Senator Jennifer Beck (R-12) will introduce legislation at the next session of the Senate that will require public servants who leave office to return unearned salary or face jail time. The bill was drafted in response to the cases of former Assemblymen Mims Hackett and Alfred Steele who resigned from office after being arrested by the United States Attorney for accepting bribes. The Assemblymen were paid six months in advance and left office owing the taxpayers more than $11, 000 and $10, 000 respectively.
“These two disgraced lawmakers should immediately reimburse the taxpayers for every dime they did not earn,” Beck stated. “Allowing them to keep their salaries is just adding insult to injury.”The clerk of the General Assembly sent the former Assemblymen three letters asking them to reimburse the funds. The letters were ignored.Because the statute on theft, N.J.S. 2C:20-9, is unclear, the only option available to the state to recover the funds is to garnish their tax refunds and homestead rebates.”This bill will clarify the statue on theft so that if disgraced lawmakers don’t return money owed to the taxpayers, they will do time. I believe the threat of being indicted and ending up behind bars will be a powerful incentive to do the right thing,” Beck concluded.
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July 30, 2008
