News
Governor Rell urges House to pass landmark ethics reform bill
By Governor Rell's office
May 6, 2008 - 2:49:35 PM

Governor M. Jodi Rell today sent a letter to all members of the Connecticut House of Representatives to urge passage of a bill that allows a judge to revoke the pension of an elected or appointed official of the state or any municipality convicted of corruption, as well as that of any convicted state or municipal employee.

“As you know, on April 16, 2008 the Senate passed a landmark ethics reform bill, Senate Bill 333, An Act Concerning Comprehensive Ethics Reforms,” Governor Rell said in her May 6 letter. “This bill is the culmination of four years of hard work by my office, other Constitutional officers and many members of the General Assembly. It contains strong, common-sense provisions that have long been demanded by the residents of our state.

“Among other provisions, this bill provides for revocation of the pension of a public official or state or municipal employee who is convicted of or pleads guilty or nolo contendere to a crime related to state or municipal office. Complete revocation will occur if the court determines that the severity of the crime, the amount of monetary loss suffered by the state or municipality or the nature of the fraudulent scheme against the state or municipality is such that the public interest so requires.

“On April 29, 2008, however, the House of Representatives adopted House Amendment A (LCO# 5216) which would create a different standard for pension revocation for state and municipal employees. Public officials would still be eligible to have their pensions fully revoked, but the pensions of state and municipal employees who are convicted of or plead guilty or nolo contendere to a crime related to state or municipal office could only be reduced by the amount necessary to satisfy any fine, restitution or other monetary order made by the criminal court, in addition to the amount necessary to pay the cost of such state or municipal employee’s incarceration.

“Yesterday the Senate rejected House Amendment A. Senate Bill 333, therefore, has been returned to the House as a Potential Disagreeing Action. I would urge you to reject House Amendment A. To do otherwise, would send this bill to a Committee on Conference and, at this critical point in the session, jeopardize its passage.

“Clearly this amendment creates a double standard for pension revocation. As the editorial board of The Day observed “[i]t is reasonable to demand high ethical standards of all public employees and reasonable to take away the pensions of those who ignore those standards. A double standard is not reasonable.”

“The New Haven Register has noted that “to protect state or municipal workers from the consequences of their misdeed is profoundly wrong.” I would note that no other state that has enacted a pension revocation bill has created different standards for public officials and public employees. I urge you not to do so by re-adopting House Amendment A.

“Many other important reforms will be lost if this bill is not enacted into law. These include creating the crime of failure to report a bribe, establishing a mandatory ethics training program for members of the General Assembly, prohibiting the chiefs of staff of the legislative caucuses and the statewide elected officers from soliciting campaign contributions from staff and prohibiting the Governor’s chief of staff and the Lieutenant Governor’s chief of staff from soliciting such contributions from commissioners and deputy commissioners of all state agencies. The bill also limits gifts to public officials and public employees for major life events from non-family members.

“Let’s not jeopardize the passage of this bill. Let us instead justify the faith and trust that the people of our state have placed in us by finally enacting this comprehensive and much-needed reform of our Code of Ethics.”

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