Saturday, July 15, 2023 | 9:59 a.m.
A bill drafted by Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., that would bar members of Congress from collecting taxpayer-funded pensions if they are ever convicted of felonies related to their official duties has passed the Senate.
The legislation was approved Thursday.
Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., signed on as co-sponsors of Rosen’s No Corruption Act, introduced in March.
The bill aims to restore public trust and shield taxpayer dollars from politicians gaming the system, Rosen’s office said in a release.
"For too long, loopholes have made it possible for corrupt Washington politicians convicted of felonies to continue collecting taxpayer-funded pensions — that’s unacceptable," said Rosen, who is seeking reelection in 2024. "It’s why I worked across the aisle to find a commonsense solution to prohibit these corrupt officials from receiving a pension, and I’m glad to see it’s one step closer to becoming law."
Current law requires former members of Congress convicted of a felony to forfeit their pensions only after exhausting their appeals. Rosen’s office said the loophole allows those ex-lawmakers to file “one appeal after another for years” while still collecting their publicly funded pensions. The new legislation would cut pension payments off immediately upon conviction.
“If you’re a member of Congress and are convicted of a crime involving public corruption, you should lose all pension benefits provided to you by taxpayers and hardworking families — period,” Scott said in a release that urged the Republican-majority House of Representatives to take up and pass the bill quickly. “We can never stop working to hold elected officials accountable and protect taxpayers’ hard-earned money.”
Thursday’s passage of the bill by unanimous consent — no Democratic or Republican senators objected to it — signals it may have the ability to eventually land on President Joe Biden’s desk for signature.
Aides for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., did not respond to a request for comment on whether the bill would be assigned to a House committee.
Movement on the bill comes as embattled Republican Rep. George Santos of New York was indicted in May on 13 charges including wire fraud and theft of public funds and others. The first-term congressman is accused of asking a political consultant to solicit donations in support of his congressional campaign that were actually transferred to personal bank accounts, Politico reported.
Santos also allegedly made false statements on personal and financial forms, and allegedly received unemployment benefits in 2020 despite having a job. Santos has denied the charges and is seeking reelection in the swing district on Long Island.
Santos is due in court Sept. 7, according to the Associated Press, which reported late last month that federal prosecutors have presented Santos with more than 80,000 pages of materials in their case against him. He posted bail in June.
