When former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert reported to federal prison to begin serving a 15-month sentence for illegally withdrawing money to keep an alleged sex abuse victim quiet, he passed through razor-wire fences with an annual $28,025 taxpayer funded pension from his six years as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives.
While the Illinois Retired Teachers’ Retirement System moved to immediately revoke Hastert’s pension, following his “guilty” sentence, Illinois law states that a General Assembly member who commits a crime is still eligible for a pension if the crime occurred before or after election to public office. It doesn’t matter that Federal Judge Thomas Durkin described Hastert as a “serial child molester,” he’ll continue to receive his pension. So while Hastert sits in jail, he’ll cash-in more than $35,000.
That’s just not right. Hard-working and law-abiding taxpayers shouldn’t be left to pick up the pension bill for this child predator or any other General Assembly member who abuses the public’s trust and commits a felony against a minor. Something must be done. That’s why I recently filed Senate Bill 0442, so we can remove the pension of General Assembly members who commit a felony against a student or another victim.
I urge the General Assembly to renew discussion and move forward with eliminating Hastert’s pension. It’s time for us to update the law. He confessed to molesting children. He abused the public’s trust. His taxpayer-funded pension needs to be eliminated. Period.
Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant
Illinois State Senate 49th District