The Alaska State Senate unanimously voted to approve SB 171, which disapproves the recommendations of the State Officers Compensation Commission. It recommended salaries of the legislators to be increased to $64,000 per year with a cap of $100 per day for per diem with actual receipts to be processed by legislative affairs. Additionally, no per diem would be paid if the legislature calls themselves into special session, but if the Governor calls the legislature into special session, they will receive the same per diem that other state employees receive, which would entitle them to lodging and $60 for meals and incidentals per day.
But legislators in the Senate were unanimously in support for SB 171, which rejects these recommendations. Sen. Bert Stedman explained:
“What I want to ensure, Mr. President, is whoever comes behind me, they could be of any age group from my district. They can be in their 20s. They can be in their 30s. They can be in their 40s. They can be later on or even possibly retired. Clearly, one of the big imbalances is it disenfranchises the 20-year-old crowd, the 30-year-old crowd, the 40-year-old crowd. Those that are home with a family trying to raise the children, get them funded and growing up and off to college or a trade school or what have you. My concern is we’re going to end up a body of retired people. I don’t say anything bad about retired, I’m retired myself, but we need to have a broad section of the populace. Those families that are interested in it, and it is a family decision, interested in public service, need to be able to afford to come here with a family. This structure terminates that.”
According to the commission, members of the public who commented indicated that per diem was too high. Legislative feedback was mixed with some acknowledging the high per diem rate, but also recommending increasing the wages if per diem were decreased.
The bill now goes to the House of Representatives.
NOTE: transcribed audio courtesy of KTOO 360TV.