Legislator per diem and health care bills head to Senate floor

Jan. 18—CHEYENNE — The Senate Rules and Procedure Committee passed two bills Wednesday evening addressing legislator per diem and health insurance.

Both pieces of legislation will head to the Senate floor for consideration in the Committee of the Whole after a 4-1 vote. Sen. Dave Kinskey, R-Sheridan, was the only member of the committee to vote no, while others in support of the legislation said the topics merited debate in the Senate chamber.

Senate File 61 was the first bill voted on, and it would increase legislator per diem from $109 per day to $155. This amount would be adjusted as of July 1 each year by the state auditor to an amount equal to the most recent per diem rates established by the U.S. General Services Administration for locations in Wyoming.

Wyoming Legislative Service Office Director Matt Obrecht said the current standard rate is $98 for lodging and $59 for meals per day for all days set by the federal GSA. There is a specific rate for the Cody, Jackson and Pinedale regions that are significantly higher, and will increase after June 1.

In addition to the bill's language, an appropriation is included in the bill's fiscal note. The first would be for the LSO to provide an increase totalling $125,000, and the second is for the State Auditor's Office to compensate the boards and commissions that are tied to legislator per diem in an amount of $75,000.

This is not an increase in the salary of lawmakers in the Wyoming Legislature, but rather a reimbursement for travel expenses, such as lodging and meals. Neither have been adjusted since 2005, according to Obrecht.

Sen. Mike Gierau, D-Jackson, voted in support of SF 61, and said it needed to go forward for a wider discussion. He has spoken with lawmakers who continue to be impacted by inflation increasing the prices of gasoline and other goods.

"Every single person that's directly affected by the legislative powers of dictating salary has gotten a raise," he said. "Four hundred-plus people are depending on this to find out what they get when they travel."

The second bill approved by the committee would allow legislators to participate in the same employee group health insurance plan as state officials, and they would receive the same employee contribution from the state. Lawmakers also would have the option of having their dependents be covered by the same plan.

Senate File 62 would go into effect for the 68th Wyoming Legislature, starting in 2024, and members would have 31 days after the first day of the Legislature to enroll.

Sen. Eric Barlow, R-Gillette, was one of the presenters to the Senate Rules Committee. He said he was approached by numerous lawmakers who gave up their employment to serve in the Legislature and were losing their benefits during the one- or two-month session periods. This would help bridge the gap, as well as provide options for legislators without any health insurance.

Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie, added in his own push for the bill that there are candidates who may not run for office because they can't afford to lose their health insurance. He said if his family's insurance was placed at risk to become a state senator, he wouldn't have decided to run.

"We lose out on a lot of opportunities to have a more diverse group of citizens serving in the Legislature," he said.

While others recognized the benefit it would provide, there were concerns lawmakers would have a conflict of interest when considering changes to premiums or benefits on the state employee plan. Obrecht said there are other states that offer health insurance, and members of Congress decide on Social Security and federal health insurance benefits.

"You would just be a member of an incredibly large class of people when you make those decisions," he said. "So, it wouldn't be a true conflict under the Constitution or under your rules."

Both are now on general file for consideration in the coming days.

Jasmine Hall is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's state government reporter. She can be reached by email at jhall@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3167. Follow her on Twitter @jasminerhphotos and on Instagram @jhrose25.