Senate OKs bill to expand state’s pension forfeiture law

HARRISBURG (AP) — A bill to expand the criminal counts that would force public officials in Pennsylvania to forfeit their taxpayer-paid pension has the unanimous approval of the state Senate.

The bill, passed Tuesday, heads to the House of Representatives, which passed a similar bill last year.

The Senate’s bill would require a public employee or official to lose their pension if they are convicted, plead guilty, or plead no contest to any felony crime that’s related to their employment.

Current law only requires pension forfeiture for certain crimes, but the bill’s sponsor, Republican Sen. John DiSanto of Dauphin County, says that allows public officials charged with a crime to plead guilty to a non-forfeiture crime in order to keep their pension.