Governor Cuomo is proposing a bill that would strip state officials of their pensions if they're convicted of a crime. Naturally, it's nicknamed, by Albany insiders, "Hevesi's Law," since it was inspired by former state comptroller Alan Hevesi who pleaded guilty to accepting $1 million in bribes to direct $250 million in state pension fund money to certain investment banks. But the law, if passed, won't be retroactive and Hevesi, now serving one to four years, will still get his $105,000/year pension.
Cuomo spokesman Josh Vlasto told the Post, "Officials who use their public positions to commit crimes should have no right to collect a public pension. It adds insult to injury when a public official commits a crime but still gets to reap the benefits of the office they abused." The Post also adds that the bill, if passed, "would [also] come too late to affect the pension collected by... other criminally charged pols such as Sen. Carl Kruger (D-Brooklyn) and former Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. (D-Bronx). It would only apply to officials who take office after its passage. That's because the state Constitution prohibits any cut in pension benefits for anyone who has paid even a dime into the system." Well, better late than never, right? For the future dirty pols?
