The state Senate Ethics Committee made no public move Wednesday to act on ethics complaints filed against Senate Rules Chairman Don Balfour, despite a two-hour meeting closed to the press and public.
Balfour, R-Snellville, returned nearly $800 to the state in March, after it was revealed he improperly billed the Senate for mileage. The reimbursement involved two incidents in 2011 when he was actually out of town at conferences. An Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis subsequently found similar conflicts in Balfour's reimbursements dating back to 2009.
On Wednesday, Balfour told the AJC he has amended another eight claims for per diem reimbursements to more accurately reflect his travel costs. All eight dates were cited by the newspaper in its analysis. In each case, Balfour claimed he drove from his home in Snellville to Atlanta. However, on those same dates, lobbyists reported buying Balfour meals or hotel rooms in other cities.
In some cases, amending the reports actually benefited Balfour. He was reimbursed for the Snellville-Atlanta mileage in June while he was actually at St. Simons Island. Changing his per diem statement from Atlanta to the beach increased his reimbursement. In other instances, Balfour received more than he should have. Overall he said "it was basically break even."
Per diem is a daily amount that legislators get when they're doing business when the Legislature is not in session.
Staff writer Aaron Gould Sheinin contributed to this article.
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