fall election, is upsetting. It doesn't look like Pat cares anymore about serving the people.
We've decided to vote for Orloski, even though we know it's an impossible uphill climb.
"Senator Pat Browne has a secret piggy ban funded by the taxpayers: per diems:
Pat Browne has all the money he can ever use, so it's not about poverty, but greed.
This annual per diem is more money than many taxpayers earn in a year.
Simmons shows integrity. His opponent refuses to decline the per diem.
Pugliese provides apartments for their out-of-town lobbyists, for use while they are in Harrisburg.
If true, this defies commentary.
Bernie, you wrote: "It's $163. It's called per diem, the amount of money a state legislator can get every day whenever the House or Senate is in session, even weekends. It's $1,100 on top of a $78,314.66 annual salary."
I don't understand your math (although it could be me sans coffee). It would take less than 7 days to reach $1,100.
Mike Horton says he is taking a substantial pay cut from his job as a State Constable to become State Rep. I guess we see how he will make up the difference.
State Senators made 5,560 requests for per diems, costing taxpayers $774,700.00. Senator Browne made 155 request for per diems in 2008-2009, putting $17,300.00 in his pocket on top of his salary.
Orloski should take a full page Call ad to publicize this!
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Mike Horton says he is taking a substantial pay cut from his job as a State Constable to become State Rep. I guess we see how he will make up the difference.
8:28 AM
Friend shared Horton's campaign ads. Can't find one word that states his current occupation!
Why? What's he hiding?
Didn't Horton in that Business Matters debate state he will accept the per diem? Hope Simmons publicizes this. Simmons seems to care about taxpayers and with so many Lehigh Valley residents out of work, that matters more than ever.
Party boy Simmons doesn't need per diem. He doesn't have a mortgage. He lives with mommy and daddy. it's easy to decline money when you have no responsibilities to pay the bills.
Hey McHen ry, you think Orloski is sleazy? What about Browne?
How much money does he need?
Anonymous said...
Party boy Simmons doesn't need per diem. He doesn't have a mortgage. He lives with mommy and daddy. it's easy to decline money when you have no responsibilities to pay the bills.
9:11 AM
So you mean Horton needs more than $75,000 a year to live!
Come on. We want to vote for candidates who care about our money and our bills, not their own! Poor example, buddy.
"Mike Horton says he is taking a substantial pay cut from his job as a State Constable to become State Rep. I guess we see how he will make up the difference."
Anyone know what a state constable earns?
Horton is really slimy. The more I learn, the less I like about him. He's a tenacious defender of the status quo. His only plan is to get his share.
I agree with 9/11.
Living at home should never require per diem unless mommy gives him a bill.
The rightous one
"I don't understand your math (although it could be me sans coffee). It would take less than 7 days to reach $1,100."
1100/163 = 6.7
"Thanks for the time it must have taken you to investigate and report."
Thanks, but all I've de is pass on a news release. Chris Casey has gone out to H-burg and collected a lot of information. He'll likely have somethng soon.
"We want to vote for candidates who care about our money and our bills, not their own!"
I want candidates who know what it is like to have to pay their own bills, sometimes having had to struggle to do so. How can you trust him with your money when he doesn't have to be trusted with his own money? He's a party boy with no responsibilities.
"Party boy Simmons doesn't need per diem."
Party boy? Call Simmons young, but party boy? That's just plain stupid.
So I guess you mean an extra $1,100 a week. I guess I was confused because you were talking in terms of yearly salary, not weekly wages.
Yeah. I went back and looked at what I had written. You are right. It is unclear. I will go back and clarify.
"If there was ever a State Senator who did not need per diems for coming to work in Harrisburg, it is a State Senator who is married to a lobbyist with an expense account and a free apartment."
(i) so it would be better to have a state legislator have his trip funded by a lobbying firm?
(ii) as a former professional emplyee of "mother Commonwealth", per diems are paid to many state officials. Should those that are able fund their own travel? Yeah. Are the vast majority of people that take per diems rich? No. Write a law that fairly draws that line and when Browne violates it I'll change my vote.
(iii) again, no allegation of a law being broken or even anything that is unusal.
(iv) oh where have you gone great issues based Orloski/Browne race.....
It has been suggested there is a quirky rule that permits a legislator to get full per diem as long as their commute is at least 50 miles even if they do not stay overnight but visit Harrisburg on consecutive days. Imagine that, a State car, fuel, and per diem to boot. While I am not against fair compensation, I am against gaming the system.
With the down economy, many workers have no choice but to commute long distances to get to a vaible job. What relief do these Legisaltors offer working families to offset the cost of their long commute in excess of 50 miles?
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