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HB 212: STATE EMPLOYEE TRAVEL EXPENSES - 1997 General Session Sponsor: Rep. Wayne Johnson (R-H9, Cheyenne)
Under current law, state employees receive a per diem allowance for expenses incurred during travel for state business. Per diem for state employees is paid by quarters of the day at $15 per full quarter of in-state travel ($60/day) and $17.50 per full quarter of out-of-state travel ($70/day). (This contrasts to the $80/day per diem allowance for legislators.) HB 212 proposed to replace per diem with reimbursement of actual expenses. It was amended on the House floor to propose a seven-month study where employees of the Public Service Commission, the Department of Commerce and the Department of Environmental Quality would be reimbursed for actual expenses. A comparison of these expenses and the amount of per diem which otherwise would have been paid would then be reported to the Joint Appropriations Interim Committee by December 15, 1997. HB 212 also provided that all claims for reimbursement, except for meals and tips where the total amount did not exceed $15, would have to be accompanied by original vendor receipts. No payment would be made for alcoholic beverages, and the State Auditor was authorized to establish maximum limits on reimbursements reflecting the cost differences for suitable meals and lodging in different areas within and outside Wyoming. Proponents of the change to reimbursement of actual expenses argued that $60/day is not enough to cover lodging and three meals. Opponents said that reimbursement of actual expenses would lead to higher expenditures, as the State Auditor’s maximum limit for reimbursement would become the effective per diem. HB 212 passed the House, 56-3 (1 excused), and passed the Senate Appropriations Committee 5-0. However, it died on third reading (final passage) in the Senate, 7-23. The votes listed below are the third reading (final passage) votes in the House and the Senate. A YES vote means the legislator favored reimbursing actual expenses (subject to limits) for state employees traveling on state business rather than paying per diem. A NO vote means the legislator favored staying with the per diem allowance payment.
www.equalitystate.org Copyright 1999, Equality State Policy Center | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||