HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – Per diem is a Latin term that means “per day.”

It’s a fairly common and accepted accounting practice for reimbursing employees for work-related expenses.

In basic terms, an employer acknowledges that an employee incurred expenses while on the job and gives a fee (based on an IRS formula) instead of requiring receipts and reimbursing exactly what was spent.

In 2015, state lawmakers failed to pass an enacted budget. But they did succeed in passing the cost of travel and lodging on to taxpayers.

A right-to-know request by ABC27 News produced hundreds and hundreds of pages of per diems that added up to millions of dollars.

The state House billed $2,150,131.29 in per diems. The Senate collected $247,829.75.

“I think it’s astonishing,” activist Eric Epstein of Rock the Capital said. “I think it’s arrogant. I think it’s above the pale that you would reimburse yourself, in addition to your salary, for not getting the job done.”

Actually, that thumbs down on the budget drove per diem costs up for some, like Senator Patrick Browne (R-Lehigh). The Republican chairman of the Appropriations Committee claimed $27,648, which was tops in the Senate in 2015.

“The reason why mine were higher last year than they have been in the past is because I was here most every day from the middle of August until the end of December to try to work with my colleagues to close the budget,” Browne said.

Senator Vince Hughes (D-Philadelphia) billed $17,805, second overall and tops among Senate Democrats. He, too, is an Appropriations chairman.

“Especially given the circumstance with the budget being in disarray, I’m here a lot more often than most members. I’m here a lot during the summertime dealing with budget negotiations,” Hughes said.

It should be noted that Appropriations chairmen have an annual salary of $114,410, higher than the rank-and-file of $85,339.

The top five per diem collectors in the House are all Democrats.

Chris Sainato (Lawrence) $31,487

Jaret Gibbons (Lawrence,Butler,Beaver) $29,573

Dominic Costa (Allegheny) $29,303

Mark Longietti (Mercer) $28,634

Joe Petrarca (Armstrong,Indiana,Westmoreland) $25,986

Sainato didn’t return calls to discuss his per diem total.

Costa, a frequent flier on this list, refused to talk to us about per diems when we caught up with him outside caucus. He told us to call his office and make an appointment to discuss. We did. In three phone calls over three weeks we left a message. We’re still awaiting a response from the Western Pennsylvania lawmaker.

“It’s pretty simple,” explained Representative John Maher (R-Washington, Allegheny) when he was asked why he billed $24,194 in per diems, second among House Republicans. He said he’s a committee chairman from Western Pennsylvania.

“It’s a heck of a long commute,” Maher said. “I’m not surprised that a hard-working legislator who lives 200 miles away is going to have more in per diem expenses than someone who lives nearby.”

For the record, lawmakers who live within 50 miles of the Capitol are not eligible for per diems. The top collector among House Republicans was Rep. Brian Ellis (R-Butler) at $25,034.

Overall, the House’s $2,150,131.29 in per diems in 2015 was nearly a million dollars more than the $1,374,600.33 it billed in 2014. Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, a Democrat, blames much of it on the budget impasse.

“This shows that all across the board in state government not passing a budget on time, including this, really hurt taxpayers,” said DePasquale, a former lawmaker from York.

DePasquale prefers a system where employees are reimbursed only for actual expenses, where they provide receipts and where caps are put on how much they’re allowed to spend.

Activist Gene Stilp is a bit more brash in his rebuke.

“The Legislature should be embarrassed, but nothing embarrasses the Legislature,” said Stilp, who has twice run for the state House.

Stilp says lawmakers should pay a price for not getting the job done. “It’s almost impossible but the Legislature should pass a bill that says if the budget is not done by June 30, the legislative pay stops, the per diems stop, their health care stops.”

But lawmakers can’t stop coming to Harrisburg, so they likely won’t stop collecting per diems, which ranged from $159 to $185 a day, all tax-free.

“The actual costs that I incur are something that usually matches the per diem plus or minus a couple dollars,” Browne insists. “It’s not something that’s additional compensation.”

But critics see per diems as another perk for a group that already has more than the average Pennsylvanian.

“Who wouldn’t want to get paid for doing nothing?” Epstein asks. “That’s what they’re doing. This is welfare on steroids.”

To see how much your lawmaker claimed in per diems in 2015, click here:2015 House per diems paid last year2015 House per diems paid this year2015 Senate per diems paid last year2015 Senate per diems paid this yearGet breaking news, weather and traffic on the go. Download the ABC 27 News App and the ABC 27 Weather App for your phone or tablet.