New Congressional Per Diem: Travel Reimbursement Tied Directly to Casting Every Single Vote

This bill sets up a brand-new way for Members of Congress to get reimbursed for travel expenses when they come to Washington D.C. specifically to cast votes. Essentially, it creates a dedicated per diem allowance for lodging, meals, and incidentals, but only for those members who don't already live in the Washington Metropolitan Area (D.C., parts of Virginia, and Maryland). The key takeaway? This isn’t a raise, but it is a new, dedicated, and non-taxable expense account for official travel, starting with the 119th Congress.

The Fine Print on Reimbursement: No Vote, No Pay

If you’re traveling in for a vote, the bill ties your lodging reimbursement to a very specific requirement: you only get the money for a given day if your chamber holds votes and you personally show up to cast a vote on every single roll call held that day. Think of it like a loyalty program for attendance—miss one vote, and you lose the lodging allowance for the entire day. The meal and incidental expense allowance is a little more flexible; you get it for the lodging day, plus the travel days immediately before and after the voting session. This system is designed to prevent "double-dipping"—if a member is already getting those specific costs covered under their existing office expense accounts (like the MRA), they can't claim this new per diem.

Non-Taxable Income and GSA Rates

One provision that matters significantly is the tax status. The bill explicitly requires that these new per diem payments be treated as non-taxable income for Federal, State, and local taxes. This is a considerable benefit, as it means the full value of the reimbursement goes directly to the member without being chipped away by taxes. The amounts themselves won't be arbitrary; they must align with the standard General Services Administration (GSA) rates used for all federal employees traveling on official business. This keeps the rate grounded in established federal travel policy, which is a good check on runaway spending.

Who Sets the Rules, and Why It Matters

This legislation hands the reins over to the House Administration Committee and the Senate Rules and Administration Committee. They are tasked with writing the specific rules for how this new per diem system will be implemented. Critically, these new regulations will replace any older travel expense rules those committees currently have in place. This shift in authority means those committees have significant power to define the details, like how a member proves their "designated residence" outside the D.C. area, or how they verify they cast every vote. For regular taxpayers, the main impact here is the creation of a new, non-taxable mechanism for reimbursing congressional travel, which adds a layer of complexity to government operations, even if the underlying amounts are standardized by GSA rates.