PHOENIX (AP) — Gov. Doug Ducey faces a Monday deadline to sign or veto a dozen bills remaining on his desk from the legislative session that ended June 30.
Among them is a bill to significantly increase the expense payments for legislators who commute from outside the Phoenix area. The bill would increase reimbursements for housing and food from $60 a day to $207.
Lawmakers living in Maricopa County would continue to get their current reimbursements of $35. The tax-free per diem payments come on top of the $24,000 annual salary for lawmakers. Lawmakers who supported the increase say the per diem hasn't been raised in decades and falls far short of covering expenses.
