HARRISBURG (AP) – A new report says the PA Legislature’s spending on lawmaker salaries and other expenses rose last year and its surplus also grew to a record $261 million. The Legislative Audit Advisory Commission’s annual statement of the General Assembly’s financial affairs showed overall spending reached $392 million for the year that ended last June. That’s a jump from $380 million in the previous year’s report and is about equal to spending during the 2019-20 year. The budgetary reserve has nearly tripled from $95 million in the past six years. Lawmakers were in voting session for about 50 days during the review period. The cost to operate the 50-member Senate was $125 million last year, $222 million for the 203-member House and about $45 million for other expenses, including data processing and the Legislative Reference Bureau. PA has the country’s largest full-time Legislature and a large staff, including hundreds of district offices throughout the state.
