For years, lawmakers have tried to tackle the issue of double-dipping – the practice of retiring and taking a public pension, then accepting another job in the same retirement system and cashing those paychecks, too.
This Q-13 investigation takes a look at cases where some people are still using a loophole to get around state laws designed to prevent this practice.
Here’s the key section of that story:
Firefighters risk their own lives to save ours — to protect our homes, our children, our pets – and that self-sacrifice comes with the handsome reward of a lucrative state pension that can bring a six-figure income to some in retirement.
“These benefits are for folks that do work that`s very physically and emotionally demanding,” said state Rep. Tami Green, D-Lakewood, who represents Washington’s 28th Legislative District.
Firefighter Robert Hudspeth, who worked the job for more than 30 years, at the age of 55 ended his storied career in 2011 as a battalion chief with the Central Pierce Fire District.
Hudspeth’s state pension totals $98,269.56 per year.
But just two weeks after he retired, Hudspeth got a new job in the small Pierce County town of Eatonville as chief of the new fire department.
Hudspeth’s $67,860 salary made him the third highest paid employee in the town. Add his public salary to his pension, and Hudspeth’s earnings jumps to more than $166,000 per year.
Q13FOX News Investigates asked Rep. Green if she believed Hudspeth was hitting taxpayers twice.
“I do think he’s double dipping,” said Green. “All of these positions are publicly funded positions so, frankly, every dime these folks earn is of consideration to the taxpayer.”
“Every dime needs to be accounted for. This doesn’t make me happy.”
Green led a legislative effort to crack down on retirement system abuse. Her bill would have forced retirees to suspend pension payments if they returned to work for a fire or police agency, regardless of whether the job was full- or part-time.
The legislation by Green was House Bill 2479, which passed the House on a 97-0 vote with unanimous support from Republicans and Democrats. It also passed the House Appropriations Committee by a 29-0 vote.
In the Senate, this reform made it through the Ways and Means Committee, then died when the full Senate failed to vote on the measure.