February 21, 2008 04:07 AM UTC

Bruce Does His Best Joe Stengel

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• by: Colorado Pols

Unbelievable, as the Rocky Mountain News reports:

Rep. Douglas Bruce made much of his decision to wait until five days after the opening of this year’s legislative session to be sworn in despite appeals by his own party that he start on time.

But records show the Colorado Springs Republican charged per diem, and received payment, as if he had started on day one.

State law allows lawmakers such as Bruce who live outside the Denver metro area to receive up to $150 per day as compensation for living expenses. They are also allowed mileage reimbursement for up to one round-trip home per week.

For the month of January, Bruce charged the General Assembly $3,450 – the maximum allowable for 23 days of per diem expenses. He did not charge for mileage.

If he had been sworn in on the first day of the session Jan. 9, he could have been eligible to claim up to 23 days of per diem.

However, Bruce was only a sworn member of the General Assembly for 18 days in January. By law, then, he was only elibigle for up to 18 days, which would have totaled $2,700.

Legislative Council staff pulled Bruce out of a committee hearing this afternoon to inform him that he had overcharged the state $750. After the committee meeting adjourned, Bruce called to inform the Legislative Council office that he would return their uncashed check on Monday in exchange for a check for a lesser amount.

It would not surprise us if this became the pretext everyone has been looking for since Bruce’s storied first day at the Capitol. Surely Doug “Mr. TABOR” Bruce, the archetype penny-pinching guardian of the people’s pocketbook, of all people…yeah. Unbelievable.