Mark Kirk: “This House needs more ethics reforms, rather than less. And the package before the House makes a positive step, but…”

“This House needs more ethics reforms, rather than less. And the package before the House makes a positive step, but falls short in several key areas. The most important ethics reform that is missing from this package concerns taxpayer-funded pensions for Members of Congress convicted of a felony. Under current law, both Congressmen Traficant of the Democratic Party and Cunningham of the Republican Party would still be eligible to collect a taxpayer-funded pension, even after being indicted and convicted beyond a shadow of a doubt by a jury of their peers of a felony. Stopping taxpayer funded pensions for lawmakers who break the law is not a new issue. My home State of Illinois, a State not known for its clean government, in that State, we, at least, kill pensions for lawmakers who break the law, and we have done so for 30 years. Ten years ago, Speaker Pelosi voted for H.R. 4011. That would have killed pensions for Congressmen for a conviction on any one of 21 separate felonies. She was right then, and it would be right now to terminate taxpayer-funded pensions for lawbreakers.”