WASHINGTON _ Members of the U.S. Congress convicted of criminal campaign finance violations could lose their pensions under a bill submitted Friday by Democratic Reps. Josh Harder of California and Max Rose of New York.
The measure would affect lawmakers convicted of crimes similar to the charges that drove California Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter out of office. He pleaded guilty to a felony charge for converting campaign funds to personal use and resigned in January.
The proposal would add conspiring to commit campaign fraud to the list of offenses that would block a member of Congress from receiving their pension. Currently, there are other crimes such as bribery, theft of federal funds, insider trading and wire fraud that would disqualify a member of Congress from collecting their pension.
"I've only been here a year and I'm already disgusted by a lot of the shady stuff going on _ it makes no sense that members of Congress who break the law still get their taxpayer-funded pension," Harder said. "We need to crack down on these special privileges for politicians."
Hunter originally faced 60 federal charges. His original charges included felony wire fraud, which would have disqualified him from receiving a pension.
Hunter's pension is likely worth more than $30,000, according to a Los Angeles Times estimate, and he is unlikely to lose it under current laws.
