Either Sen. Jon Erpenbach works harder than most or he really knows how to collect a per diem.
For at least the third consecutive year, Erpenbach, D-Middleton, collected per diems for more days than any other state senator.
Lawmakers can collect per diem pay when they work in Madison. The money is intended for food and housing expenses incurred while they work in Madison. Lawmakers who live in the Madison area, like Erpenbach, receive per diems of $44 per day. Everyone else gets $88.
Erpenbach received per diems for 237 days in 2007. That's an average of 4.5 days for each one of the 52 weeks in a year. That's a lot of days spent on the job in Madison.
In 2006, Erpenbach received per diems for 234 days, and in 2005 he claimed 199 days - both were tops in the Senate.
In 2006, Erpenbach told the Wisconsin State Journal that he came into the Capitol on official business more than others because he lives close. As the chief promoter of the Healthy Wisconsin universal health care proposal last year, as well, Erpenbach was a busy senator.
Erpenbach received $10,428 in per diems last year. But because of the lower reimbursement rates for Dane County lawmakers, Erpenbach was far from the top among recipients. That distinction belongs to former Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson, D-Beloit, who collected $16,544 in 188 days. The fewest amount of per diems claimed (48 days) was by Sen. Alan Lasee, R-De Pere.
In fact, the "bottom" six lawmakers who claimed the fewest days all were Republicans. In fact, the 18 Democrats averaged 137 per diem days last year while the 15 Republicans averaged 92. (Sen. Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center, collected $7,920 in 90 per diem days.)
Interestingly, in the Assembly, 80th District Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, was well in the bottom half of those receiving per diems. He collected $4,224 for 96 per diems - a Dane County resident, he also is reimbursed only $44 per day. Davis, you'll remember, was called a per diem "double-dipper" in a Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel story last year. He and 14 other lawmakers collected per diems on some of the same days as they were reimbursed for campaign expenses. In Davis' case, it was only a handful of days over a period of a couple of years.
Freshman Rep. Steve Hilgenberg, D-Dodgeville, collected per diems for only 86 days for a total of $7,568.
Nine members of the state Assembly claimed the maximum number of daily allowances they could receive. Five of them, including Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, and Rep. Kitty Rhoades, R-Hudson, co-chairman of the Joint Finance Committee, received the highest amount possible, $13,464 for the 153 days. The Assembly limits the number of per diems that can be claimed; the Senate does not.
What does all of this mean? It depends on your perspective, probably. One person could see a per-diem leader as either a hard-worker or a freeloader. The point of view might even depend - gasp - on party affiliation.
But the numbers certainly can be interesting. And with about a million dollars paid out annually in per diem, it's hardly small change.
For at least the third consecutive year, Erpenbach, D-Middleton, collected per diems for more days than any other state senator.
Lawmakers can collect per diem pay when they work in Madison. The money is intended for food and housing expenses incurred while they work in Madison. Lawmakers who live in the Madison area, like Erpenbach, receive per diems of $44 per day. Everyone else gets $88.
Erpenbach received per diems for 237 days in 2007. That's an average of 4.5 days for each one of the 52 weeks in a year. That's a lot of days spent on the job in Madison.
In 2006, Erpenbach received per diems for 234 days, and in 2005 he claimed 199 days - both were tops in the Senate.
In 2006, Erpenbach told the Wisconsin State Journal that he came into the Capitol on official business more than others because he lives close. As the chief promoter of the Healthy Wisconsin universal health care proposal last year, as well, Erpenbach was a busy senator.
Erpenbach received $10,428 in per diems last year. But because of the lower reimbursement rates for Dane County lawmakers, Erpenbach was far from the top among recipients. That distinction belongs to former Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson, D-Beloit, who collected $16,544 in 188 days. The fewest amount of per diems claimed (48 days) was by Sen. Alan Lasee, R-De Pere.
In fact, the "bottom" six lawmakers who claimed the fewest days all were Republicans. In fact, the 18 Democrats averaged 137 per diem days last year while the 15 Republicans averaged 92. (Sen. Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center, collected $7,920 in 90 per diem days.)
Interestingly, in the Assembly, 80th District Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, was well in the bottom half of those receiving per diems. He collected $4,224 for 96 per diems - a Dane County resident, he also is reimbursed only $44 per day. Davis, you'll remember, was called a per diem "double-dipper" in a Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel story last year. He and 14 other lawmakers collected per diems on some of the same days as they were reimbursed for campaign expenses. In Davis' case, it was only a handful of days over a period of a couple of years.
Freshman Rep. Steve Hilgenberg, D-Dodgeville, collected per diems for only 86 days for a total of $7,568.
Nine members of the state Assembly claimed the maximum number of daily allowances they could receive. Five of them, including Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, and Rep. Kitty Rhoades, R-Hudson, co-chairman of the Joint Finance Committee, received the highest amount possible, $13,464 for the 153 days. The Assembly limits the number of per diems that can be claimed; the Senate does not.
What does all of this mean? It depends on your perspective, probably. One person could see a per-diem leader as either a hard-worker or a freeloader. The point of view might even depend - gasp - on party affiliation.
But the numbers certainly can be interesting. And with about a million dollars paid out annually in per diem, it's hardly small change.
