Posted: | January 8, 2019 10:16 AM |
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From: | Representative Frank A. Farry |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Public Employee Pension Forfeiture Act (Prior HB 939) |
In the near future, I will be reintroducing House Bill 939. The legislation amends the Public Employee Pension Forfeiture Act and passed the House last session by a vote of 190-1. Simply put, the bill provides that forfeiture of a pension occurs for any offense under the laws of the Commonwealth graded as a felony. In order for forfeiture to occur, there must be a nexus or link between the public employment or office and the crime committed. As currently written, the Public Employee Pension Forfeiture Act permits a public employee or public official to plead guilty to a non-forfeiture crime in order to avoid pension forfeiture. For example, this means that pleading guilty to an offense graded as a felony under the Ethics Act will permit the defendant to keep the pension. I believe any offense committed through the public office or employment which is graded as a felony should trigger forfeiture. Please join me in sponsoring this important piece of legislation. |
Introduced as HB59