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February 24, 2012 11:10 PM UTC

Hickenlooper Finally Invests Political Capital...In Per Diem Hike?

  • 20 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

As the Pueblo Chieftain’s Patrick Malone reports today, and who originally broke the story of the “stealth passage” in the GOP-controlled Colorado House last week of a 22% increase in the daily per diem rate paid to legislators from outside the Denver metro area:

Gov. John Hickenlooper said Thursday that he is sympathetic to lawmakers who live outside of Denver and believes they should get more money…

He said the current $150-a-day stipend that lawmakers receive sometimes doesn’t cover all of their expenses, and that some are “subsidizing” their service in the General Assembly.

It appears lawmakers will get more money, because one of the legislative leaders whose support would be instrumental to blocking the scheduled raise in per-diem said Thursday he would refuse to do that.

“I won’t support a late bill to decrease our travel allowance,” said Senate Majority Leader John Morse, D-Colorado Springs.

Malone reports that Rep. Mark Waller, who said earlier this week that legislation would be introduced again postponing implementation of this higher per diem rate, is not returning phone calls on the matter anymore. The fact is, it might be hard to find a legislator willing to carry that bill, given the unspoken enmity that person who face from every legislator who stood to benefit from the increase. We have been clear from the outset that legislators (and elected state officials generally) are undercompensated, and the problem with this legislation is primarily that it was passed without debate by ostensibly “fiscal conservative” House Republicans.

So folks, if Gov. John Hickenlooper wants to become the face of giving rural legislators a per diem pay hike, at the same time as the press announces a legislative budget deal resulting in the layoffs of hundreds of state employees, he’s entitled to do so. Indeed, there’s probably no one in the state better positioned to weather the criticism that would very predictably result.

But for a governor who professes “alarm” at the prospect of these layoffs, we have to wonder how such mixed messages will be received by voters trying to make sense of all this.

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20 thoughts on “Hickenlooper Finally Invests Political Capital…In Per Diem Hike?”

  1. $150 per day for a 120 day session, well that adds up to $18,000 for a four month session.  Well, if they can’t pay expenses on that, then there is something wrong with them.  They don’t need a raise.

    1. code for “another living environment to maintain”? Not living in one place doesn’t make it free. $4,500 for two rents isn’t a whole helluva lot. Especially if they are supporting a family. No, especially, especially if one is a hotel room.

      Forget it. I think I already got it.

      Don’t you owe me some links?

    2. First, I think the entire legislature needs a raise; we’re shamefully underpaying the people who are supposed to be leading our state and making intelligent laws.  If we’re getting less than we deserve, perhaps it’s in part because we’re paying less than they deserve.

      Second, though $150 per day sounds like a lot, it gets sucked up pretty quickly between paying for rent, parking and food.  It is, I believe, lower than the Federal government’s nationwide per diem by a significant amount.  And unlike a metro legislator, it’s not so simple for most out-district legislators to do anything part-time to maintain an income stream – after all, they’re not near their former place of business.

      1. and have great benefits. Yet they’re worse than useless and spend all their time trying to destroy the economy to help win a Presidential election. Paying more clearly does not give better results. The sort of people who are attracted to power positions don’t give a fuck what they get paid: they’re in it for the long con, where it all pays off in lobbyist jobs after they leave.

        Most people have it a lot harder than literally anyone in the state government. Fuck them until they can do something for everyone else. Not only do I have no sympathy for them, I can’t even imagine anyone having sympathy for them. I have to assume your post is some kind of practical joke.

        You can still get a cheap hotel for $42 per night, and you can easily eat on less than $20 per day, so unless you’re parking on the helipad every night, $150 still goes a long way.

        1. I’ve stayed in one of those $42 per night motels near downtown Denver and realized rather quickly that less than desirable activities were occurring on the premises (probably both prostitution and drug dealing).  Maybe there are some cheap places which are managed a little better, but I haven’t seen them.

