NASHVILLE – A state Senate Democratic leader says legislators’ reimbursements for daily expenses while in session should be frozen in place until 2014 given the state’s economic situation.
“Tennessee families are struggling to make ends meet, and lawmakers have no business demanding an increase in taxpayer money for personal use,” Senate Democratic Caucus Chairman Lowe Finney, D-Jackson, said in a news release.
Sen. Finney said he is sponsoring a bill, Senate Bill 3650, which would freeze the expenses – known as per diem rates – until 2014 when the state’s economy is expected to return to pre-recession levels.
Currently, Tennessee lawmakers are eligible for $185 per day in expenses. The money is intended to help them pay for items such as food and lodging. Last October, the per diem increased from $171.
Under Sen. Finney’s bill, the freeze would go into effect November and would expire in November 2014.