GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1999

H	1 

HOUSE BILL 1143

Short Title:  Legislators' Per Diem/Expenses.	(Public)

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Sponsors: Representative Buchanan.

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Referred to:  Ways and Means.

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April 15, 1999

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO INCREASE THE MONTHLY EXPENSE ALLOWANCE, PER DIEM RATE, AND MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT OF MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  G.S. 120-3 reads as rewritten:
"§ 120-3.  Pay of members and officers of the General Assembly.
(a)	The Speaker of the House shall be paid an annual salary of thirty-eight thousand one hundred fifty-one dollars ($38,151) payable monthly, and an expense allowance of one thousand four hundred thirteen dollars ($1,413) per month. The President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall be paid an annual salary of thirty-eight thousand one hundred fifty-one dollars ($38,151) payable monthly, and an expense allowance of one thousand four hundred thirteen dollars (1,413) per month. The Speaker Pro Tempore of the House shall be paid an annual salary of twenty-one thousand seven hundred thirty-nine dollars ($21,739) payable monthly, and an expense allowance of eight hundred thirty-six dollars (836.00) per month. The Deputy President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall be paid an annual salary of twenty-one thousand seven hundred thirty-nine dollars ($21,739) payable monthly, and an expense allowance of eight hundred thirty-six dollars ($836.00) per month. The majority and minority leaders in the House and the majority and minority leaders in the Senate shall be paid an annual salary of seventeen thousand forty-eight dollars ($17,048) payable monthly, and an expense allowance of six hundred ninety-seven dollars ($697.00) per month.
(b)	Every other member of the General Assembly shall receive increases in annual salary only to the extent of and in the amounts equal to the average increases received by employees of the State, effective upon convening of the next Regular Session of the General Assembly after enactment of these increased amounts, except no such increase is granted upon the convening of the 1997 Regular Session of the General Assembly. Accordingly, upon convening of the 1997 Regular Session of the General Assembly, every other member of the General Assembly shall be paid an annual salary of thirteen thousand nine hundred fifty-one dollars ($13,951) payable monthly, and an expense allowance of five hundred ninety dollars ($590.00) per month.
(c)	The salary and expense allowances provided in this section are in addition to any per diem compensation and any subsistence and travel allowance authorized by any other law with respect to any regular or extra session of the General Assembly, and service on any State board, agency, commission, standing committee and study commission."
Section 2.  G.S. 120-3.1(a) reads as rewritten:
"(a)	In addition to compensation for their services, members of the General Assembly shall be paid the following allowances:
(1)	A weekly travel allowance for each week or fraction thereof that the General Assembly is in regular or extra session. The amount of the weekly travel allowance shall be calculated for each member by multiplying the actual round-trip mileage from that member's home to the City of Raleigh by the rate per mile which is the business standard mileage rate set by the Internal Revenue Service in Rev. Proc. 98-63, December 28, 1998.
(2)	A travel allowance at the rate which is the business standard mileage rate set by the Internal Revenue Service in Rev. Proc. 98-63, December 28, 1998, whenever the member travels, whether in or out of session, as a representative of the General Assembly or of its committees or commissions, with the approval of the Legislative Services Commission.
(3)	A subsistence allowance for meals and lodging at a daily rate equal to the maximum per diem rate for federal employees traveling to Raleigh, North Carolina, as set out at 64 Federal Register 6550-6565 (February 10, 1999), while the General Assembly is in session and, except as otherwise provided in this subdivision, while the General Assembly is not in session when, with the approval of the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the case of Representatives or the President Pro Tempore of the Senate in case of Senators, the member is:
a.	Traveling as a representative of the General Assembly or of its committees or commissions, or
b.	Otherwise in the service of the State.
		A member who is authorized to travel, whether in or out of session, within the United States outside North Carolina, may elect to receive, in lieu of the amount provided in the preceding paragraph, a subsistence allowance of thirty-eight dollars ($38.00) a day for meals, plus actual expenses for lodging when evidenced by a receipt satisfactory to the Legislative Services Officer, the latter not to exceed the maximum per diem rate for federal employees traveling to the same place, as set out at 64 Federal Register 6550-6565 (February 10, 1999).
(4)	A member may be reimbursed for registration fees as permitted by the Legislative Services Commission."
Section 3.  This act becomes effective upon the convening of the 2001 General Assembly.