Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Travel Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ethics committee considers per-diem statute change, weighs who attends COGEL conference
Summary
Committee members discussed whether public-member travel should follow the executive-branch $60 daily per diem (AS 39.20.180) and whether to cap travel or prioritize participants for the COGEL conference to stay within budget.
The Select Committee on Legislative Ethics discussed travel policy and reimbursement for public members on May 30, focusing on whether reimbursements should mirror the executive-branch standard of $60 per day. Administrator Kevin Reeve told members that under AS 24.60.130(f) public-member travel within the state should be reimbursed under the executive-branch rate codified at AS 39.20.180, and that changing the reimbursement standard would require a statute change.
Senator Gary Stevens expressed support for pursuing a statutory change to resolve the discrepancy. Administrator Reeve also raised the broader question of the committee’s travel budget for the COGEL (Council on Governmental Ethics Laws) conference, suggesting the committee determine whether to cover legislators, limit funds to public members, or cap the number of attendees to stay within budget.
Members who had attended COGEL described it as valuable for informal learning and networking. Deb Fancher and Conner Thomas emphasized the conference’s benefits and noted Alaska’s ethics regime is unique among states. The committee was reminded that early-bird registration for the December conference ends August 1 and asked to make travel decisions in advance to benefit from lower fees.
No formal motion to change statutory language was recorded; members discussed next steps and budget priorities for potential conference attendance.
