Opinion ID: 1826701
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: travel expense

Text: Plaintiff claims that the expense reimbursement policy is in contravention of article III, § 7, because it permits reimbursement for one round trip per week for those legislators residing more than 50 miles from the state capitol, and for those living within the 50-mile radius, the policy provides a daily mileage for those days when the Legislature is in session. Article III, § 7, provides in part: In addition to his or her salary, each member shall receive an amount equal to his or her actual expenses in traveling by the most usual route once to and returning from each regular or special session of the Legislature.  (Emphasis supplied.) Some courts with similar constitutional provisions have invalidated legislative efforts to reimburse legislators for mileage on the basis that travel expenses are personal expenses as distinguished from legislative expenses. Those courts have defined the former as those expenses incurred by a legislator in order to be present at the place of meeting, and the latter as those expenses necessary for the legislator to perform his duty as a legislator. See, Opinion of the Justices, 152 Me. 302, 140 A.2d 762 (1957); Ferris v. Aten, 318 Mich. 528, 28 N.W.2d 899 (1947); Gallarno v. Long, 214 Iowa 805, 243 N.W. 719 (1932). In State ex rel. Douglas v. Beermann, 216 Neb. 849, 347 N.W.2d 297 (1984), we rejected this line of reasoning by holding that a legislator must receive his salary and actual expenses in traveling by the most usual route once to and returning from each regular or special session of the Legislature, and, in addition, may receive reimbursement for other expenses incurred in connection with the performance of his duties. The facts of Beermann demonstrate that this court considered it constitutionally permissible for legislators to receive reimbursement for all expenses incurred in connection with the performance of their duties, including mileage for round trips made from the legislator's residence to the state capitol. Beermann was decided on stipulated facts. Sen. Ernie Chambers filed five separate claims for mileage and meals reimbursement. Three of the claims were for 10 round trips made between Omaha and Lincoln for the same special session he had attended. The last two were for round trips made for two separate regular sessions. This court disagreed with the district court's finding that under the provisions of article III, § 7, Senator Chambers was entitled only to reimbursement of mileage expenses incurred for one round trip between Omaha and Lincoln for each of the three sessions he attended.