Ohio House to reimburse commuting members for hotel stays

COLUMBUS, Ohio – State representatives in Ohio who live at least 60 miles from the Statehouse are now eligible for a nightly hotel reimbursement.

Cleveland.com reports the new Ohio House policy was announced internally last week. It allows eligible members to be reimbursed up to $65 a night for their hotel stays in Columbus.

Lawmakers must meet the mileage requirement, attend a committee hearing or voting session the day of or night before their stay and submit dated receipts to qualify.

A spokeswoman for Republican Speaker Larry Householder said in an email the new policy reflects a change in federal law, under which House members may no longer deduct lodging costs from their federal taxes.

State senators remain ineligible for lodging reimbursements, according to a spokesman for Senate President Larry Obhof (AWB’-hawf).

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Information from: cleveland.com, http://www.cleveland.com