Sen. Fred Smith was paid for two weeks he was absent.
According to state records, the Clayton Republican missed 17 days this past session, but was paid for all but three of them. At $104 per day, Smith earned $1,456 on days he was not in the legislature.
His campaign's chief of staff, Jonathan Hill, said the payments were a clerical error. He said that Smith, a millionaire businessman, has had a policy since taking office in 2003 of not receiving his per diem on days he is absent.
"Any time he was not there, we wanted him not to be reimbursed," he said.
Joe Goettee, the legislature's payroll administrator, said its policy is to automatically cut lawmakers a check unless they ask not to be paid for a specific day. His records showed Smith waived his per diem on June 28, June 29 and July 5.
Hill said Smith would repay any money received for days he is absent. He said the Republican gubernatorial candidate has given the money away to charities and political causes in his district.
Previously: Smith missed votes on 17 days of the session.
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Re: Smith paid for absences
One more note of concern (I have checked below information, as provided in a previous Under the Dome blog, and determined it to be true and factual.)
Re: Sen. Smith's defense
Submitted by kimkim on August 13, 2007 - 2:16pm.
Regarding some of the votes that Senator Fred Smith missed
". . .
A few were high profile decisions, however. Smith missed votes to change billboard setbacks, divest state money from Sudan, allow judges to carry handguns and create a pilot program for publicly financed campaigns.
Two bills tie into his gubernatorial campaign theme of stopping illegal immigration. Smith missed votes on a bill that would help jailers determine the legal status of prisoners, and another that would require fingerprinting of drunk drivers who don't have valid ID.
He also missed a vote that ties to his theme of Democratic corruption. That bill will limit legal defense funds like the one created for disgraced former House Speaker Jim Black."