Let's talk double-dipping.
It's easy to see why HB260 has gotten stalled in the Senate. The bill would end the practice of retiring from one state job and being hired at another, effectively collecting both retirement and a paycheck. It seems, however, that a significant number of our legislators already do that. A quick scan of the professions they have shows anywhere from 10-15 of them currently working a government job while an elected official. About another 15-20 collect retirement checks from school districts, police forces and other government agencies. They are, in effect, lobbyists for the agencies they work for and have jobs in both the legislative and executive branches at the same time.
This seems like a pretty big conflict of interest. Wouldn't someone working for, say, a school district try increasing funding for education for less-than-noble purposes? Isn't it possible that a police officer might try to pass a bill that would please his or her superiors? Those kinds of ethical lapses are simply not acceptable in a legislative body. If it was a private company, you can bet the papers would be screaming bloody murder. I guess it's okay to act in self-interest, though, if your interest is a government agency.
If the legislature wants to get serious on cutting off double-dippers, maybe they should get started with some of their own.
Jesse
Shauna
Ive heard of this going on and its amazing they are allowed to do this. Perhaps once they get another type of government job their retirement plan is put on hold until they actually retire.
I’ve got a friend and his wife teaching down in Blanding. They are retiring from their jobs in April with a healthly retirement check and are getting jobs teaching in the S.L. Valley that will allow both to double dip. This tells me that retirement from the state is too soon and too generous. Where do I get a job like that