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Palin Billed State to Live at Home
Gov. charged per diem home fee, and family got $43K in travel expenses
By Peter Fearon
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Posted Sep 9, 08 3:14 AM CDT
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(Newser)
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Sarah Palin charged the state of Alaska nearly $17,000 in per diem fees for 312 nights she spent at her Wasilla home, even though she had moved with her family to the state capitol of Juneau before the legislative session last year, reports the Washington Post. The state has also ponied up $43,000 in travel expenses for Palin's husband and kids since she took office 19 months ago.
Former Alaska governor Tony Knowles barred his staff from charging per diems for staying home. "If they were ever in their house they were not to get a per diem because, clearly, it looks like a scam—you pay yourself to live at home," he said. "And the policy was not to reimburse for family travel on commercial airlines, because there is no public benefit to schlepping kids around the state."