Put the brakes on the gravy train

It’s time for the gravy train to reach the end of the line.

State lawmakers must stop cashing in on a longtime perk that allows them to boost their compensation by claiming payment for lodging and meals without providing receipts.

Sen. Jim Brewster, an Allegheny County Democrat, has introduced (for a fourth time) a bill that would ban per diems. The question is whether the largest full-time state legislature in the land will take up the cause.

Mr. Brewster announced the move days after Spotlight PA, a consortium of news gathering organizations, reported that state legislators requested and received more than $726,000 in per diems, though most were given the option of remote attendance at voting sessions due to the pandemic. The per diems can be collected only for in-person attendance.

The per diem policy is questionable in itself. Should lawmakers be allowed to bill the taxpayers for their lodging and meals when they’re traveling a distance to Harrisburg for voting? Some may argue that those expenses are reasonable and that, to do otherwise, would penalize those who live farthest away.

What is not in question is the lack of oversight for billings. No receipts are required for reimbursement. Ridiculous.

Lawmakers in Pennsylvania are among the highest paid in the nation with a base salary pegged at some $90,000. Leaders make more. Majority and minority leaders in both the Senate and the House earn about $131,000. The Senate’s president pro tempore collects about $141,000.

Some lawmakers billed the state thousands of dollars for meals and lodging.

It’s time for some increased scrutiny in spending. If per diems are to continue — and they’re unlikely to be ended — some measures should be put in place to ensure responsible reimbursement of reasonable expenditures. Receipts should be required. Caps should be set on the allowable amounts for food and lodging. And a limit should be placed on the number of days for which a per diem can be collected in a year.

The state Legislature is entrusted with citizens’ hard-earned tax dollars. If citizens are to have confidence that their lawmakers are minding the store, they must pass legislation that puts the brakes on the gravy train.