By Mix Hilkowitz
Indiana Capital Chronicle
Indiana’s nine U.S. House members received a combined $199,332 in reimbursements for lodging, meals and incidentals in 2023 as part of a new program that allows federal lawmakers to recoup expenses without providing receipts.
The U.S. House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress approved the program in 2022. It is considered an alternative to representatives giving themselves a raise and aims to encourage more people to run for office, according to the committee’s December 2022 report. House members receive a base salary of $174,000.
The committee also said in its report that there should be “reasonable reimbursement limits,” ethics requirements and that the process should be transparent to the public, but did not specify how to achieve these goals.
The reimbursements aim to help representatives cover the costs of living and maintaining households in both their home district and in D.C. However, the program does not require members to keep and submit receipts of the specific expenses, so it is unclear exactly when the expenses occurred and what they covered.
Reimbursements to Indiana’s representatives
According to a Washington Post database of the 2023 reimbursements, the 328 House of Representatives members who reported reimbursements received $5.8 million under the program. Representatives received an average reimbursement around $18,000.
Indiana Rep. Jim Baird, R-4th, received the third highest reimbursement — $41,549 — of any member of the House. Most of this reimbursement, $29,875, was allocated for lodging, while the remaining $11,674 covered meals and incidentals.
Baird’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment on these reimbursements.
Baird spent $9,790 more than the next highest-reimbursed Indiana representative, Republican Larry Bucshon, R-8th, who received a total of $31,759. Bucshon received almost $14,000 more than the typical reimbursement. The next highest Indiana spenders — Republicans Victoria Spartz (R-5th) and Greg Pence (R-6th), and Democrat André Carson (D-7th) — all received at least $9,000 more than the average reimbursement.
Caroline Ellert, a spokesperson for Carson, said in a statement to the Indiana Capital Chronicle the reimbursement program was a recommendation to “improve and strengthen the House.”
“Congressman Carson continues to support a legislative branch that is effective, efficient, and transparent,” Ellert said.
According to the Post’s database, 107 representatives reported $0 in reimbursements under the program. Rep. Rudy Yakym, R-2nd, received the lowest reimbursement of the Indiana representatives, around $4,000 including $2,677 for loding.
Representatives Jim Banks, R-3rd, received $13,941 in lodging and $862 in meals; Erin Houchin, R-9th, received $10,341 for lodging and $1,984 for meals; and Frank Mrvan, D-1st, received $10,320 in lodging and $1,505 for meals. The typical reimbursement was $18,000.
Even though they are not required to submit receipts, representatives can still face criminal prosecution for lying about expenses under the program.