Report: Miss. legislative expenses top $21M

JACKSON — A state auditor’s report shows Mississippi spent more than $21 million in salaries and expenses for the Legislature over a 13-month period ending in June.

The money includes total expenses for state lawmakers, legislative pages, assistants and operating expenses. Last year, Mississippi spent more than $19 million in legislative expenses.

The auditor’s 2008 report covered one year.

The 2009 report shows that lawmakers’ salaries and travel expenses totaled more than $8.8 million for an off-and-on regular session that was extended for several months because of the difficulty balancing the budget.

Their salaries and travel expenses cost about $1 million more than in the 2008 report.