FORMS SHOW EMERSON LEFT HIGHER PAYING JOB

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson earned more than $146,000 in 1996 as a senior official with the American Insurance Association before quitting in mid-year to run for Congress, financial statements show.

The Cape Girardeau Republican also earned over $15,000 as a member of Congress last year after being elected in November to the 8th District seat.

She succeeded her late husband, Bill, who died last June of lung cancer.

Jo Ann Emerson was elected to fill the unexpired term as well as to a new, two-year term. She served in Congress during the last six weeks of the year before beginning her full term in January.

Emerson said Tuesday that she initially listed the $15,000 on the personal financial disclosure report that annually must be filed by all members of Congress. But she said the ethics committee told her that she didn't need to disclose that income.

Emerson favors financial disclosure. "I think the more we can disclose, hopefully the public will change its cynical attitude toward us," she said.

Emerson is taking a pay cut to serve in Congress. Her annual salary is $133,600.

By contrast, she earned $146,072.89 from January through June last year as senior vice president for public affairs for the American Insurance Association in Washington.

Members of the association are property and casualty companies.

Emerson said her total income from the association included salary plus bonuses and vacation pay.

"I was in charge of all contacts with the news media," she said. Emerson said about 5 percent of her job involved lobbying work.

She resigned July 1 to run for Congress.

She sold a condominium in Cape Girardeau and bought another home in the city last year, according to financial disclosure records.

The financial records of Emerson and the other 534 members of the U.S. House and Senate for the 1996 calendar year were released late last week.

The disclosure forms list ranges rather than specific amounts for transactions and liabilities.

Emerson sold her condo at 1310 Lexington for an amount in the range of $50,000 to $100,000 last summer.

She bought a house at 2210 Lakewood Drive in July 1996 for an amount in the range of $100,000 to $250,000.

Emerson received rental income of $1,000 to $2,500 from the Lexington condo and $200 to $1,000 from the Lakewood home.

Emerson said her mother-in-law, Marie Hahn, lived in the Lexington condo and now resides in the Lakewood home. She said she charges her mother-in-law $200-a-month rent to help cover household expenses such as utilities.

Hahn, who had hip surgery last year, had trouble climbing the stairs at the condo. The main living area of the Lakewood house is on a single level.

Emerson said that was one of the main reasons for buying the home.

The congresswoman also has a house in the Washington suburbs, but the disclosure report doesn't require that home to be listed.

Emerson reported interest income of $5,000 to $15,000 last year on $500,000 to $1 million in life insurance that was put into a money market account.

"Bill was very concerned about me and his family," she said.

Emerson said she used some of the money to pay off old loans. She said she didn't take out any personal loans to finance her congressional campaign.

From July to September last year, she paid off a mortgage, a home-equity loan and two personal loans. In all, she paid off debts totaling $195,000 to $250,000.

She continues to pay the mortgage on the Lakewood home.

Emerson received no honorariums for speaking engagements last year.

Since January 1991, members of Congress have been barred from pocketing honorariums. Any honorariums they receive can't exceed $2,000 a speech and must go directly to charities, said Lloyd Smith, Emerson's chief of staff.

Emerson doesn't have book royalties or some of the other outside income that some members of Congress have.

But she said, "I am in the highest tax bracket."