text: http://www.adn.com/politics/article/average-compensation-alaska-lawmakers-surpasses-88000/2014/02/16/ Below is excerpt from the article- good read
  JUNEAU -- Alaska's part-time legislators received pay raises of more than 10 percent in 2013, bringing the average legislator's total compensation to more than $88,000 for the year, at a time when the state swung into deficit spending.
  The other portion of legislators' total pay is in per diem, the daily amount each legislator gets while the legislative session is ongoing. Legislators from Juneau got $175 per day, while those from outside Juneau received $234 per day. For most, that per diem amount added about $21,000 to their pay, tax-free.
  
  If I paid you $88,000 a year and you did not do your job,  I would fire you. If you wanted to get paid per diem to work where you live I would tell you to get lost. We continue to do the same thing and expect different results. So sad and it just gets worse.