Here’s how much Idaho taxpayers will pay for Idaho Legislature’s COVID-caused recess

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — The Idaho Legislature’s recess last week, prompted by a COVID-19 outbreak in the Capitol, comes with a cost for taxpayers.

The session’s delay will last more than two weeks — and cost a total of about $318,000. State legislators are still getting paid for living expenses for days they’re on break on top of their regular salaries for the session.

And session staffers, who remain in the Statehouse for another two weeks, will get compensated to continue their work.

House Speaker Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, on Thursday said he considered paying for living expenses on a case-by-case basis for those who had already made financial commitments, such as renting an apartment for the month.

“It turned out that so many of them had,” Bedke said by phone. Legislators budget for the three months they expect to be in session, he added.

RELATED | Idaho Legislature shuts down due to COVID-19 outbreak

The House speaker and the Senate president pro-tem have the authority to decide whether to continue to compensate legislators with per-diem rates during a recess longer than three days. Anticipating potential last-minute changes to the session due to the pandemic, the Citizens’ Committee on Legislative Compensation set those rules in October 2020.

State lawmakers get paid per-diem rates, which are meant to cover expenses associated with temporary housing in Boise. A total of 67 state legislators, who live at least 50 miles away, get paid $139 a day during the recess. The rest, who live closer than 50 miles, get paid $71 a day automatically, regardless of their housing situations.

Legislative leaders said many lawmakers had already committed to accommodations through the end of the month when six House members tested positive for COVID-19 in one week’s time, prompting an unanticipated recess. The session will begin again on April 6.

IDAHO LEGISLATOR’S SALARY AND OTHER COMPENSATION

All state legislators get paid a salary of $18,691 this year. The end of the session varies from year to year, but the salary doesn’t change regardless of how long they’re in session. At the end of the year, each member also gets an allowance of $2,500. The House speaker and the Senate president pro-tem each receive another $5,000, and other legislative leaders get $2,000.

State legislators in Boise also get paid the $71 rate per day for living expenses during the recess. Legislators who live far from Boise or represent large legislative districts get other allowances — including mileage reimbursements and allowances for large rural areas.

On top of the per-diem rates, state lawmakers who travel to Boise get their mileage expenses reimbursed. Lawmakers who represent larger legislative districts get additional allowances that range anywhere from $400 to $3,200 — intended to offset costs for legislators who travel around to meet with their constituents.

Those who represent districts between 1,000 and 2,000 square miles get another $400. The allowances increase from there — Legislative District 8 is the largest area at 15,678 square miles.

Senate President Pro-Tem Chuck Winder, R-Boise, said he’s considering returning the $1,200 he receives for the 17 days, and that legislators can choose not to take the compensation. House Assistant Minority Leader Lauren Necochea, D-Boise, said she would also consider returning her share if it’s allowed.

For the 17 days on recess, state legislators will get paid a total of $204,187 from the automatic per-diem rates.

The Legislature requested four Idaho State Police troopers be on duty for the two-week break, costing an additional $18,945, said ISP spokesperson Lynn Hightower. Another $94,600 will be spent on the session’s staffers, who remain working in the Capitol on weekdays, according to the legislative services office.

Winder said the part-time staffers who work during the session needed to be compensated for the additional time.

“We just felt like it was really unfair to them to send them home for two weeks and expect them to come back when we did,” Winder said Friday.

COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS AT THE IDAHO CAPITOL

Necochea said by phone Friday that shutting down the session was the right call but criticized Republican leaders for not trying to enforce stricter precautions during the pandemic.

“We might’ve been able to avoid this situation, in both the human and financial costs, if we had better safety protocols in place,” Necochea said Friday.

House legislative leaders abruptly began to plan for a recess last week after two House members — Reps. James Ruchti, D-Pocatello, and Greg Chaney, R-Caldwell — tested positive for COVID-19. That made six House members who tested positive for COVID-19 in one week. At least one staffer also tested positive, Bedke said.

The COVID-19 transmission appeared to spread through two House committees. One House member who tested positive, Rep. Ryan Kerby, R-New Plymouth, was on both the House Education and House Judiciary & Rules Administration committees. Three other members of the judiciary committee and two other members of the education committee also tested positive.

“I think everybody got a pretty good understanding of just how contagious it is,” Bedke said by phone Thursday. “It went through those two committees pretty quickly, and we just need to be on our guard. So the safety protocols and the guidelines will be emphasized.”

But Bedke said “it’s not within my power” to mandate masks for House members. He can enforce a dress code, for example, because of the rules adopted by both the House and Senate, he said.

House rules state that “persons in the Chamber shall wear proper attire to maintain decorum of the House.”

“If that were a rule that the bodies, both the House and the Senate adopted, that would be a different situation,” Bedke said. “I just don’t have the ability to mandate or enforce a mask mandate.”