NY Lawmakers Vow to Nix Pensions of Corrupt Politicians

New York lawmakers say they'll keep working on efforts to revoke pensions of corrupt politicians after news that ex-Speaker Sheldon Silver could receive as much as $100,000 despite a conviction for taking $4 million in kickbacks.

Silver, a Manhattan Democrat, is eligible for an annual pension of $85,000 to $98,000 because of his 44 years of public service.

He formally put in for his pension on Tuesday, the day he was convicted.

Lawmakers voted in 2011 to withhold pensions of corrupt officials, but that didn't apply to those who entered the state pension system before 2011.

It will take a voter-approved constitutional amendment to extend that law back to cover long-serving lawmakers like Silver.

Lawmakers will consider putting the question before voters in the 2016 session beginning next month.