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Health & Fitness

State Rep. Sandy Pihos Files Legislation to Suspend Pensions for Indicted GARS Members

In response to the news that indicted and retired House member Connie Howard will receive up to $70,000 in pension benefits before receiving sentencing on federal charges in November, State Representative Sandy Pihos (R-Glen Ellyn) has filed legislation, House Bill 3670, that would suspend the pension benefits of any member of the General Assembly Retirement System (GARS) upon indictment for a felony.

According to the legislation, if a member of GARS is indicted, the pension board would be directed to immediately suspend pension payments. If the individual is subsequently convicted, they would lose all rights to their pension benefit, and if they are acquitted or if the charges are dropped, benefits would be reinstated and back benefits would be paid.

“Today the system is set up in a way where it is actually beneficial for an elected official to retire prior to admitting wrongdoing, because their pension payments begin immediately and don’t stop until sentencing has taken place,” said Pihos. “As we are seeing with the Connie Howard case, this can add up to tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars from a system that is already nearly $100 billion underfunded. It’s unfair to the taxpayers of Illinois, and unfair to honest retirees, who are worried about pensions that were earned through honorable service.”

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State Rep. Connie Howard, a Chicago Democrat, resigned from the House of Representatives in July of 2012, just prior to pleading guilty to a negotiated charge of one count of mail fraud. In federal court, she admitted to skimming $28,000 between 2003-2008 from her “Tee Off for Technology Celebrity Golf Outing,” an event that raised money for scholarships for students seeking computer science degrees. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said their investigation revealed that the $28,000 was used for personal and political purposes.

By retiring before the incident became public, Howard’s $56,994 per year pension, which is delivered in $4,750 monthly payments, kicked in.

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“This loophole needs to be closed so that politicians found guilty of corruption can’t take advantage of the system,” said Pihos. “This is a common sense bill that should receive wide, bipartisan support.”



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