June 24, 2008
"Double dipping" takes a licking
A bill intended to crack down on "double dipping" by school districts attorneys and retired school superintendents sailed through both houses of the Legislature--only three days after it was introduced.
The bill addresses two forms of "double dipping" brought to light earlier this year by Newsday, other news organizations and Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. See stories, here, here and here.
Under the bill, pension fraud would be a felony. The measure is intended to address the practice of listing outside attorneys as school district employees allowing them to qualify for pension credits and health insurance. See press releases, here and here.
It also addresses "revolving-door" school superintendents who retire jobs and are rehired as interim superintendents--while collecting a new salary and pension. The bill requires retired superintendents be benched for a year before returning to work--except in unusual circumstances.
In a promising step toward greater government accountability, school districts would be required to post on their web sites the salary and benefits of school administrators seven days before a budget hearing.
Why stop there? Why not post their contracts on the internet? Why not post teacher contracts? How about proposed contracts?
Currently, retired state and local government workers generally cannot earn more than $30,000 annually while collecting full pensions. If they get a waiver, they can exceed the salary cap. Those over 65 don't need a waiver. If Legislature wants to discourage "double dipping," why doesn't raise the age back to 70, which it was in the recent past?
Despite crusading against "double dipping," the Legislature appears less inclined to less outlaw another form of "double dipping" by closing a loophole that allows injured state and local government employees to collect twice for lost wages and medical benefits.
That bill has been frozen in the Assembly Judiciary Committee since January.
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