Former State Rep. Rick Geist of Altoona lost to John McGinnis in last April's primary election but thanks to travel per diems and reimbursements still managed to walk away with more than $14,500 from the time the state budget was passed on June 30 to his last day in the Legislature on November 30^th.
 
The last State House session in 2012 totaled 14 days, including four non-voting days. During that time Geist claimed per diem on 16 days in August, even though the House didn’t have a single voting-session day during that month. He also claimed per diem 13 times in September, 18 times in October and 14 in November.
 
In 2012, lawmakers in Pennsylvania made a base salary of about $82,000, the second highest in the nation, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.