3-24-21 wi lawmakers claim more than a half million dollars in expenses during pandemic

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin legislators claimed more than $555,000 for traveling to and working in Madison in 2020, even though they never convened for a floor session during the last eight months of a year marked by the coronavirus pandemic. The Senate and Assembly chief clerks released records Tuesday that show legislators claimed $555,159 in per diem expenses. That’s on top of their $53,000 annual salaries. The Legislature adjourned its two-year session just before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in March 2020. Lawmakers convened in April to pass a COVID relief bill but took the rest of the year off to campaign. Legislators claimed about $800,000 in expenses in 2018, their last campaign year before 2020.