Reps. Crow, Speier, Stefanik Introduce Bill to Deny Pensions to Members of Congress Convicted of Felony Sexual Misconduct

Statement

Representatives Jason Crow (D-CO), Jackie Speier (D-CA), and Elise Stefanik (R-NY) introduced the Congress Leadership in Ending Annuities for Dishonorable Service (Congress LEADS) Act to prevent a Member of Congress from collecting their taxpayer-funded retirement annuity if they are convicted of sexual abuse. The bill would add felony sexual abuse to a list of offenses including bribery, perjury, and conspiracy which are grounds for the denial of pensions for representatives and senators under the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act.

The bill is inspired by standards in the U.S. military which make, under current law, servicemembers in who commit acts of sexual abuse while serving subject to a Court Martial. If convicted, they face a dishonorable discharge, which carries with it a series of penalties and loss of rights, including the loss of their military retired pay. As of now, public officials are not held to a similar punishment for the same offense.

"I learned in the Army that leaders should lead by example and set the standard. This includes making sure that Members of Congress convicted of sexual abuse aren't entitled to a taxpayer-funded pension. I'm proud to lead on this bipartisan effort," said Representative Crow.

"Recent reports of toxic workplaces in congressional offices show that the progress we have made since the Me Too Congress movement has been important, but that much more needs to be done to ensure sexual harassment and discrimination in Congress is eradicated and those who commit these injustices are held to account," said Representative Speier, Co-Chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus and Chair of the House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee. "Members of Congress convicted of felony sexual abuse must not profit off the taxpayer's dime with a pension. Sexual abuse should be treated the same as other misconduct that denies a Member of Congress their pension, such as bribery or perjury. The Congress LEADS Act will also ensure that Members of Congress are held to the same standard as servicemembers, who risk losing retired pay if convicted of sexual abuse."

"Members of Congress who abuse their power need to be held accountable. I am proud to join this bipartisan push to ensure members of Congress that are convicted for sexual misconduct will not receive a taxpayer-funded pension. We must treat sexual misconduct crimes the same way that we treat other offenses, such as bribery or conspiracy," said Representative Stefanik.

By amending the Honest Leadership and Open Government to include felony sexual abuse as an offense, this would:

Ensure that convicted Members' time served as a representative or senator does not count toward their federal pension calculation;
Treat sexual abuse like other abuses of congressional power while serving, like bribery, conspiracy, intimidation, fraud, witness tampering, money laundering, insider trading, or other felony offenses;
Apply to both the pre-1987 Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and FERS.
See the full text of the bill at this link.

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