On June 7, Governor Doug Ducey finally vetoed SB1558, which would have tripled the per diem compensation for Arizona legislators. Arizona’s legislators passed the bill on May 27 during the waning hours of the 2019 legislative session.
As noted by Republican leader, former Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas, SB1558 would have increased the legislators’ “per diem compensation from $30/day to $92.50/day for those within Maricopa County; from $60/day to $185/day for those outside Maricopa (Capital Times – May 27, 2019). If applied to what we know about this session the per diem would increase from $4.3K to $11.8K for Maricopa legislators and from $7.5K to $23.6 for those outside.”
Related article: Open Letter to Governor Ducey: Legislators’ Pay Raise
Legislators avoided the requirement that voters approve salary increases by increasing the “per diem,” which is defined as a daily expense allowance.
Ducey’s veto letter:
Today I vetoed SB 1558.
I respect the legislators’ role as a separate and co-equal branch of government. I also value the work and time commitment that our state lawmakers dedicate to appropriately represent the people who elected them – that includes legislators on both sides of the aisle.
Arizona is the sixth largest state in terms of land area. So for rural legislators and those representing areas outside Maricopa County, there’s a strong case to be made for ensuring we are appropriately recognizing what is required for them to be here at the state Capitol in Phoenix during session. Any change in the per diem rate should be prospective, and applied to the next Legislature, which will be sworn in on January 11, 2021, following the 2020 election.
I am open to working with legislators on such a change next session.
Douglas A. Ducey
Governor
State of Arizona
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