This deserves to be circulated in case you missed it.

This is yet another reason the Public Records law needs to be amended, as well as publicly posting this information.

Reps cash in on commute

Monday, March 25, 2013
By: Chris Cassidy

Some state reps continue to cash in on a lucrative perk their constituents don’t get — hefty per diem reimbursements that pay them thousands of dollars simply for commuting to the State House in an unchecked honor system.

Leading the list in 2011 is state Rep. John Binienda (D-Worcester), who put in for 241 days and was reimbursed $8,676. Others include state Rep. Ted Speliotis (D-Danvers), whose 237 days garnered $4,266, and former state Rep. Martha Walz, who claimed 220 days for $2,200. State Reps. John Fresolo, (D-Worcester), Alice Peisch (D-Wellesley) and Paul Donato (D-Medford) all claimed 218 days. Fresolo collected $7,848, Peisch took in $3,924, and Donato put in for $2,180, state records indicate.

Sixty-two lawmakers chose not to file for the oft-criticized benefit — which ranges from $10 a day for Boston reps, to as much as $100 for more far-flung reps.

“I just don’t think it’s right,” said state Rep. Shaunna O’Connell (R-Taunton), who doesn’t claim the perk. “Most people don’t get paid travel expenses to drive to work.”

“A lot of my constituents are going without raises. Some are not working,” state Rep. Tom Golden (D-Lowell) said about his decision to forego the perk. “It’s just something I can do, and I do it.”

The per-diem-dipping lawmakers’ claims of 200-plus commutes far exceeded the House’s 119 formal sessions in 2011, the last year for which complete records are available. Many are showing similar numbers for 2012, but not all have filed.

“It’s a no-brainer that there should be some method of making sure they’re on the job,” said David Tuerck of the Beacon Hill Institute. “A fault with the system would be that there isn’t any careful record-keeping on this.”

Gov. Deval Patrick’s office has refused to release parking records to the Herald, which could help prove whether legislators are present on days when votes aren’t held.

Fresolo claimed the most days for any rank-and-file member without a leadership post. He did not return phone calls yesterday.

Binienda defended his own frequent driving schedule, saying he’s needed on Beacon Hill: “It’s because I’m the chairman of the Rules Committee. Every single resolution has to go before me, every sick leave bank has to go before me, all late files.”

Donato said it often falls to him to run sessions when Speaker Robert A. DeLeo — who doesn’t claim the benefit — is not present.

Walz, who is no longer in office, said because the State House is in her district and her State House office was her district office, so she claimed her $10 per diem every day she went to work. Speliotis and Peisch could not be reached for comment late yesterday.

A total of 149 reps and senators took 2011 per diems, claiming an average of 119 travel days for an average $3,611 per diem. Senators generally claimed fewer trips to Beacon Hill than their House counterparts. State Sen. Ben Downing (D-Pittsfield) led the pack with $9,360 but with a $90 per day allotment, it represents just 104 trips — for a round-trip distance of more than 260 miles per trip.

http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_politics/2013/03/reps_cash_in_on_commute