Excerpts from NorthwestHerald.com:
A new proposal has made its way through the Illinois House, aiming to prevent retired public safety workers from holding full-time government jobs while still receiving their pensions. The bill, House Bill 1334, was introduced by Rep. Jack Franks, a Democrat from Marengo, and passed with a strong 105-2 vote on Thursday.
The legislation seeks to stop police officers and firefighters from drawing both a full-time salary from another state or local government job and their pension. According to Franks, it's unfair for taxpayers to cover two salaries when someone is already retired. Under the proposed law, the individual’s pension would resume once they leave the post-retirement position.
"This is an insidious practice and an outrage. Retirement means retirement, and that's exactly what my bill ensures," Franks said.
If signed into law, the bill will take effect next year and target those in public safety roles. However, similar issues have been reported across various government sectors in Illinois.
Franks introduced the bill after multiple instances of "double-dipping" — where retired officials received both a salary and a pension. One example involved Jim Wales, the former Police Chief of Lake in the Hills, who was given a civilian role as director of public safety after retiring in 2004. He continued to receive his pension while working in this new position until 2014.
Another case involved Jeff Lawler, the former Barrington Police Chief, who accepted a salary increase upon retirement and was later hired as village manager. In 2013, he received a $109,108 pension while earning $147,212 as village administrator. Barrington also joined a lobbying group pushing for pension reforms.
Similar situations have occurred in Danville, Chicago Heights, Hinsdale, Franklin Park, and other areas. While the bill focuses on public safety workers, the issue extends to other government positions as well.
In Rockford, the Park District had planned to hire Executive Director Tim Dimke as a consultant after his retirement, but the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund denied his pension request, stating he wasn’t truly retiring. Dimke ultimately abandoned his retirement plans and remained in his position.
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