NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee lawmakers can look forward to a nearly $700 increase in their annual salaries and $10 bump in their daily allowance for expenses.
The Knoxville News Sentinel reports (http://bit.ly/1weWKD5) that the legislators' base pay will increase to $20,884 under a state law that ties their salaries to state employee compensation over the last two years.
State workers got no raise this year, but a 2013 increase caused lawmaker salaries to go up by $681.
Members of the state House and Senate will receive $198 in daily lodging and dining allowances in 2015, though they still won't have to submit proof that they spent it all on hotels or restaurants.
Under a new state law, lawmakers living within 50 miles of the Capitol will no longer be eligible for the $132 lodging portion.