Salary records reveal that one of the newest congressional staffers is none other than former Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.).
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee staff turned to the former majority leader in January, bringing him on board for two weeks as a special adviser earning $1,001.09 from Jan. 22 to Feb. 8, according to the latest Senate salary release. Frist and Alexander served together as Tennessee's senators for several years until Frist's 2007 retirement after more than a decade in office.
Alexander hired his former colleague given Frist's "unique knowledge" of the Senate and health care policy, Alexander's spokesman Jim Jeffries said. Frist, a former heart surgeon, advised Alexander staff for the committee he chairs on the bipartisan "Innovation for Healthier Americans Project."
The project is exploring how to ensure federal policies support innovation in medical treatment, clearing the way for new drugs and medical devices to move into use, Jeffries said. It is parallel with House "21st Century Cures" legislation and considers the president's precision medicine initiative.
"In order to comply with Senate rules, Dr. Frist was paid an appropriate salary, $1001.09," Jeffries said. There is currently no plan to bring the retired senator in again as an adviser.
LegiStorm added the most recent salary data for the House and Senate last week. Senate salaries were comparable to levels in 2012 at nearly $234.6 million overall.
