Noted In The News: Thrifty James Lankford

From The Topeka Journal-Capital ~ Spending on personnel by each member of Kansas delegation in the six-month period fell below the average in the 435-member House. Calculations didn't include office rental, travel allowances and other typical business costs paid by the federal government. Members of Congress have leeway in determining how to disburse office budgets.

Daimon Eklund, editor of LegiStorm, said the average salary expenditure for staff was $464,000 at the end of the year's second quarter.

The biggest spender was Rep. Jerry Nadler, a New York Democrat, who dropped $657,000. The penny-pincher was Rep. Joe Walsh, an Illinois Republican elected in 2010 and a Tea Party favorite, with $257,000 in staff compensation.

In states bordering Kansas, there are five freshmen House members experiencing challenges similar to first-year members Huelskamp, Yoder and Pompeo.

The six-month personnel costs among this comparison group ranged from a low of $366,000 for Rep. James Lankford, R-Okla., to a high of $482,000 by Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Colo.

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