An Act to Amend the Laws Regarding Legislative Reimbursement
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1968
Committee: State and Local Government
Sponsors: MOONEN
Amends: 3 MRSA §2

Legislative Document
No. 1968
H.P. 1312
House of Representatives, May 13, 2025
An Act to Amend the Laws Regarding Legislative Reimbursement
Reference to the Committee on State and Local Government suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative MOONEN of Portland.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  3 MRSA §2, 4th ¶, as amended by PL 2023, c. 2, §3, is further amended to 
read:
Except as provided in this section, each member of the Senate and House of 
Representatives is entitled to the travel-related expenses of a meal allowance in the amount 
of $50 set by the Legislative Council and a housing allowance in the amount of $70 set by 
the Legislative Council 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 set by the Legislative Council 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 $50 set by the Legislative Council and 
actual daily mileage.  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.  To set the amount of an allowance 
under this paragraph, at least 6 members of the Legislative Council must vote in favor of 
the allowance at the beginning of the first regular session of a legislative biennium.  The 
amount of an allowance set by the Legislative Council under this paragraph may not exceed 
the regular federal per diem rate for lodging, meals and incidental expenses applicable to 
that allowance.
Sec. 2.  3 MRSA §2, 11th ¶, as amended by PL 2023, c. 2, §5, 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 is 
entitled to receive $55 for every day's attendance when meetings or daily sessions are held 
and the travel-related expenses of a meal allowance in the amount of $50 set by the 
Legislative Council and a housing allowance whereby actual lodging expenses will be 
reimbursed at the single-room rate, 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 at the rate of 55¢ per mile or the 
federal standard mileage rate, whichever is lower, for travel from that Legislator's place of 
abode, the mileage to be determined by the most reasonable direct route. In lieu of the meal 
and housing allowance, each member shall be is entitled to a daily meal allowance in the 
amount of $50 set by the Legislative Council and actual daily mileage allowances.  To set 
the amount of an allowance under this paragraph, at least 6 members of the Legislative 
Council must vote in favor of the allowance at the beginning of the first regular session of 
a legislative biennium.  The amount of an allowance set by the Legislative Council under 
this paragraph may not exceed the regular federal per diem rate for lodging, meals and 
incidental expenses applicable to that allowance.
Sec. 3.  3 MRSA §2, 13th ¶, as amended by PL 1989, c. 501, Pt. O, §6; c. 600, Pt. 
B, §§9 and 10; and c. 878, Pt. D, §§14 and 15, is further amended to read:
If a member of the Legislature dies or otherwise vacates the office, the successor is 
entitled to a salary from the date of seating, computed as follows: two hundred ten dollars 
per week times the number of weeks remaining in the calendar year if the vacancy occurs 
in the first year and $150 per week for the number of weeks remaining in the calendar year 
if the vacancy occurs in the 2nd year equal to the salary that would have been afforded to 
the successor had the successor been seated at the start of the biennium, except that the 
salary must be prorated from the date the successor is sworn into office.
SUMMARY
This bill amends the provisions of law governing legislative compensation.  The bill 
removes specific dollar amounts that Legislators may be reimbursed for meal allowances, 
travel-related expenses of a meal allowance and housing allowances and instead provides 
that the rate of these allowances must be set by the Legislative Council.  These changes 
apply to allowances for days the Legislature is in session and for days the Legislature is 
not in session.  The bill clarifies that to set the amount of the allowances, at least 6 members 
of the Legislative Council must vote in favor of the allowance at the beginning of the first 
regular session in a legislative biennium.  The amount of an allowance set by the Legislative 
Council may not exceed the regular federal per diem rate for lodging, meals and incidental 
expenses applicable to that allowance. 
The bill clarifies that for the purposes of allowances for mileage on days that the 
Legislature is not in session, daily mileage is calculated from the Legislator's place of 
abode, determined by the most reasonable direct route. 
The bill amends the provision governing the salary owed to a person who replaces a 
member of the Legislature who has died or otherwise vacated the office.  The bill provides 
that the successor is entitled to a salary from the date the successor is seated equal to the 
salary that would have been afforded to the successor had the successor been seated at the 
start of the biennium, except that the salary must be prorated from the date the successor is 
sworn into office.