Parliament's speaker will soon be able to slap a heftier penalty on MPs not showing up for work among law changes aimed at opening up MPs' expenses to more scrutiny.
The Members of Parliament (Remuneration and Services) Bill is being introduced to Parliament on Wednesday.
The law change will mean the amount that can be deducted from MPs' salaries for non-attendance in Parliament will increase from $10 a day to $270 a day.
"The current sanctions for MPs who do not attend Parliament for long periods without a good reason are grossly inadequate," Prime Minister John Key said.
Other main changes in the bill are:
Most travel and accommodation entitlements will be set by the Remuneration Authority, which sets salaries and conditions for the judiciary and MPs.
The current voluntary disclosure regime for MPs' travel and accommodation expenses will become a statutory requirement.
Mr Key, who previously announced his intention to make the changes, said it was important the public had confidence in the entitlements regime.
At present the Speaker sets the entitlements.
Several MPs got into trouble last year for not following the rules for travel and other expenses and Mr Key changed the accommodation allowance system so it was more simple to understand.
NZN