The Rochester Post Bulletin reports on MN legislators' money grab / aka "per diem." We reported Lyndon Carlson as one of the top 4 earners in 2008. Reports of our three legislator's earnings are below.

While salaries for lawmakers have remained frozen at $31,140.90 for a decade, legislators have found other ways to boost their take-home pay. They have boosted their daily allowances, known as per diem, by $40 in the Senate and $21 in the House during the last 10 years. Hamline University Professor David Schultz, an expert in government ethics, said this amounts to a backdoor salary increase.

"They have basically come up with a sort of subterfuge, kind of a hidden way of supplementing their income, which is basically by using the per diem," he said.

Some legislators claim upwards of $35,000, outpacing their annual salary. Lawmakers receive per diem seven days a week during the legislative session. They are also eligible for per diem during a special session and outside of session on days they attend a committee meeting. 

You can look up your legislator's earnings at the Post-Bulletins' database. Here are the per diem earnings of our three DFL SD45 legislators. Keep in mind that they are only about 20 miles from the Capitol and live in a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis.

Rep. Lyndon Carlson (D) 45-B

• 2009: $14,443.79 (he knows we're watching! -Ed)
  
• 2008: $18,491.21
• 2007: $19,808.72

Rep. Sandra Peterson (D) 45-A:

• 2009: $10,179.94
• 2008: $8,826.30
• 2007: $11,525.23

Sen. Ann Rest (D) 45:

• 2009: $17,996.20
• 2008: $20,775.06
• 2007: $25,590.23

Rep. Lyndon Carlson (D-45B) is again in the top of per diem (daily expenses) earners for 2008. He charged $13,860, just below fellow DFLers Tom Rukavina. Speaker Margaret Kelliher and Alan Juhnke.

Senator Ann Rest (D-45) made the top five in the senate, earning $15,936. With other line items, her total for the year reached $20,775.06.

Early this year, WCCO's Pat Kessler explained the money grab:

IN FACT, officially, the legislature meets for about 3 to 5 months every year, and lawmakers get paid $31,140 every year. They also receive daily expense payments called per diem, which originally was meal money, but now can boost their income by more than 50 percent.

It's TRUE.  Lawmakers can get up to $96 a day in the Senate and up to $77 a day in the House. They can receive per diem seven days a week during the session, even when they're not physically at the Capitol. And it counts toward their pensions.

No receipts are necessary and no questions are asked.

You can download House and Senate per diem earnings at the WCCO article. Since we taxpayers pay their salaries (and per diems), it's time we ask questions - then unseat them both in 2010.

The House Republican Caucus reports the per diem earnings for DFL elected officials.

In addition to their salaries, and in addition to raising the housing allowance to $14,400 by providing year-round housing, the DFL voted to have the per diem payments raised by almost 17%.

Here are the totals collected by our SD-45 House Reps:

Lyndon Carlson: $16,317  (close behind #2 earner Speaker Margaret Kelliher)
Sandra Peterson: $8,470

These two Representatives, along with Senator Ann Rest are holding a town meeting Saturday March 29, 9-10:30 am at the Crystal Community Center. Add this to the many other items we should be questioning them on.

Gary Gross from Let Freedom Ring analyzes Lyndon Carlson's constitutional amendment allowing the legislature to call special sessions (currently called only by the Governor):

Constitutional amendment; special sessions. Proposes a constitutional amendment that would allow the legislature to call a special session that could last up to seven legislative days. This would be done upon the written agreement of a majority of the members elected to each house or upon the order of the presiding officers of both houses. Provides that any bill may be considered whose subject is stated in the agreement or order that convened the special session.

Submission to voters. The proposed constitutional amendment would be submitted to the voters at the 2008 general election.

The thought of legislators setting their calendar is scary. First off, it isn't a good idea to give the legislature this much power, regardless of which party controls the legislature. The last thing we need is to give legislators more time to spend more of our money. They've got enough time to do that already.

There's another good reason why the Minnesota Constitution says that the governor is the only official who can call a special session. He's the only constitutional officer in the legislative chain who's accountable to each citizen of this state.

Having legislators controlling their schedule is inappropriate because it doesn't incorporate anything to hold legislators accountable. How can someone in Fargo or St. Cloud or Owatonna hold speaker Kelliher or Majority Leader Pogemiller accountable? It's only logical that the governor, the person at the top of the legislative food chain, be held accountable for calling a special session. This amendment seeks to abandon the constitutional principle of checks and balances.

Frankly, this amendment won't have a chance to pass once people explain the impact this amendment might potentially have.

This constitutional amendment all but removes deadlines on getting bills done. Let's also recognize that it's an attempted end run around this governor. Those aren't the only negative things to this amendment. According to the amendment's text, it doesn't specifically limit the legislature to only calling one special session per year:

Section 1. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PROPOSED.

An amendment to the Minnesota Constitution is proposed to the people. If the amendment is adopted, article IV, section 12, will read:

Sec. 12. The legislature shall meet at the seat of government in regular session in each biennium at the times prescribed by law for not exceeding a total of 120 legislative days.

The legislature shall not meet in regular session, nor in any adjournment thereof, after the first Monday following the third Saturday in May of any year. After meeting at a time prescribed by law, the legislature may adjourn to another time. "Legislative day" shall be defined by law. Upon the written agreement of a majority of the members elected to the house of representatives and a majority of the members elected to the senate or upon the order of the presiding officers of both houses, the legislature shall convene in special session. Any bill may be considered whose subject is stated in the agreement or order that convened the special session. A special session called by the legislature may not exceed seven legislative days. A bill may be passed on the day prescribed for adjournment of the special session. A special session of the legislature may also be called by the governor on extraordinary occasions.

Neither house during a session of the legislature shall adjourn for more than three days (Sundays excepted) nor to any other place than that in which the two houses shall be assembled without the consent of the other house.

2.1 Sec. 2. SUBMISSION TO VOTERS.

The proposed amendment must be submitted to the people at the 2008 general election. The question submitted must be:

"Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to require the legislature to meet inspecial session for up to seven days upon the agreement of a majority of the members of each house of the legislature or upon the order of its presiding officers?

Yes .......

No ......."

Because it's vaguely worded, the legislature could call a special session for education, another for transportation, still another for jobs, another for health care, etc. Based on that information alone, why would we want legislators to have that much authority? Their authority would all but exceed that of the governor.

This is intolerable. It's an unprecedented attempt to rewrite the basic structure of Minnesota's Constitution. One thing further: I'll bet that the DFL knows that this constitutional amendment doesn't stand a prayer in hell of passing. I'l bet that they're using this to push turnout. That's why it's imperative that we use it to push turnout on our side.

Let's use this initiative to highlight how power-crazed the DFL is.