(1)(a) The annual salaries of members of the Senate and House of Representatives, payable in 12 equal monthly installments, shall be:

1. The President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives, $25,000 each.

2. All other members of the Senate and House of Representatives, $18,000 each.

(b) Effective July 1, 1986, and each July 1 thereafter, the annual salaries of members of the Senate and House of Representatives shall be adjusted by the average percentage increase in the salaries of state career service employees for the fiscal year just concluded. The Appropriations Committee of each house shall certify to the Office of Legislative Services the average percentage increase in the salaries of state career service employees before July 1 of each year. The Office of Legislative Services shall, as of July 1 of each year, determine the adjusted annual salaries as provided herein.

(2) During the time the Legislature is in session, each legislator shall be paid subsistence at a rate to be established by the President of the Senate for members of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives for members of the House. Each legislator, in addition to subsistence, shall be paid travel expenses in accordance with s. 112.061(7) and (8) for actual travel between the legislator’s home and the seat of government for not more than one round trip per week or fraction of a week during any regular, special, or extraordinary session of the Legislature or for the convening of either the House or Senate for official business.

(3) Members of any standing or select committee or subcommittee thereof shall receive per diem and travel expenses as provided in s. 112.061 from the appropriation for legislative expenses.

(4) Each member of the Legislature shall be entitled to receive a monthly allowance for intradistrict expenses in an amount set annually by the President of the Senate for members of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives for members of the House. In setting the amount, the costs of maintaining a legislative district office or offices that provide an appropriate level of constituent services shall be considered. The procedure for disbursement of the monthly intradistrict expense allowed shall be set from time to time by the Office of Legislative Services, with the approval of the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives or their respective designees. Such expenses shall be a proper expense of the Legislature and shall be disbursed from the appropriation for legislative expense. The expenses provided under this subsection shall not include any travel and per diem reimbursed under subsections (2) and (3) or the rules of either house.

(5)(a) All expenditures of the Senate, House of Representatives, and offices, committees, and divisions of the Legislature shall be made pursuant to and, unless changed as provided below, within the limits of budgetary estimates of expenditure for each fiscal year prepared and submitted prior to June 15 by the administrative head of each such house, office, committee, or division and approved by the President of the Senate as to Senate budgets, by the Speaker of the House of Representatives as to House budgets, and by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives acting jointly as to joint committees and other units of the Legislature. Amounts in the approved estimates of expenditure may be transferred between budgetary units within the Senate, House of Representatives, and joint activities by the original approving authority. Funds may be transferred between items of appropriation to the Legislature when approved by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, provided the total amount appropriated to the legislative branch shall not be altered. The Office of Legislative Services shall formulate and present to each house and office thereof recommendations concerning the form and preparation of such budgets and procedures for their adoption and transmission.

(b) Thirty days prior to the date established by s. 216.023 for submission of legislative budgets by all state agencies to the Governor, all budgetary units required to submit estimates of expenditures as provided by paragraph (a) shall annually submit tentative estimates of their financial needs for the next fiscal year beginning July 1 to the authorities required by that paragraph so that the financial needs of the Legislature for the ensuing fiscal year may be reported to the Governor by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives as required by s. 216.081.

(c) The Office of Legislative Services shall submit on forms prescribed by the Chief Financial Officer requested allotments of appropriations for the fiscal year. It shall be the duty of the Chief Financial Officer to release the funds and authorize the expenditures for the legislative branch to be made from the appropriations on the basis of the requested allotments. However, the aggregate of such allotments shall not exceed the total appropriations available for the fiscal year.

(6) The pay of members of the Senate and House of Representatives shall be only as set by law.

History.—s. 1, ch. 19626, 1939; CGL 1940 Supp. 103(1); s. 1, ch. 20839, 1941; s. 3, ch. 21933, 1943; s. 1, ch. 24999, 1949; s. 1, ch. 26539, 1951; s. 2, ch. 29627, 1955; s. 1, ch. 57-343; s. 1, ch. 57-1988; s. 1, ch. 62-7; s. 2, ch. 63-400; s. 1, ch. 69-3; s. 5, ch. 69-52; s. 8, ch. 69-82; ss. 31, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 1, ch. 73-113; s. 1, ch. 77-88; s. 1, ch. 79-215; s. 1, ch. 79-224; s. 1, ch. 81-99; s. 1, ch. 81-259; s. 8, ch. 85-322; s. 12, ch. 95-147; s. 3, ch. 98-136; s. 1, ch. 99-333; s. 2, ch. 2003-261.