When the pandemic struck, many businesses made plans to allow their employees to work remotely.

Pennsylvania legislators took the same approach, adopting new rules that allowed everyone but party leaders to vote without appearing on the house floor.

Despite the new rules, many legislators continued to travel and stay in Harrisburg, with taxpayers footing the bill.

According to legislative records obtained by SpotlightPA, lawmakers received a total of $726,877 in payments for lodging and meals from the start of the pandemic through the end of 2020.

When legislators travel to conduct official business, they can submit receipts for reimbursement. If they travel at least 50 miles from their home, they can receive a daily per diem. In 2020, the rate was between $178-$200 per day.

Per diems are paid in addition to legislators’ annual salary, which is the third highest of any state in the country.

In the past, per diems have been criticized as being excessive. Last summer, there was an unsuccessful effort to temporarily suspend the practice during the pandemic, and there is discussion it could be introduced again.

“All of us have been asked to make sacrifices during this pandemic, and the General Assembly should be no different,” said Sen. Tim Kearney, D-Delaware, said when the bill was introduced.

Democrats took in more in per diems than their Republican counterparts during the pandemic, but the practice is common on both sides of the aisle.

SpotlightPA found that the two largest recipients, both Western Pa. Democrats, each received over $24,000 in per diems on top of their annual salary.

Legislators representing the Times News area took in a combined total of $34,888 in per diems from the start of the pandemic through the end of 2020.

The amount each legislator received varied greatly. Five of the nine legislators representing parts of the area did not receive per diems at all, according to the records. Some of them instead opted to submit receipts for expenses.

The largest recipient of per diems from the area was Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, who collected $16,157 - more than any other senator.

Browne, whose district includes Slatington and most of Lehigh County, did not respond to requests for comment from Spotlight PA.

In the past, he has said that his position as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee requires him to be in Harrisburg more than other senators, particularly during budget hearings.

Senators on average collected much less in per diems than their counterparts in the house.

Only 17 of the 50 senators collected per diems.

Sen. Mario Scavello, R-Monroe/Northampton, received $3,041 in per diems during the pandemic. Scavello said it was necessary to be in Harrisburg to talk with staff and chairs on other committees.

“Traveling to Harrisburg, for me, is part of my job,” Scavello said.

“You don’t go there for the per diem,” he added.

Scavello said he donates the money he receives in per diems to the community, and annually donates thousands more from his salary to a scholarship program for local high school graduates.

Records showed that senators John Yudichak, I-Carbon/Luzerne and David Argall, R-Schuylkill/Berks, did not collect any per diems during the pandemic.

House members from across the state collected a total of $668,993 in per diems during the pandemic. Two Democrats who hail the western border of the state each took in just over $24,000 - Rep. Mark Longietti, D-Mercer, and Rep. Chris Sainato, D-Lawrence.

State Rep. Jack Rader, R-Monroe, collected $9,279, 18th out of 203 representatives.

Rader said he didn’t miss a voting session throughout the pandemic. He added that he would make the two-hour drive to Harrisburg the Sunday before a Monday session, which increased his lodging expenses.

“I think it’s actually my responsibility to be there. It makes a difference for me, and I think I owe that to my constituents,” Rader said.

State Rep. Doyle Heffley, R-Carbon, collected $6,411 in per diems. Heffley also voted in person throughout the pandemic, except while he was quarantined with COVID-19 in November. Heffley said his position on the appropriations committee requires more nights in Harrisburg, but also gives Carbon County a larger voice in Harrisburg.

“I spent a lot of time in Harrisburg and that is what it goes for. I certainly don’t want to take advantage of it. It’s not to make money or anything like that,” he said.

Heffley said he tries to limit his expenses as much as possible. He even has a hot dog roller in his office and sandwiches in his refrigerator.

Records showed that Rep. Zachary Mako, R-Lehigh/Northampton, Rep. Rosemary Brown, R-Monroe, and Rep. Jerry Knowles, R-Schuylkill, did not receive per diems.

The state house adopted new rules on March 16 to allow legislators to vote without coming to the house floor. The senate already had similar rules. But members couldn’t participate in debates unless they attended in person.

The rule accomplished its goal of reducing the size of gatherings on the house floor. Some legislators never stopped attending sessions, mostly Republicans.

Still Democrats took in more in per diems, $401,069 to $267,925.

All but nine states offer their state legislators some kind of per diem.

Efforts in the past to change Pennsylvania’s legislature from a per diem payment to reimbursement for specific expenses have failed. A former Republican legislator, Dan Truitt, made multiple unsuccessful attempts to end the practice.

Truitt told SpotlightPA that there were many opportunities for legislators to receive free meals, and that a per diem seemed excessive.

“It started feeling really creepy to me, all the different ways people were maximizing the amount of money going into their pockets at taxpayer expense,” Truitt told SpotlightPA.

In total, 33 senators and 76 representatives did not appear in the per diem records which Spotlight PA obtained through a records request. It is likely that they opted to submit receipts for expenses.

The total in reimbursements during the pandemic was $115,747 - much less than the amount paid out in per diems.

Knowles said he did take advantage of voting remotely. He also lives close enough to the capitol to drive home each day.

“When I go down there, I charge mileage. When I vote remotely, I have the luxury of not having to drive my car, so I don’t need to be concerned about that,” Knowles said.

Information from a chart through SpotlightPA and an article by Angela Couloumbis were used in this report.