Wisconsin Code § 13.123

Legislators’ expenses
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(1) IN-SESSION EXPENSES.
(a) 1. Any member of the legislature who has signified, by affidavit filed with the department of administration, the necessity of
establishing a temporary residence at the state capital for the period of any regular or special legislative session shall be entitled
to an allowance for expenses incurred for food and lodging for
each day that he or she is in Madison on legislative business, but
not including any Saturday or Sunday unless the legislator is in
actual attendance on such day at a session of the legislature or a
meeting of a standing committee of which the legislator is a
member. The amount of the allowance for each biennial session
shall be 90 percent of the per diem rate for travel for federal government business within the city of Madison, as established by
the federal general services administration. For the purpose of
determining the amount of the allowance, the administrator of the
division of personnel management in the department of administration shall certify to the chief clerk of each house the federal per
diem rate in effect on December 1, or the first business day thereafter if December 1 is not a business day, in each even-numbered
year. Each legislator shall file an affidavit with the chief clerk of
his or her house certifying the specific dollar amount within the
authorized allowance the member wishes to receive. Such affidavit, when filed, shall remain in effect for the biennial session.
2. Any legislator may, if the legislator chooses not to establish a temporary residence at the state capital, claim one-half of
the allowance under subd. 1. for each of the days authorized
thereunder.
(b) No allowance shall be paid under this subsection for any
day during a recess of the legislature for 30 days or more unless
so provided by joint resolution adopted by both houses of the
legislature.
(c) Each member shall certify to the chief clerk of the house in
which the member serves, as promptly as may be following the
1st of each month, the number of days during the previous calendar month on which the member was in Madison on legislative
business and for which the member seeks the allowance provided
by this subsection. Such allowances shall be paid from the appropriation under s. 20.765 (1) (a) or (b) within one week after each
calendar month; and shall be paid, upon the filing with the department of administration, the chief clerk’s affidavit stating the
number of days in Madison on legislative business for all members of the chief clerk’s house.
(2) INTERIM EXPENSES. From the appropriation under s.
20.765 (1) (a) or (b), each member of the legislature shall be entitled to an expense allowance for postage and clerical assistance
for each full calendar month during which the legislature is in actual session 3 days or less. No allowance is payable to a representative to the assembly unless the speaker of the assembly files
with the chief clerk of the assembly a written authorization for
the allowance to be paid. No allowance is payable to a senator un-

less the majority leader of the senate files with the chief clerk of
the senate a written authorization for the allowance to be paid.
An authorization filed under this subsection becomes effective
for the month in which it is filed and continues in effect through
the month in which the speaker of the assembly or the majority
leader of the senate files a written revocation of the authorization
with the chief clerk of the appropriate house. The rate of such allowance shall be as follows:
(a) For representatives to the assembly such expense allowance shall be at the rate of $25 per month.
(b) For senators such expense allowance shall be at the rate of
$75 per month.
(3) ATTENDANCE AT MEETINGS. (a) Any senator authorized
by the committee on senate organization to attend a meeting outside the state capital, any representative to the assembly authorized by the committee on assembly organization to attend an
out-of-state meeting or authorized by the speaker to attend a
meeting within this state outside the state capital, and all members of the legislature required by law, legislative rule, resolution
or joint resolution to attend such meetings, shall be paid no additional compensation for such services but shall be reimbursed for
actual and necessary expenses from the appropriation under s.
20.765 (1) (a) or (b), but no legislator may be reimbursed under
this subsection for expenses on any day for which the legislator
submits a claim under sub. (1).
(b) 1. Notwithstanding par. (a), no member of the legislature
may be reimbursed for attendance at any meeting held outside
this state, other than a meeting of the legislature, a legislative
committee, committee of the joint legislative council or a statutory body of which the person is a duly constituted member, after
the chief clerk of the member’s house determines one of the
following:
a. After the day of the partisan primary, that the member either has not filed nomination papers for reelection or election to
another legislative seat or has sought a party nomination for a legislative seat but it is generally acknowledged that the member has
not won nomination.
b. After the day of the general election, that it is generally acknowledged that the member has not been elected to a legislative
seat for the succeeding session.
2. In making the determination under subd. 1., the chief clerk
is bound by the determination of the chairperson of the elections
commission or the chairperson’s designee if such determination
has been issued.
(c) Paragraph (b) may not be construed to affect eligibility for
any allowance authorized under sub. (1) or (2).

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