Lakeland's Scott Franklin ranks near top in U.S. House for reimbursed expenses in 2023

U.S. Rep. Scott Franklin, R-Lakeland, ranks in the top 5% of House members for the amount received in reimbursements.

Franklin received $31,479 to cover costs incurred in 2023 for lodging, meals and incidentals, according to a recent report from the Washington Post. That total ranked Franklin 21^st among the 435 members of the U.S. House.

A House panel in 2022 adopted the reimbursement program to cover the cost of living for representatives. The program does not require them to provide receipts for their claimed expenses.

The Washington Post compiled a database of information for 2023 released by the House.

Franklin, a second-term representative, has received $22,512 for lodging and $8,967 for meals and incidentals, according to the Post’s database. The total reimbursement of $31,479 equates to 18% of Franklin’s annual base salary of $174,000.

The figure placed Franklin in the top 6.5% of the 328 members who have so far requested repayments. Franklin’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Among Polk County’s other three U.S. House members, Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Brandon, had the next-highest reimbursement amount, $26,733, equivalent to 15% of her salary. Lee itemized the total as $25,349 for lodging and $1,384 for meals and incidentals.

A spokesperson for Lee said her office had no comment.

Rep. Darren Soto, D-Kissimmee, requested $11,782 in reimbursements, amounting to 7% of his salary. All of Soto’s stated expenditures were for lodging.

“Per the House rules, Rep. Soto seeks allowable per diem reimbursements for lodging while on official business in Washington, D.C.,” Soto’s office said by email.

Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Clermont, was one of more than 100 House members listed as not yet requesting any reimbursements for 2023 expenses. Lawmakers must submit requests for reimbursements from 2022 and 2023 by December, the Post reported.

Webster’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

The Washington Post reported that 328 House members have received at least $5.8 million in reimbursements for 2023 so far. Representatives are allowed to claim expenses for some lodging, meals and incidental costs incurred while in Washington, D.C., on official business.

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Administrators decided not to require receipts for two reasons, the Post reported: concerns that lodging records would reveal where lawmakers stay while in Washington and the potential administrative burden on House officials. The Committee on House Administration determined that processing receipts would have required more staff members, meaning Congress would have had to vote to cover that cost.

Members of Congress have not voted to raise their salaries since 2009. The bipartisan House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress proposed the expense program in 2022 as an alternative to raises, the Post reported.

House members face the financial challenge of maintaining homes in their districts while also paying for lodging in the Washington, D.C. area.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland's Franklin ranks in top 5% of US House for expenses