House of Delegates members will have to give up coffee and manpower, under cost-cutting measures taken by Speaker of the House William J. Howell, R-Stafford.
Howell said Wednesday that he has wrung $1 million in cost savings out of the House budget for the fiscal year ending next June 30. That is on top of $1.1 million in savings agreed to earlier in the year, he said.
Howell said Virginia now ranks 46th in the nation in per capita spending on its legislature. In 2003, it ranked 40th.
The cost-cutting steps include elimination of funding for coffee for House members and staff in the General Assembly Building and funding for cell phone service used by the Capitol tour guides.
Howell also eliminated a full-time equivalent position and two employee positions for the winter legislative session, as well as funding for 10 House interns.
Rather than a staffed call center, the constituent viewpoint program will be a page on the General Assembly's Web site.
The first evident cost-cutting step was taken two weeks ago when the orientation for new delegates was reduced from 2½ days to one day, to save on overnight hotel costs and meal expenses for the 20 new members.
After the regular session ends in March, interim meetings will be scheduled on the same day so members can attend more than one meeting on the same day to reduce travel and compensation costs.
"I believe current difficulties offer an opportunity for us, as taxpayers' elected representatives, to be more creative in how we conduct the people's business and more innovative in delivering results," Howell said.
Howell said about $4.8 million in cost savings have been returned by the House to the state budget since 2003.
The House clerk's staff has been reduced by six employees since 2003. The General Assembly operates on a two-year budget of about $64 million, with the larger House receiving about $21 million a year.
Delegates are paid $17,640 a year, while senators get $18,000 a year. The pay hasn't been raised for 21 years, although the office expense allowance and per diem expense payments have gone up.
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