Bryant made $50,000 in 3 years working as ‘Acting Gov.’

Bryant made $50,000 in 3 years working as ‘Acting Gov.’

JACKSON, Miss. — Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant has received an extra $50,000 over the past three years for serving as “acting governor” during Gov. Haley Barbour’s absences.

The Clarion-Ledger reports Bryant, by law, gets an extra $7.50 an hour to fill in for the governor. Bryant’s annual salary is $60,000.

Bryant said he asked the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration in January about the potential of cutting the pay in half.

MDFA spokeswoman Kym Wiggins said the agency received Bryant’s request, but “the law provides the lieutenant governor ‘shall’ receive this payment. Therefore DFA could not accommodate the lieutenant governor’s request.”

AP
5/1/11