— — Albany may be having trouble with its finances, but that hasn’t stopped some lawmakers from spending big dollars on staff and office supplies.

Data released Wednesday by the Empire Center for New York State Policy shows for the six-month period ending Sept. 30, 2009, Democrats in the New York State Senate spent $12.99 million on office operations, an increase of $4.2 million, or 48 percent, over the same period last year.

In the Assembly, Democrats in the majority spent an average of $193,712 per member, an increase of .06 percent, while Republicans in the minority spent $139,980 per member for a 5 percent decrease.

The figures include costs for staff, rent, travel, telephone service, office supplies and other expenditures between April and September of 2009, the last period for which numbers are available.

Several local representatives were among the bigger spenders in both houses.

Assemblyman Robin Schimminger, D-Kenmore, ranked fifth in Assembly spending at $332,115. He outspent Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, whose six-month office budget came in at $311,971. Assemblywoman Francine DelMonte, D-Niagara Falls, ranked 99th in the Assembly, with expenses totaling $146,366.

Distance from the capital plays a big role in funding, Schimminger said. Members are reimbursed for their travel expenses. For Schimminger travel consists mostly of flying to and from Albany, which he said is better than driving or taking the train.

“Sitting behind the wheel of a car is not a productive use of time,” Schimminger said. “There are better ways to spend 10 hours a week.”

He also noted that US Airways is the only commercial airline that flies directly into Albany. Members from the New York City area have several travel options at their disposal.

Schimminger said he tries to cut costs when he can. For example, when he recently learned that it would cost an additional $35 to book a future flight from the airline terminal, he telephoned his office and asked a staff member to book the flight online instead.

According to Schimminger, distance is one of six factors that determined how additional money was distributed to him. The others are seniority, affiliation with the majority party, co-leader of the Western delegation, share of committees and co-chair of a committee.

As the most senior member of the Western New York delegation, Schimminger is co-leader of the group, which also generates a stipend. Senator Bill Stachowski is the other co-leader, as senior member of the delegation’s Senate majority.

Historically the majority party is better staffed, therefore better funded. Schimminger said he has eight full-time staff members, with three each at his Albany and local offices and two who travel to and from Albany. Unlike Schimminger, the two traveling staffers don’t get compensated for their travel.

Schimminger sits on one assembly committee and is chairman of the Assembly’s standing Committee on Economic Development, which draws additional funding.

“It also brings on additional responsibilities for my staff,” Schimminger said. “There’s additional work for the legislative director, the clerk of the committee and additional work for my staff director.”

State Sen. Antoine Thompson, D-Niagara Falls and Buffalo, ranked 12th in the Senate with expenditures totaling $422,650. State Sen. George Maziarz, R-Newfane, finished 39th, with an office budget for the six-month period of $325,111.

The data shows that Senate Republicans, who are now in the minority, saw their office spending reduced to $9.92 million, a decrease of $6 million, or 38 percent from the same six-month period from the previous year.

Senate Democrats spent an average of $393,759 per member office. This represents an increase of $101,411 or 35 percent from the $292,349 per member from the same period in 2008, when they were in the minority. Senate Republicans averaged $320,227 per member office. This represents a decrease of $178,600, or 36 percent from the $498,827 in average member expenditures when they were in the majority. However, it was 9.5 percent more per member than Democrats received when they were in the minority a year earlier.

Lawmaker Richard Gottfried, D-Manhattan, was the biggest spender in the 150 members of the Assembly, having spent $440,764 on office related expenses during the six month period. In the 62-member Senate, lawmaker and Deputy Majority Leader Jeffrey Klein, D-Bronx and Westchester, spent $758,070 on office expenses.

The Empire Center for New York State Policy is a project of the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research and is dedicated to promoting freedom, opportunity and enterprise in the Empire State. The complete lists of state Legislature office spending can be found at SeeThroughNY.net.