An Act To Increase the Annual Salary of the Governor and To Increase the Per Diem Meal and Housing Allowances Paid to Legislators
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 1878
Committee: State and Local Government
Sponsors: MARTIN
Amends: 2 MRSA §1, 3 MRSA §2

Legislative Document
No. 1878
H.P. 1310
House of Representatives, March 22, 2018
An Act To Increase the Annual Salary of the Governor and To 
Increase the Per Diem Meal and Housing Allowances Paid to 
Legislators
Reference to the Committee on State and Local Government suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative MARTIN of Eagle Lake.  (GOVERNOR'S BILL)
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  2 MRSA §1, as amended by PL 1993, c. 361, Pt. B, §1, is further amended 
to read:
§1.  Residence; office hours; secretary; salary
The Governor shall have his Governor's official residence at is located in Augusta 
during his the Governor's term of office, and the Governor shall keep his the Governor's 
office at the State House open for the transaction of the business of the State during all 
normal working hours of the State House.
In the absence of the Governor, his the Governor's private secretary shall be in 
attendance and the private secretary shall devote his the entire time to the duties of his the 
private secretary's office.
Until the first Wednesday of January 1987, the Governor shall receive receives an 
annual salary of $35,000.  Beginning the first Wednesday of January 1987, the Governor 
shall receive receives an annual salary of $70,000.  Beginning the first Wednesday of 
January 2019, the Governor receives an annual salary of $150,000.
A former Governor may accept as a personal gift from the State at the end of his that 
Governor's final term the desk and chair used by that Governor as Governor.
Sec. 2.  3 MRSA §2, 4th ¶, as corrected by RR 2001, c. 2, Pt. A, §1, is amended to 
read:
Except as provided in this section, each member of the Senate and House of 
Representatives is entitled to a meal allowance in the amount of $32 $50 and a housing 
allowance in the amount of $38 $75 for each day in attendance at sessions of the 
Legislature and for each day the member occupies overnight accommodations away from 
home either immediately preceding or immediately following attendance at daily sessions 
of the Legislature.  The presiding officers may establish reasonable policies regarding 
allowances for meals and overnight accommodations for the day immediately preceding 
the session, which may include policies regarding whether an allowance is paid, whether 
the full amount or a portion of the statutory allowance is paid and whether receipts are 
required.  In lieu of the meal and housing allowance, each member is entitled to a daily 
meal allowance in the amount of $32 $50 and actual daily mileage allowances in an 
amount up to but not exceeding $38 per day.  Each member of the Senate also receives an 
annual allowance for constituent services in the amount of $2,000, $1,300 in January and 
$700 in the month following adjournment of the regular session.  Each member of the 
House of Representatives also receives an annual allowance for constituent services in the 
amount of $1,500, $1,005 in January and $495 in the month following adjournment of the 
regular session.  Notwithstanding this section, during the first regular session of each 
legislative biennium, a member of the Senate or the House of Representatives may elect 
to receive the first payment of the annual allowance for constituent services in December 
following convening of the Legislature by notifying the Executive Director of the 
Legislative Council in the manner prescribed by the executive director.  The Executive 
Director of the Legislative Council shall inform Legislators of the choice available for 
payment of the allowance for constituent services in the first year of the legislative 
biennium and of any tax implications associated with exercising that choice.
Sec. 3.  3 MRSA §2, 11th ¶, as amended by PL 1989, c. 501, Pt. O, §5; c. 600, Pt. 
B, §§9 and 10; and c. 878, Pt. D, §§14 and 15, is further amended to read:
The President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the floor 
leaders and their assistants and members of a committee, with the approval of the 
President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Representatives as to members of a 
committee, may also meet on days when the Legislature is not in daily session at any 
convenient location within the State. Each member of the Senate and House of 
Representatives shall receive receives $55 for every day's attendance when meetings or 
daily sessions are held, a meal allowance in the amount of $32 $50 and a housing 
allowance whereby actual lodging expenses will be reimbursed at the single-room rate, 
provided that as long as a receipt is submitted to the Executive Director of the Legislative 
Council for each day in attendance at such meetings or daily sessions and for each day 
that member occupies overnight accommodations away from home either immediately 
preceding or immediately following attendance at daily sessions of the Legislature and 
actual daily mileage allowances which shall that must be paid at the same rate paid to 
state employees. In lieu of the meal and housing allowance, each member shall be is 
entitled to a daily meal allowance in the amount of $32 $50 and actual daily mileage 
allowances.
SUMMARY
This bill increases the Governor's salary from $70,000 per year to $150,000 per year 
beginning January 2019.  The bill also increases the Legislative meal and housing 
allowances from $32 and $38 to $50 and $75, respectively.