        2. “Paying more clearly does not give better results.” Nice.

          I believe the point is that paying people something livable might attract people who aren’t running a “con.”

          I, for one, am sick to death of people complaining about dirty money in politics and doing nothing to change it. What could some schmuk who can’t afford to take four months off a year and live in another city (you’ve forgotten their permanent home in your little calculation) possibly know about “Real People”?

          1. A few months ago I accidentally signed a petition without reading it carefully that said “Let’s pay teachers more!” and found myself a member of Michelle Rhee’s latest scam organization. I don’t speak for teachers, of course, but in my view the salary issues are not the most pressing problem teachers face (though it’s certainly not great), and from what I recall merit pay doesn’t work. People don’t go into teaching because they want to make a lot of money. They do it because they like their subjects and they like kids, and they do the best job they can within the constraints of the system (like tests they have to teach to).

            State representatives are in many ways the opposite. They get into the job because they want to use it as a springboard to positions of greater power, or to use their connections to get a job doing lobbying. Term limits has made this especially true lately.

            And we’re not talking about salaries, or giving them full-time jobs and paying full-time wages to help them afford a house in their district. We’re talking about a PER DIEM which is just to pay for expenses in Denver. So fuck their house.

            You’ve got a representative complaining about trying to get an apartment for $3500 a month, and you’re going to defend that? You’re going to compare them to teachers? These assholes who are giving themselves raises while teachers get laid off and the ones who are still around get pay freezes? What the hell is wrong with you?

            This cute little story you tell about the farmer who comes to the Big City after the crops are harvested may make you feel good, but it’s not the way this state has worked in decades (if it ever did). Raising their per diems will not make it true again. The big obstacle preventing people from running for office is raising campaign money, not paying for an apartment. If you want to fix campaign finance, fix that. This is unrelated.

  2. His strength is, after all, in being seen as the least partisan of pols in a purple state. Your assessment

    there’s probably no one in the state better positioned to weather the criticism that would very predictably result.

    is spot on

  4. Instead of simply raising the per diem for out-of-town legislators, why not equally reduce the per diem for those that live within the Metro area and simply have to drive to work from their home every day? I know I don’t get a per diem to make my commute across the city every day. I don’t think a legislator from Parker or Commerce City or Westminster should either.

    Or, we can make the per diem income based. Surely there are some legislators that need it much more than others.  

    1. I know after a twelve hour day, working all night at the 7-11 is a breeze.

      Whiners. What do they do that’s so great? Sit around in old chairs talking. $25 should do it for the whole session. It would get over fast and they’d be paid what they’re worth. Right?

      Now back to the real world, where not all legislators are independently wealthy… (Who doesn’t love rich candidates?)

      1. They aren’t ALL wealthy, but many are – and they all are probably better off than the snow plow drivers that haven’t gotten a raise in years. Also, as someone who used to work down there I can assure you they waste A LOT of time. What’s the point in long-winded debates when no minds are being changed and the rest of the chamber is talking about other bills when someone’s at the well speaking? I hate to break it to you, but the session is all one big show. It’s one act in a never-ending competition for power. Maybe if they spent less time going to $49-plate lunches with lobbyists and introducing 500 bills each year just so voters think they are doing something then they wouldn’t have to rent an apartment for 6 months.  

      2. effin’ budget .  .  .

        Whiners. What do they do that’s so great? Sit around in old chairs talking. $25 should do it for the whole session. It would get over fast and they’d be paid what they’re worth. Right?

        . . . and go home!  What’s so difficult to understand?

        Let’s not incentivize any more of their twaddle and lollygagging than we already do.  

    1. but sometimes the good guv has just got to buck being popular and do the right thing so that folks like Laura Bradford have some driving around money while they’re in town.

    2. but sometimes the good guv has just got to buck being popular and do the right thing so that folks like Laura Bradford have some driving around money while they’re in town.

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