Wisconsin lawmakers claim $555K in expenses during pandemic
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Wisconsin legislators claimed more than $555,000 for traveling to and working in Madison in 2020, even though they never convened for a floor session during the last eight months of a year marked by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Senate and Assembly chief clerks released records Tuesday that show legislators claimed $555,159 in per diem expenses.
That’s on top of their $53,000 annual salaries.
The Legislature adjourned its two-year session just before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in March 2020.
Lawmakers convened in April to pass a COVID relief bill but took the rest of the year off to campaign.
Legislators claimed about $800,000 in expenses in 2018, their last campaign year before 2020.
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