Wisconsin Assembly members make more, while working less

La Crosse state rep. Jill Billings didn’t collect the most in daily travel allowance in the state Assembly for last year. But she was pretty close.

New numbers showed per diem pay for the whole Assembly wound up at $1.3 million for 2017. That’s 12 percent higher than during the last time a two-year budget was debated in 2015 — even though Assembly members spent less time in Madison last year.

Per diem pay was recently increased to $157 per day for most lawmakers, which goes on top of their $50,950 annual salary.

Billings collected the fifth most in per diem pay in the Assembly last year: 118 days at $14,813. Onalaska state rep. Steve Doyle collected considerably less at $10,891.

The top lawmaker collected nearly $20,000 on top of his annual $50,950 paycheck.