Ripped Off
08-29-2010, 02:52 PM
ALBANY — Some state lawmakers bemoan having to leave home and come to the Capitol, but others can't seem to get enough of the place.
Take Assemblywoman Earlene Hooper, D-Nassau County. In mid-July, when the legislative session was already over, Hooper spent seven days in town, including Saturday and Sunday, on what she deemed on her travel voucher as "legislative duties."
The cost to taxpayers: $1,219.
That included her $171 a day stipend for lodging and food, along with the round-trip train ride to New York City and taxi fees, according to records obtained through a state Freedom of Information request.
In all, Hooper has racked up $341,330 in per diem and travel expenses over the past 10 years, far surpassing any other state lawmaker over that period, a review by Gannett's Albany Bureau found. She's defended the cost in the past, which includes another $20,270 since April 1, saying she often does her work from Albany. She did not return calls seeking comment.
FULL STORY
http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20100828/NEWS01/8280347/-171-a-day-on-top-of-their-pay
Take Assemblywoman Earlene Hooper, D-Nassau County. In mid-July, when the legislative session was already over, Hooper spent seven days in town, including Saturday and Sunday, on what she deemed on her travel voucher as "legislative duties."
The cost to taxpayers: $1,219.
That included her $171 a day stipend for lodging and food, along with the round-trip train ride to New York City and taxi fees, according to records obtained through a state Freedom of Information request.
In all, Hooper has racked up $341,330 in per diem and travel expenses over the past 10 years, far surpassing any other state lawmaker over that period, a review by Gannett's Albany Bureau found. She's defended the cost in the past, which includes another $20,270 since April 1, saying she often does her work from Albany. She did not return calls seeking comment.
FULL STORY
http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20100828/NEWS01/8280347/-171-a-day-on-top-of-their-pay