Since House Speaker Glen Casada became the chamber's leader, the size and cost of running the Tennessee General Assembly is increasing, forcing the lower chamber's leader to ask the governor for an additional $7 million.

The increase under the Franklin Republican, who has called himself a fiscal conservative, comes in part from raises — including one that cost more than $130,000 — along with the hiring of more legislative staff.

Gov. Bill Lee introduced a $38.55 billion budget that includes a $7 million increase for the legislature's budget — including both the House and Senate. Of that, $3 million is for payroll, according to the budget proposal released Monday.

The 14.8 percent increase would bring the legislature's budget to nearly $56.3 million for the upcoming fiscal year.

Meanwhile, a USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee analysis of state records found a substantial increase in the amount paid in salaries for employees in the offices of the House speaker, House leadership and committees and subcommittees.

In total, it costs more than $5.1 million to pay for the salaries of employees in those offices, the analysis found. At this time last year, salaries for those same House offices cost taxpayers about $3.8 million.

In a statement, Casada thanked Lee and defended the increased budget request, which he said was to "further improve the way state government operates."

The speaker declined to answer questions about the decision to increase the size of House staff and explain certain pay raises but said House employees have been "undercompensated for the last several years."

"With our new House leadership team in place, we are modernizing operations to fulfill our constitutional responsibilities to represent constituents effectively, and to craft and enact laws that provide solutions and meet the needs of our state," he said.

"I appreciate the governor's willingness to fulfill my request in this year's budget to further improve the way state government operates."

After the USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee published this story, a spokesman for Casada said the increase in staff was not high as initially reported because several state employees were in their same positions.

In an interview, House Majority Leader William Lamberth called the increased size and cost of operations in the House "extremely conservative."

The Beacon Center, a conservative-aligned nonprofit that annually releases a report on government, waste fraud and abuse and supports limited government, declined to comment. The husband of the organization's executive vice president works in Casada's office.

But Democrats criticized the increase.

"It sounds like fiscal conservatism means about as much with Tennessee Republicans as it does with the Republicans up in Washington," said Rep. Mike Stewart, the House Democratic caucus chairman.

Data request for four separate years

The USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee requested salary data from four separate time periods to see how the cost of running the legislature has increased.

The request included data as of Feb. 22, as well as the fourth week of February in 2011, 2017 and 2018.

Former House Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, first began serving as the chamber's leader in 2011.

The data for 2018 was Harwell's final year in office.

In 2017, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, took over from his predecessor, former Sen. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville.

The totals do not account for all staff members. Lawmakers also have staff and interns who provide them assistance, but they were not included in the data request.

Pay for House staff jumps as Senate remains steady

Today, the cost to fund the salaries of employees in the House and Senate offices of the speakers, leadership and committees totals $7.5 million — $5.1 million for the lower chamber and $2.4 million for the upper.

Last year, such salaries cost taxpayers $6.2 million. In 2017, they totaled $5.8 million. And in 2011, taxpayers paid $4.1 million for such staff members.

The increases in the House this year are due to a near doubling of salaries in the offices of the speaker and House leadership.

Salaries for the eight employees in the speaker's office this year total nearly $942,000. Last year, the five employees in the office had $545,000 in salaries.

By comparison, the six employees in the Senate speaker's office currently have salaries that total $707,000.

In terms of the leadership offices — which includes staff members for both Republicans and Democrats — 17 employees receive a total of $1 million in salaries. Last year, 14 employees had roughly $822,500 in salaries.

Senate leadership offices have a salary total of $868,000 for 14 employees.

The largest cumulative salary increase this year was for employees of House committees and subcommittees. As one of his first acts as speaker, Casada increased the number of legislative committees.

A total of 64 employees will receive a cumulative of $3.1 million in salaries this year. Last year, 50 employees had $2.4 million in salaries.

But Cade Cothren, Casada's spokesman, said the cost increases identified in this story was actually less. He said many employees who are now technically committee staffers previously worked for lawmakers directly and that they were merely shifting titles.

Eighteen Senate committee employees receive a cumulative $871,000 in salaries.

A $131,000 pay raise for one staff member

One the main drivers of the increases are two employees making nearly $200,000 in the House speaker's office.

Cothren, Casada's chief of staff and spokesman, earns $199,800 a year. Last year, when Casada was the House majority leader, Cothren made $68,400 as an executive assistant and policy researcher.

