The Alaska State Capitol is seen here in this June 7, 2021, file photo. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire file)

The Alaska State Capitol is seen here in this June 7, 2021, file photo. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire file)

Higher Alaska lawmaker salary, allowance cut proposed

The proposal would raise the annual salary for Alaska lawmakers from $50,400 to $64,000

By Becky Bohrer

Associated Press

JUNEAU — A commission tasked with making recommendations for state legislative pay advanced a proposal Tuesday to raise the annual salary for Alaska lawmakers from $50,400 to $64,000 and place limits on the daily allowance lawmakers receive.

The State Officer Compensation Commission, as part of a 3-1 vote, called for capping the allowance known as per diem at $100 a day and making the allowance reimbursement-based. Currently, lawmakers who do not live in Juneau are entitled to session per diem of $293 per day.

The commission is charged with reviewing salaries and allowances at least once every two years. Members plan to meet Jan. 18 to finalize their recommendations, which would go to the Legislature and by law take effect next year unless a bill rejecting the commission recommendations is enacted within 60 days of their submission.

Jessica Geary, executive director of the Legislative Affairs Agency, told The Associated Press that typically “a receipt-based reimbursement system takes substantial staff time and may require an increase in staffing levels. We will want to see the full final proposal before responding definitively.”

Board members voting in favor of the recommendations were Kurt Olson, a former state representative Carrigan Grigsby and Johnny Ellis, a former state senator who described his vote as reluctant. Ellis said he thought the proposed base salary of $64,000 was too low.

Member Lee Cruise voted against the recommendations. He previously proposed keeping the base salary at $50,400 and capping what could be claimed annually in per diem at $12,000.

On Tuesday, as debate wore on, he said if it were up to him, he would maintain the current base salary and cap per diem at $15,000 a year. But for the sake of negotiation said he would support raising the base salary to $64,000 if per diem was limited to $12,000 a year. Cruise said that approach to per diem would encourage lawmakers to finish their work within the constitutional window for regular sessions.

Cruise earlier said he was trying to keep lawmakers “accountable to the people” and conscientious of their expenses in Juneau.

The state Constitution allows for regular sessions of up to 121 days, with the potential to extend for an additional 10.

Per diem has been a hot topic in recent years amid drawn-out regular sessions and often multiple special sessions. The allowance is intended to help with costs related to living part of the year in Juneau. In each 2017 and 2021, there were four special sessions.

All the special sessions last year were called by the governor.

Sen. Jesse Kiehl, a Juneau Democrat, said most legislators want to “get the work done” and go home.

In comments submitted to the commission, he asked members to consider as part of their deliberations reimbursing legislators’ actual costs of lodging and a “reasonable rate” for meals and incidental expenses rather than a flat annual cap.

“If the commission only sets an annual dollar limit, it hands future governors a financial club to swing at the legislature by threatening to keep them in special sessions — paid out of their own pockets,” he wrote.

Alaska has a citizen legislature, meaning some lawmakers have jobs outside of being senators or representatives. Sen. Mike Shower, a Wasilla Republican, is a pilot.

In written comments, Shower said existing per diem is too high. He said he would propose a reduction “but in a way which allows regular citizens the opportunity to serve and not put their family into financial distress.”

Cruise at one point singled out Shower and said if Shower “wants to make more, he can stop being a representative and continue being a pilot and make significantly more.”

More in News

The Kenai Peninsula College main entrance on Aug. 18, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Chiappone and Dunstan to speak at the KPC Showcase

Kenai Peninsula College continues its showcase with two new speakers this week and next

U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, talks about issues of concern regarding the proposed merger of supermarket chains Kroger and Albertsons during a floor speech in the House chamber on Wednesday. (Screenshot from official U.S. House of Representatives video feed)
Begich leads in early results, but Alaska’s U.S. House race won’t be immediately decided

About 245,000 ballots had been counted by 11:32 p.m., and Peltola trailed by about 5 percentage points

The Alaska governor’s mansion on Wednesday. Gov. Mike Dunleavy is considered a contender for a post in Donald Trump’s second presidential administration. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Election summary: Trump wins, GOP takes over U.S. Senate, Alaska may get new governor

Begich and repeal of ranked choice voting narrowly lead; GOP may lose control of state House.

Nesbett Courthouse in downtown Anchorage on Oct. 7, 2024. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Voters line up at the polling site at Anchorage City Hall on Nov. 4, 2024. City Hall was one of the designated early voting sites in Alaska’s largest city. It is not a designated site for Election Day voting. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Alaska Republicans lose two seats in state House, increasing odds of leadership switch

Rural Alaska precincts had reported few results by 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night.

Donald Trump won or was leading as of Wednesday morning in all seven swing states in the 2024 presidential election. (Doug Mills / The New York Times)
Donald Trump returns to power, ushering in new era of uncertainty

He played on fears of immigrants and economic worries to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris.

A voter is handed as ballot at Woodworth School in Dearborn, Mich., on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. One of the most consequential presidential elections in the nation’s modern history is well underway, as voters flocked to churches, schools and community centers to shape the future of American democracy. (Nick Hagen/The New York Times)
Trump verges on victory, picking up Pennsylvania

Donald Trump has captured Pennsylvania, the biggest prize of the seven battleground… Continue reading

Signs and supporters line the Kenai Spur Highway in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Update: Unofficial results for the 2024 general election

Preliminary, unofficial election results as of 9:55 p.m.

Poll worker Carol Louthan helps voters submit ballots at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Update: Bjorkman, Ruffridge, Elam and Vance lead in election night results

Several residents said that they came out to vote because they knew this election was “a big one.”

Most Read