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Lawmaker calls for Illinois to revoke Hastert's pension

Posted April 29, 2016 7:00 am

The Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) - An Illinois state senator is urging the state to strip Dennis Hastert of the taxpayer-funded pension he receives from when he was state legislator.

The former U.S. House Speaker was sentenced to 15 months in prison Wednesday in a hush-money case that revealed accusations he sexually abused teenagers while coaching high school wrestling in Yorkville, Illinois.

State Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant sent a letter Thursday to the General Assembly Retirement System calling Hastert a "predator who harmed the lives of innocent students" and urging it to immediately revoke his $28,000-a-year pension.

But Tim Blair, who oversees the system, tells The (Aurora) Beacon-News that Hastert won't lose the pension because his crimes are unrelated to his time as a legislator.

Hastert's $16,000 teacher's pension has been canceled. He receives a federal pension.

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