SB18: SB18 State Officials; daily expense accounts; revise provisions

Members of the Georgia General Assembly can currently be reimbursed for expenses like lodging, meals, postage, supplies, and transportation tied to their legislative duties, up to a yearly cap set in state law (O.C.G.A. § 45-7-4). Senators are currently capped at $7,000 per year and representatives at $11,000 per year. This bill rewrites that section to raise the senators' cap to $33,000 per year, more than four times the current amount, while keeping the representatives' cap at $11,000. The bill does not change what counts as a reimbursable expense or the process for submitting expense vouchers to the legislative fiscal office; it only changes the dollar limit for senators. All other existing rules, such as the ban on reimbursing postage for political newsletters and the requirement for certified vouchers, remain in place.

• Raises the annual cap on reimbursable expenses for state senators from $7,000 to $33,000, while leaving the House cap at $11,000.
• Leaves unchanged the list of reimbursable expense categories, including lodging, meals, postage, supplies, telecommunications, and transportation.
• Keeps the existing rule barring reimbursement for lodging or meals on any day a member already receives the daily expense allowance.
• Preserves the existing voucher and certification process members must follow with the legislative fiscal office to claim reimbursement.
• Repeals any other Georgia laws that conflict with this change.

State senators in the Georgia General Assembly, whose annual expense reimbursement cap would rise sharply, and by comparison state representatives, whose cap stays the same. The legislative fiscal office and the Legislative Services Committee, which process and set rules for these reimbursement vouchers, are also affected.

If enacted, senators could claim substantially more in reimbursed expenses each year for costs tied to their legislative work, potentially increasing state spending on legislative operations. The gap between what senators and representatives can claim for the same categories of expenses would widen considerably.

• Section 1 amends subparagraph (a)(22)(C) of O.C.G.A. § 45-7-4, which governs daily expense accounts for General Assembly members.
• The reimbursement cap for senators increases from $7,000.00 to $33,000.00 per year; the representative cap remains $11,000.00 per year.
• Reimbursable purposes remain limited to lodging, meals, per diem differential, postage, personal services, printing, rents, supplies, telecommunications, transportation, utilities, and equipment purchases.
• Vouchers must still be submitted to the legislative fiscal office with supporting documentation and a certification of accuracy under existing rules.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2025-01-17Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2025-01-16Senate Hopper (Senate)

• John Albers (R, SD-056)Primary sponsor
• Carden Summers (R, SD-013)
• Mike Hodges (R, SD-003)
• Chuck Hufstetler (R, SD-052)
• Kay Kirkpatrick (R, SD-032)
• Max Burns (R, SD-023)
• Shawn Still (R, SD-048)
• Marty Harbin (R, SD-016)
• Josh McLaurin (D, SD-014)
• Elena Parent (D, SD-044)
• Jason Esteves (D, SD-035)
• Nan Orrock (D, SD-036)
• Billy Hickman (R, SD-004)

• state legislature pay and expenses
• government spending
• legislative reimbursements
• Georgia Senate