Add taxpayer-subsidized housing to the welfare that legislators receive.

I just got the updated list of legislators fortunate enough to get handy housing in the Capitol Hill Building, the state-owned building managed by the secretary of state’s office.

Advertisement

(No, in response to a caller, a sister of a former legislator is not on the list of tenants.)

The 49 legislators pay from $320 to $370 a month for Little Rock pied-a-terres within walking distance of their office. I believe that includes utilities, but I’m checking and also asking if it includes WiFi and/or cable TV.

Advertisement

Legislators also draw $150 daily per diem  five days a week during the session, whether the legislature is meeting or not. They also draw mileage reimbursement at roughly 15 cents a mile more than state employees. They also just got a 150 percent pay raise to just under $40,000.

Realestate.com has three one-bedroom listings in Little Rock currently, renting for just under $600 a month, but those prices don’t include utilities.

Advertisement

Remember this when legislators vote to exempt working poor from income tax cuts; when they cut unemployment benefits; when they vote to drug test welfare recipients; when they cut public services, and when they groan about the cost of big government.

There’s plenty of free parking for legislators, too. Also: Lobbyists are allowed to use the building for free to provide free meals and drinks to legislators at the “planned events” that legislators legalized despite the November-approved constitutional amendment whose name said it was intended to ban gifts from lobbyists to legislators.

Advertisement

UPDATE: The rent includes all utilities, including cable TV. WiFi is also provided by the Bureau of Legislative Research. I haven’t been able to get an answer to my question about the process for determining who gets spaces in the building.

Invest in the future of great journalism in Arkansas

Join the ranks of the 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts who know that the Arkansas Times is the go-to source for tough, determined, and feisty journalism that holds the powerful accountable. For 50 years, our progressive, alternative newspaper in Little Rock has been on the front lines of the fight for truth, and with your support, we can do even more. By subscribing or donating to the Arkansas Times, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be helping us hire more writers and expand our coverage. Don't miss out on the opportunity to make a difference with your subscription or donation to the Arkansas Times today.

Previous article ‘Art. Race. Identity.’: Herman to talk about exhibition Next article LRSD budget committee discusses health insurance cuts, changes to school day