The 31-year-old Cothren is the third-highest paid legislative employee, behind Senate Clerk Russell Humphrey and Rick Nicholson, McNally's chief of staff.

Cothren has worked for state government since 2013. Nicholson and Humphrey first started working for the state in 1995 and 1998, respectively.

Cothren makes more money than Lee's chief of staff and all but three commissioners in the governor's 23-member Cabinet.

And his salary is significantly higher than the last three House chiefs of staff.

Burney Durham, who served under former Speakers Jimmy Naifeh and Kent Williams, made $161,000. Gregory Gleaves, who worked under Harwell for a year, earned $115,000. And Scott Gilmer, who served as Harwell's chief of staff from 2012 until her departure, went from earning $122,000 to $189,000 in his final year.

Gilmer, who now works in Casada's office as his director of operations, earns $195,000.

Stewart, D-Nashville, noted Cothren's salary increase was more than twice the median household income of a Tennessee family, which was $51,340 in 2017.

"I would think that the voters would be surprised that the Republicans have chosen to use public money in this fashion," Stewart said.

Holt Whitt, who serves as director of legislation in the speaker's office, earns $160,000, up from his $72,600 salary he earned as a legislative adviser for House Republicans last year.

Whitt's wife, Stephanie, works at the Beacon Center.

Among those in Casada's office who did not receive significant pay bumps is Tammy Letzler, the House clerk. She received a $3,900 raise from last year, bringing her salary to $160,000. But unlike Cothren, Gilmer and Whitt, Letzler did not enter a new position.

Democrat: An 'army of highly paid staffers' is unnecessary

Lola Potter, a spokeswoman for the Department of Finance and Administration, said the budget office typically doesn't fund cost increases for the legislature.

The legislature's $56.2 million budget proposal for fiscal 2019-2020 helps pay for the salaries of lawmakers and their staff, as well as maintenance for the Cordell Hull legislative office building.

In addition, the budget includes $1 million to help with redistricting efforts following the 2020 Census and $6 million for "legislative operations."

Of the $7 million additional legislative funding in the budget proposal, $3 million is for payroll.

Separately, the budget proposal includes $15 million for legislative initiatives, which lawmakers will make decisions on in the coming weeks. Previous legislative initiatives have helped fund movie production and an $8 million airplane.

Laine Arnold, the governor's spokeswoman, defended Lee's budget proposal, saying it included the "single-largest Rainy Day Fund deposit in Tennessee history, cut taxes and reduced spending by more than $40 million without compromising services."

Stewart said that despite the increase in salary expenditures and staff under Casada’s leadership, House operations have not improved.

“I think the Democrats for years ran the most fiscally responsible House of Representatives in the United States and got the people’s business done without all of these armies of staffers," he said. “I don’t think the public has perceived any benefit at all from any of these expenditures."

Stewart said an "army of highly paid staffers" is not necessary to do the public's business.

But Lamberth, the House majority leader, defended the salaries, saying the legislature needs to be competitive with the private sector.

"If you want to get the job done efficiently, if you want to have a short ... and effective session, then you have to have some of the best people in Tennessee hired right here at the state Capitol," he said. "Quite frankly I think they're worth every penny."

Lamberth said the salaries are a "tiny, tiny scintilla" of the state budget.

Asked how it is conservative to increase the size and cost of House operations, Lamberth said, "As the state of Tennessee increases in size, obviously the size of the budget is going to increase."

"We're only going to spend money that we feel like effectively delivers a service to the people of Tennessee," he said.

Casada's long history of touting conservative values

The House's increased expenditures come as Casada has long touted his record as a fiscally responsible lawmaker.

When he was facing a Republican challenger in 2001, Casada said his record as a Williamson County commissioner showed he had a "strong commitment to protect the taxpayers."

In 2004, Casada sponsored a bill, known as the "Taxpayer Bill of Rights," that would have given taxpayers a refund if the state government takes in excess money.

While making his pitch to be the House Republicans' nominee for speaker last November, Casada touted his past efforts to defend the party's conservative values.

"Small government, low taxes," he said.

Today, Casada's website says, "I firmly believe that you know how to spend your own money far better than politicians and bureaucrats do. I will always fight for the lowest possible tax rates to ensure you keep more of your hard-earned money."

Natalie Allison and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Reach Joel Ebert at jebert@tennessean.com or 615-772-1681 and on Twitter @joelebert29.