State Rep. Daniel Webster and state Sen. Thomas Kennedy agree that per diem reimbursements lawmakers receive are fair, but they differ on the value of a full-time legislator. State Rep. Allen McCarthy does not accept the money.

Rep. Webster took home an additional $3,224 in per diems last year on top of his legislative salary while Sen. Kennedy received an extra $1,314.

State law affords legislators a transportation reimbursement called a “per diem.”  Lawmakers are paid a fixed amount per day, depending on their distance from the Statehouse.

The per diem applies whether the legislative body is in session or not. The daily reimbursement rate in 2008 ran from $10 to $90 depending on the distance from the lawmaker’s hometown.

Kennedy gets $18 per day for commuting from Brockton, while Webster gets $26 daily for driving from Pembroke.

“I come to the Statehouse quite regularly,” said Kennedy. “It is one of the basics of employment here and it is up to each individual to decide if they want to take it and when.”

Kennedy said he is proud of being a full time legislature and that he has no outside income.

“I’m here practically five days a week. If not it is a rare occasion,” he said. “I come in early in the morning and I’m here late at night. I put in long hours and try to be quite diligent in fulfilling my duties.”

On the other hand, Webster said he believes the per diems encourage a part time legislature, something he believes in.

“The principal behind it is that its a supplement from being away from another business,” he said. He added that he was supportive of the practice even before he was elected to the legislature. Webster has a private law practice outside of his job as a representative.

“We have too many full-time legislators that aren’t involved in full day life experiences,” he said. “I think we bring a valuable perspective to Beacon Hill. That’s a critical part of my decision making.”

Webster said he would not be opposed to a proposed rule change requiring lawmakers to sign in on days they worked at the Statehouse.

He referenced a “phantom voting” scandal from years passed and suggested the legislature needed greater accountability on that front. He pointed out that representatives and senators who drive to Beacon Hill have to swipe in in the parking area, and said a similar system might work for attendance.

Webster also put in for four per diems the week of August 1, a week where he missed 22 roll call votes, according the Beacon Hill Roll Call.

Over the year, he missed 41 roll call votes, putting his attendance record at 88.7 percent and making him one of the 10 worst attending representatives.

Webster said that although he missed votes due to arriving late because of a family emergency, he did not miss any days at the Statehouse and merely came in late.

“I was at the Statehouse every day that week,” he said. “I have never, in six years, missed an entire day the House was in session.”

McCarthy represents the Seventh Plymouth District, which consists of the towns of Abington, East Bridgewater and Whitman. He is eligible to put in for $26 per day, but has chosen not to do so.

“When I first got elected as a state representative I was working part time in a law firm in Boston and had various reasons to be commuting into Boston,” said McCarthy.

Although he moved his law practice to East Bridgewater last year, he continues to not submit per diems.

“I think state reps are entitled to it, but I chose not to take it,” McCarthy said. “It has been a personal decision, but I do not have a problem with those who choose to submit them.”

Election year or not, McCarthy said he tries to spend as much time as he can in his district.

McCarthy said that he does not feel that there are any flaws in having legislatures file their own per diems with the state treasure’s office.

“I do believe it is an honor system. As with everything, there is the appropriate check and balance with it,” said McCarthy.

Nationwide, Massachusetts ranks in the middle of the pack when it comes to per diems, according to statistics from the National Conference of State Legislators. Rhode Island, Ohio, New Jersey, New Hampshire and Connecticut do not pay their legislators a per diem.

Pam Wilmot, executive director of Common Cause Massachusetts, said she thought the way per diems were distributed was fair.

“I don’t think there’s a good system other than the honor system,” she said. “Legislators shouldn’t have to punch a clock.”

However, she believes that taking the per diem in addition to charging a campaign account for travel expenses was unethical.

“If you’re getting paid per diem and taking money our of your campaign account, that’s double dipping and that shouldn’t happen,” she said. “If there’s an abuse then the leadership should take action.”