Free Perks Aren’t Worth Cost, Congressmen Say : Lawmakers: Rep. Robert Matsui is among California legislators who want to drop benefits because they give the image that representatives are part of a privileged class.

Since he was elected in 1978, Rep. Robert Matsui (D-Sacramento) has enjoyed many of the privileges that come with being in Congress--a full-time doctor and pharmacist in the Capitol to dispense free medical care and prescriptions, a long-distance government phone line in his home and franking privileges that let him mail staggering amounts of letters to his constituents at no cost.

Like most of his colleagues, Matsui uses special orange license plates that permit him to park virtually anywhere in the District of Columbia while on business. He is entitled to a free parking spot at National Airport, and he gets his car hand-washed at the Capitol for a special $3 discounted rate, though Matsui says that he often leaves a tip.

These benefits, while out of the reach of ordinary citizens, are among the dozens of taxpayer-supported perquisites--”perks”--that members of Congress have enjoyed for years. Once again, they have come under public attack only because of the repeated abuses of some privileges by House members.

Now, Matsui is among a group of California congressional representatives who are beginning to question whether many of the privileges are worth it.

“The preoccupation with these things is very distracting,” Matsui said. “It just creates this perception that we think we are a privileged class. . . . Frankly, to get rid of them is probably in our best interest.”

Already, some perks have been jettisoned: no longer can lawmakers bounce a check at their private bank, put off debts owed to their private restaurant or use House staffers to get their parking tickets fixed.

Speaker Thomas Foley (D-Wash.) has privately warned House leaders that other privileges will probably be axed, according to Congressional sources.

Senators enjoy similar privileges but have not drawn the same attention, largely because the most recent evidence of abuses has been limited to the House.

But the scandals have taken their toll in Congress. Members fret that the controversies are making it hard for them to work, and might make it even harder for them to be reelected.

Indeed, lawmakers are debating whether they should be entitled to perks and gratuities that range from the minor--a free Webster’s unabridged dictionary--to the significant--the free use of government recording studios for speeches and messages to generate favorable publicity back home.

But not every representative thinks it’s a big deal.

Several congressmen from California contend that the privileges are essential to their work, particularly because many of them maintain residences on both coasts and commute 3,000 miles each week. They brush off the controversy as a minor if persistent brouhaha.

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Los Angeles) said his office has not received a single constituent complaint about it.

“I do get my hair cut (at $5), though I do not have much hair to cut,” said Waxman, who is partially bald. “I do park at the airport (at no cost). . . . I think at times people misunderstand that what appears to be a special privilege allows us to do our job.”

Waxman criticized some first-term colleagues who have been critical of congressional perks for grandstanding. “I think they are trying to score cheap points politically by dumping on people in this institution,” he said.

Ten freshmen Republicans have organized a widely publicized campaign to hold individual members accountable for their abuses and to disclose the names of check-kiters. Last week, they went so far as to introduce a bill that would force Congress to open its records and activities by wiping out an exemption in the Freedom of Information Act.

“The House bank scandal and the dining room debacle are perfect examples of why we need freedom of information within Congress,” said Rep. Scott Klug (R-Wis.), a former journalist. “. . . It makes Congress look foolish at best and like we’re trying to cover something up at worst. It’s one more special privilege that Congress has that’s tough to justify.”

The 10 freshmen, who have been able to make a splash because of this debacle, include two from California--John Doolittle (R-Rocklin) and Frank Riggs (R-Windsor).

Doolittle said he is not on a crusade to make life more difficult for members of Congress. “I don’t think the issue is privileges. I think the issue is living up to ethical standards appropriate to the United States Congress . . . . I do think this place is in serious trouble.”

Riggs said he hopes to take advantage of public outrage to push for other changes in areas such as campaign financing and congressional term limits.

“The abuses of privileges . . . have turned this august body into the House of Lords rather than the House of Commons,” Riggs said. “I don’t believe any of these benefits to members ought to be subsidized by the taxpayer.”

The cost of supporting the legislative branch in fiscal year 1990 came to nearly $2 billion, or an average of more than $3.5 million per U.S. lawmaker, according to a recent study by the Congressional Accountability Project, a public interest group sponsored by consumer advocate Ralph Nader. Beyond privileges, the estimate includes the cost of personnel, travel, supplies and office equipment.

Responding to public outrage, House leaders shut down their private bank and launched an ethics inquiry into the more than 8,300 checks bounced by at least 134 lawmakers in one recent fiscal year. The leaders also sought to contain a separate controversy involving more than $300,000 in unpaid bills at their private restaurant, instituting a pay-as-you-eat plan and urging legislators to pay their overdue tabs.

Last week, Foley announced that the Office of Sergeant at Arms, which ran the House bank, would no longer fix parking tickets issued to House members. Foley said he was unable to specify how many members abused their parking privileges.

Several members said they were unaware that they were entitled to so many perks. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) said she had never heard of many of them; Riggs said he wouldn’t know where to get his car hand-washed.

Other benefits are purely financial: a $120,800 salary, a 4% annual cost-of-living raise, a generous pension that will pay most members more than $1 million, and a $3,000 annual tax deduction for living in Washington.

Moreover, many members tap their political campaign funds to pay for trips, buy tuxedos, rent apartments, purchase luxury vehicles and provide child care.

“The motto on Capitol Hill is, if you can get it, grab it,” Nader said. “What people out there really resent is the double standard . . . and they get even more angry because members of Congress are saying, ‘We can do whatever we want . . . the hell with you.’ ”

The double standard, Nader says, is a Congress that keeps minimum wages low and refuses to pass a national health insurance system. “Then these guys turn around and their salary goes up $35,000 in one shot, they have their own free health coverage and a bunch of perks and benefits that are longer than your arm,” he said.

Waxman, one of the strongest supporters of national health insurance, responded: “We have a tremendously wonderful situation for us because we have a doctor here in the Capitol. It is convenient and it’s free. (But) eliminating the doctor in the Capitol will not bring us any closer to having national health insurance.”

The Privileges of Rank

The following is a list of some of the perks and privileges enjoyed by members of Congress, in addition to a $125,100 salary. Medical care Prescription drugs Unlimited mail to constituents and special one-day delivery Photographer and framing services Radio-television studio production costs Satellite service for TV-radio transmissions $3,000 tax deduction for living expenses in Washington Government telephone lines in residence Private health club and pool facilities Some education expenses for members and families Discounted VIP lodging at national parks Special outdoor recreational privileges Foreign travel aboard military aircraft Motor home for use in home district Automobile leases Free parking at National Airport in Washington Discounted hand carwashes Special parking privileges in Washington Cut-rate haircuts and shoe repair Private restaurant and catering services Tax-free, subsidized general store Exclusive elevators with operators Webster’s unabridged dictionary Borrowing privileges from National Gallery of Art Special exemption from U.S. Freedom of Information Act SOURCE: 1991 study by Congressional Accountability Project