DiSanto: Take Pensions from Criminals

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HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – It is a maddening and all-too-familiar sight in recent years: elected officials apologizing for wrongdoing, pleading guilty to crimes, and preserving their taxpayer-funded pensions.

"That’s a huge loophole," Sen. John DiSanto (R-Dauphin/Perry) said. "There are potentially numerous cases out there where pensions should have been forfeited but have not been."

Currently, under Act 140 of 1978, there are about a dozen specific crimes that automatically trigger pension forfeiture. State employees can and do plead guilty to lesser crimes or different crimes and their pensions aren’t touched.

DiSanto’s Senate Bill 611 would change that and it passed unanimously out of committee last week. It would mandate pension forfeiture for any felony or crime that’s punishable by five years or more.

Click here to READ more: [L]http://abc27.com/2017/05/01/senator-wants-automatic-pension-forfeiture-for-all-felony-convictions/[EL]