(TOPEKA, Kan.) — Wednesday Kansas lawmakers entered the fifth extra day of what was supposed to be a 90 day session.
With still no agreement on major issues like the budget and redistricting, the extra time is costing Kansans thousands. Factfinder 12 looked into just how much it will cost.
By state statute, Kansas is obligated to pay lawmakers for every day that they are in session. Each lawmaker gets $88.66 a day in salary and $123 a day for living expenses. For all legislators that totals more than $34,900 a day.
After 90 days are complete, lawmakers do have the option to waive their salary, expenses or both. So far this session only 24 of the 165 lawmakers have done that.
"They feel an obligation that they should get their work done in 90 days," said Jeff Russell, legislative administration director. "That's not to say they are right or wrong, that's just their particular opinion".
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$35,000 a day spent on longer session in Topeka
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Lawmakers who have not opted-out of salary or expenses say they could change their minds if the session drags on longer.
"Depending on how this goes, I'll decide. If it looks like we're going to wrap up in the next day or two then I won't file for it," said Rep. Nile Dillmore, (D) Wichita.
The 24 who have rejected part of all of their pay for the extra time will save taxpayers around $2,000 a day. The legislature's longest session lasted 107 days in 2002, another year in which they tackled redistricting.
The following are lawmakers that have waived salary or expenses:
Senate:
- Pat Apple - salary only
- Jeff King - salary only
- Carolyn McGinn - salary only
- Vicki Schmidt - salary and expenses
- Jean Schodorf - salary only
House:
- Richard Billinger - salary only
- Dan Collins - salary and expenses
- David Crum - salary only
- Owen Donohoe - salary and expenses
- James Fawcett - salary only
- Gail Finney - salary only
- Randy Garber - salary only
- Don Hill - salary only
- Don Hineman - salary only
- Carl Holmes - salary and expenses
- Tom Moxley - salary only
- Charlotte O'Hara - salary and expenses
- Virgil Peck - salary only
- Tom Phillips - salary only
- Richard Proehl - salary only
- Charles Roth - salary and expenses
- Vern Swanson - salary only
- Annie Tietze - expenses only
- Kay Wolf - salary and expenses
*Our news partners at KTKA-TV in Topeka contributed to this report
