Legislators’ expenses

Wis. Stat. § 13.123
in effect
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(1) In-session expenses. (a) 1. Any member of the legislature who has signified, by affidavit filed with the department of administration, the necessity of establishing a temporary residence at the state capital for the period of any regular or special legislative session shall be entitled to an allowance for expenses incurred for food and lodging for each day that he or she is in Madison on legislative business, but not including any Saturday or Sunday unless the legislator is in actual attendance on such day at a session of the legislature or a meeting of a standing committee of which the legislator is a member. The amount of the allowance for each biennial session shall be 90 percent of the per diem rate for travel for federal government business within the city of Madison, as established by the federal general services administration. For the purpose of determining the amount of the allowance, the administrator of the division of personnel management in the department of administration shall certify to the chief clerk of each house the federal per diem rate in effect on December 1, or the first business day thereafter if December 1 is not a business day, in each even-numbered year. Each legislator shall file an affidavit with the chief clerk of his or her house certifying the specific dollar amount within the authorized allowance the member wishes to receive. Such affidavit, when filed, shall remain in effect for the biennial session. 2. Any legislator may, if the legislator chooses not to establish a temporary residence at the state capital, claim one-half of the allowance under subd. 1. for each of the days authorized thereunder. (b) No allowance shall be paid under this subsection for any day during a recess of the legislature for 30 days or more unless so provided by joint resolution adopted by both houses of the legislature. (c) Each member shall certify to the chief clerk of the house in which the member serves, as promptly as may be following the 1st of each month, the number of days during the previous calendar month on which the member was in Madison on legislative business and for which the member seeks the allowance provided by this subsection. Such allowances shall be paid from the appropriation under s. 20.765 (1) (a) or (b) within one week after each calendar month; and shall be paid, upon the filing with the department of administration, the chief clerk’s affidavit stating the number of days in Madison on legislative business for all members of the chief clerk’s house. (2) Interim expenses. From the appropriation under s. 20.765 (1) (a) or (b), each member of the legislature shall be entitled to an expense allowance for postage and clerical assistance for each full calendar month during which the legislature is in actual session 3 days or less. No allowance is payable to a representative to the assembly unless the speaker of the assembly files with the chief clerk of the assembly a written authorization for the allowance to be paid. No allowance is payable to a senator unless the majority leader of the senate files with the chief clerk of the senate a written authorization for the allowance to be paid. An authorization filed under this subsection becomes effective for the month in which it is filed and continues in effect through the month in which the speaker of the assembly or the majority leader of the senate files a written revocation of the authorization with the chief clerk of the appropriate house. The rate of such allowance shall be as follows: (a) For representatives to the assembly such expense allowance shall be at the rate of $25 per month. (b) For senators such expense allowance shall be at the rate of $75 per month. (3) Attendance at meetings. (a) Any senator authorized by the committee on senate organization to attend a meeting outside the state capital, any representative to the assembly authorized by the committee on assembly organization to attend an out-of-state meeting or authorized by the speaker to attend a meeting within this state outside the state capital, and all members of the legislature required by law, legislative rule, resolution or joint resolution to attend such meetings, shall be paid no additional compensation for such services but shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses from the appropriation under s. 20.765 (1) (a) or (b), but no legislator may be reimbursed under this subsection for expenses on any day for which the legislator submits a claim under sub. (1). (b) 1. Notwithstanding par. (a), no member of the legislature may be reimbursed for attendance at any meeting held outside this state, other than a meeting of the legislature, a legislative committee, committee of the joint legislative council or a statutory body of which the person is a duly constituted member, after the chief clerk of the member’s house determines one of the following: a. After the day of the partisan primary, that the member either has not filed nomination papers for reelection or election to another legislative seat or has sought a party nomination for a legislative seat but it is generally acknowledged that the member has not won nomination. b. After the day of the general election, that it is generally acknowledged that the member has not been elected to a legislative seat for the succeeding session. 2. In making the determination under subd. 1., the chief clerk is bound by the determination of the chairperson of the elections commission or the chairperson’s designee if such determination has been issued. (c) Paragraph (b) may not be construed to affect eligibility for any allowance authorized under sub. (1) or (2).
Source: WI Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/13.123Fetched: 10/7/2026