Idaho lawmakers will receive pay raises, increase in per diem rates. Here’s how much
Idaho state legislators will receive pay raises and an increase in daily allowances for travel in the next two years.
A committee tasked with overseeing lawmakers’ salaries voted to raise the elected officials’ pay by 2.75% annually over the next two years. The increases were first reported by the Lewiston Tribune.
Lawmakers traveling to Boise also will receive more money for food and lodging while they’re in session. The committee voted unanimously to tie legislators’ “per diem” allowance to the federal rate, $221 daily. That’s up from $139, the current rate. The increase applies to lawmakers who live more than 50 miles from the capital.
State legislators’ salaries are set by the Citizens’ Committee on Legislative Compensation every two years. The Legislature determines salaries for other elected officials, such as the governor, secretary of state and attorney general.
House and Senate members earn $18,875 annually. Their pay will jump to $19,394 on Dec. 1 and $19,927 the following year. The last time the committee met, it increased lawmakers’ salaries by 1.5% in 2021 and 2.5% this year.
Committee members debated whether the upcoming boost would be sufficient, as inflation has increased the cost of goods 8.3% since last year, according to the Idaho Department of Labor.
“These are part-time jobs, but these are very part-time incomes,” said Dennis Johnson, a retired insurance company executive, who recommended 5% annual raises. “I still think that falls behind inflation. It’s an extraordinary period that we’re in.”
Bryan Mooney, a Boise businessman and the former director of administration for Gov. Brad Little, pushed for more conservative raises due to the uncertainty that inflation will continue to rise.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Winder, R-Boise, in a letter to the committee recommended 2.5% raises each year. Mooney recommended the committee match that.
The committee chose to index the allowance, meaning it will go up or down with the rate set by the federal government, because any per diem amount over the federal rate is considered taxable.
Lawmakers who live within 50 miles of Boise will continue to receive $74 a day, also the federal rate, to cover meals and incidental expenses during the session.
On top of the per diem allowance, lawmakers receive a $2,500 lump sum payment every year for “constituent services.” House Majority Caucus Chair Megan Blanksma, R-Hammett, told the committee the allowance covers costs for mailing information to constituents as well as fuel and meeting spaces while traveling within her district.
Blanksma said much of those expenses are out-of-pocket. She guessed that “less than a handful” of lawmakers “actually come out ahead.” The committee unanimously voted to maintain the current $2,500 figure.
The Legislature this year granted the governor and other statewide elected officials 9.5% raises.
This story was originally published October 7, 2022 at 2:53 PM.
