Per diems driving special session costs

The cost to taxpayers of going past the 90-day legislative session set by state law is roughly $1 million – and rising. However, lawmakers can legally have a regular session of 120 days — as they did this year — because it is written into the state Constitution.
The additional costs are driven by the daily allowances that lawmakers receive for each day of the extra legislative time – known as a “per diem” – and the additional cost of paying their aides&r