Oregon senators have returned home following a surprise delay in the ongoing special session. But for taxpayers, the meter is still running.

State law dictates that members of the House and Senate must be paid a $178 per diem when in session — a daily rate they receive even if legislators are not doing any legislating.

When Senate leaders announced Tuesday they were taking a two-week hiatus to allow Sen. Chris Gorsek to recuperate from health issues, they ensured two more weeks of payments.

The per diems add about $75,000 on top of the session’s initial expected cost of roughly $86,000. That’s a bit awkward at a time Democrats are already pushing a bill that will raise costs on Oregonians. The question now is what lawmakers do with the money.

Senate Democrats initially looked into s

See Full Page