The Texas Ethics Commission has tabled a proposed increase in lawmakers’ daily per diem that would have also raised the amount lobbyists could spend on legislators without identifying them by name.
Commissioners voted Wednesday to table the proposed increase without discussion.
The proposal would have raised the legislative per diem from $221 to $290.40 beginning next year.
Under state law, lobbyists must identify recipients when they spend more than 60 percent of the legislative per diem in a single day on food and beverages, transportation, lodging, or entertainment.
Currently, that threshold is $132.60 per lobbyist, per day. The proposed increase would have raised it to $174.24.
Because the threshold applies separately to each lobbyist, multiple lobbyists can split the cost of an expense without triggering detailed disclosure. For example, under the proposed rate, two lobbyists could have each spent $174 on the same lawmaker, covering a $348 meal without either being required to identify the recipient by name.
With the proposal tabled, lobbyists can still spend up to $132.60 each on a lawmaker before triggering the detailed disclosure requirement. Two lobbyists could therefore split a meal costing up to $265.20 without identifying the recipient by name.
The higher per diem would have also provided lawmakers with an additional $9,716 during a regular 140-day legislative session, increasing their regular-session per diem from $30,940 to $40,656.
With the proposal tabled, the legislative per diem remains at $221, meaning the lobbyist detailed-disclosure threshold also remains at $132.60.
Members of the Texas Ethics Commission are appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor, and House speaker—though all of the appointees must be made from lists provided by the two parties’ caucuses in each chamber.
