Duval Times

Senator Rick Scott and Senator Jacky Rosen have renewed their call for the House of Representatives to pass bipartisan legislation aimed at barring Members of Congress from collecting taxpayer-funded pensions if they are convicted of felonies related to their official duties. The proposed bill, titled the No CORRUPTION (Congressionally Obligated Recurring Revenue Used As Pensions To Incarcerated Officials Now) Act, seeks to prevent Members of Congress from receiving these pensions post-conviction by prolonging the appeals process. This bill passed the Senate last year and is currently awaiting action in the House.

Senator Rick Scott emphasized the need for reforms that hold politicians accountable and protect American taxpayers. “If we are going to make Washington work for American families, we need real reforms that hold politicians accountable and protect American taxpayers. It is unthinkable that a former member of Congress could be convicted of a crime involving public corruption and still benefit off of the taxes paid by hardworking American families. I’m proud to sponsor this bipartisan, commonsense legislation to prevent criminals from getting taxpayer-funded retirement benefits and urge my colleagues in the House to pass it without delay.”

Senator Jacky Rosen highlighted the importance of ensuring that corrupt officials do not receive taxpayer-funded pensions. “No Member of Congress who has been convicted of corruption-related felonies during their time in office should receive a single dime from a taxpayer-funded pension. Hardworking Nevadans can’t afford their tax dollars going to line the pockets of Washington politicians who have violated the public trust. Senator Scott and I are calling on the House of Representatives to pass our commonsense, bipartisan legislation to hold corrupt officials accountable.”

Demian Brady, Vice President of Research at the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, supported this initiative stating, “The No CORRUPTION Act closes a loophole that allows former members of Congress to continue collecting taxpayer-funded pensions long after they’ve been convicted of corruption. Senators Rosen and Scott’s bipartisan reform is crucial for restoring public trust in government and safeguarding taxpayer dollars.”

Under current law, former members of Congress convicted of a felony must forfeit their pensions only after exhausting their appeals process. This allows them to file multiple appeals over several years while continuing to collect taxpayer-funded pensions. The No CORRUPTION Act aims to amend this law by closing this loophole so that former members lose their pensions immediately following a lawful conviction for certain felonies related to their official duties. Additionally, it ensures that convicted former members pardoned by a President will not receive pensions unless a court overturns their convictions.