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Senate backs overhaul of interim travel reimbursement for legislators
Summary
The Senate committee approved a legislative-council‑backed plan to simplify per diem and lodging reimbursements for legislators serving on interim committees; supporters said it reduces staff workload and confusion, while opponents called it a vote on pay and urged delaying changes.
The Montana Senate on Feb. 5 approved Senate Bill 64, a measure sponsored on behalf of the Legislative Council that standardizes reimbursement (per diem, meals and lodging) for legislators attending interim meetings and authorized legislative business.
Senator Flowers, carrying the measure, said the bill replaces hours of monthly manual per‑diem processing with a distance‑based presumption system tied to round‑trip travel distance from the legislator’s residence. "If you live more than 100 miles but less than 400 miles, you will get 2 days salary, 2 days meals, 2 nights lodging and mileage," Flowers explained in committee; the bill uses three distance bands (≤100, 100–400, 400+ round trip) to determine automatic reimbursement tiers.
Supporters described the bill as an efficiency measure: Legislative Fiscal staff estimated that the change would save 60–80 staff hours per month processing claims and the bill carried a zero fiscal note based on current law. Opponents objected on principle, arguing the Legislature should not set its own compensation midterm and warning that some senators might use the automatic rules to claim additional days they had not claimed previously.
Committee vote and outcome: The committee reported SB 64 do pass, 40–10 (aye/nay). The sponsor said the proposal is intended as reimbursement (not a pay raise) and that senators may "opt out" if they wish to forgo payments. The full Senate later passed SB 64 on second reading.
Why this matters: The change replaces case-by-case claims with a prescriptive system tied to travel distance, which will alter how many days’ reimbursement individual legislators receive for interim business and could affect legislative operating costs depending on actual claims behavior. It also prompted policy questions about self‑governance and the timing of changes to reimbursement rules.
Provenance (topic intro/finish): - topicintro evidence: block_id="2241" evidence_excerpt:"Senate bill 64 introduced by Flowers, a bill for an act entitled not clarifying the calculation of compensation and expenses for legislators when not in session..." (bill title read) - topfinish evidence: block_id="3460" evidence_excerpt:"Mister chairman, 40 senators vote aye and 10 senators vote nay. With 40 voting aye and 10 no, senate bill number 64 passes second reading." (committee tally)
