DEMOCRAT Lawmaker Skips 488 Votes…Collects $2,629 In Bogus Reimbursements For Traveling To “Work”
Rep. Bettie Cook Scott, another Democrat lawmaker, who represents much of the same district as U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, is making news after it was discovered that the MI lawmaker stopped voting in June 2018, but continued to collect money from the state of MI for her travel expenses to and from the Capitol, even though she never voted.
According to MI Cap Confidential – Bettie Cook Scott stopped voting on bills during her final year as a Democratic legislator, but the Detroit state representative did not stop submitting mileage expenses incurred for trips to Lansing.
Scott received $2,629 in mileage reimbursements in the final six months of her term as an elected state representative, despite not participating in a single roll call vote during that time. The House held 488 recorded roll call votes during those months and passed hundreds of bills. (Scott’s missed votes are listed here with a brief description of each measure.)
All members of the Michigan Legislature are allowed $10,800 per year to cover expenses incurred while “carrying out the responsibilities of state office.” The amount is set by a government office called the State Officers Compensation Commission, as authorized by the state constitution. The expenses are reimbursed without the legislator having to show evidence that any costs were actually incurred, according to the House Business Office.
The business office does check that mileage claims accurately reflect the distance from a lawmaker’s home to the Capitol, but it does not try to confirm whether the trips were actually made.
Scott, who received an annual salary of $71,685, represented Michigan’s 2nd House District, which includes Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Park and parts of Detroit. The third-term representative was barred by term limits from seeking another House term, and in the August primary was defeated in her bid to win a state Senate seat.
The last vote Scott cast was on June 12, on a bill prescribing rules for ocean-going ships in Michigan waters discharging ballast water. On that day, the House adjourned for a summer campaign break and did not cast another vote until September – after Scott has lost her Senate primary election. Although no House votes were held in July and August, records released by the Michigan House of Representative’s business office show Scott was still putting in requests for mileage reimbursements during those two summer months.
From July to December, records show Scott submitted reimbursement requests for a round trip of 210 miles every week until December. In that final month, Scott put in for one trip of 210 miles. In November, MIRS News reported that the Speaker of the House had directed the House Business Office to take over supervision of her office.
Cook has not responded to efforts to contact her. Overall, Scott missed 599 of a possible 1,045 votes in 2018.
https://100percentfedup.com/democrat-lawmaker...g-to-work/
On her website, Cook Scott claims that her “campaign promises aren’t just hype” to get votes, but “a commitment to get results.”
Rep. Bettie Cook Scott, another Democrat lawmaker, who represents much of the same district as U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, is making news after it was discovered that the MI lawmaker stopped voting in June 2018, but continued to collect money from the state of MI for her travel expenses to and from the Capitol, even though she never voted.
According to MI Cap Confidential – Bettie Cook Scott stopped voting on bills during her final year as a Democratic legislator, but the Detroit state representative did not stop submitting mileage expenses incurred for trips to Lansing.
Scott received $2,629 in mileage reimbursements in the final six months of her term as an elected state representative, despite not participating in a single roll call vote during that time. The House held 488 recorded roll call votes during those months and passed hundreds of bills. (Scott’s missed votes are listed here with a brief description of each measure.)
All members of the Michigan Legislature are allowed $10,800 per year to cover expenses incurred while “carrying out the responsibilities of state office.” The amount is set by a government office called the State Officers Compensation Commission, as authorized by the state constitution. The expenses are reimbursed without the legislator having to show evidence that any costs were actually incurred, according to the House Business Office.
The business office does check that mileage claims accurately reflect the distance from a lawmaker’s home to the Capitol, but it does not try to confirm whether the trips were actually made.
Scott, who received an annual salary of $71,685, represented Michigan’s 2nd House District, which includes Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Park and parts of Detroit. The third-term representative was barred by term limits from seeking another House term, and in the August primary was defeated in her bid to win a state Senate seat.
The last vote Scott cast was on June 12, on a bill prescribing rules for ocean-going ships in Michigan waters discharging ballast water. On that day, the House adjourned for a summer campaign break and did not cast another vote until September – after Scott has lost her Senate primary election. Although no House votes were held in July and August, records released by the Michigan House of Representative’s business office show Scott was still putting in requests for mileage reimbursements during those two summer months.
From July to December, records show Scott submitted reimbursement requests for a round trip of 210 miles every week until December. In that final month, Scott put in for one trip of 210 miles. In November, MIRS News reported that the Speaker of the House had directed the House Business Office to take over supervision of her office.
Cook has not responded to efforts to contact her. Overall, Scott missed 599 of a possible 1,045 votes in 2018.
https://100percentfedup.com/democrat-lawmaker...g-to-work/
On her website, Cook Scott claims that her “campaign promises aren’t just hype” to get votes, but “a commitment to get results.”
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