Bills take aim at sex criminals' pensions

BILLS that would keep state and municipal workers who have been convicted of a sex crime against a minor from collecting a public pension may soon get a fresh look after being bottled up in Harrisburg since last month.

A bill introduced by state Sen. Larry Farnese, D-Phila., on Oct. 18, has not had a hearing or come up for a vote in the Senate Finance Committee.

Meanwhile, a bill introduced by state Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Phila., that mimics Farnese's bill has been stuck in the State Government Committee since Oct. 14. Both bills have Republican co-sponsors.

After child-sex charges against former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky surfaced, Farnese asked the committee chairman, Sen. Mike Brubaker, R-Chester/Lancaster, to "fast-track" the legislation.

"The headlines out of Happy Valley are disgusting, and we need to get this legislation to the governor's desk as soon as possible," Farnese said.

Brubaker said yesterday that he was "taking a very close look" at the bill and would reach out to Farnese soon.

Under state pension law, only convictions for crimes related to one's public office or employment result in the loss of pension.

In July, the Daily News identified three former Philadelphia cops who had been convicted of child-sex offenses and who were collecting city pensions. One has since lost his pension, and a second could soon lose his.

But a third, Adrian Makuch, a former crime-scene-unit officer who pleaded guilty in March 2010 to unlawfully contacting a minor and related offenses, is receiving a $2,203.56-a-month pension.

Pension officials determined that because the offenses had been committed off city time, he didn't have to forfeit his pension.

Brubaker said he expects plenty of bills to emerge that would modify existing state laws related to child-sex crimes.

"Some of those bills may be duplicative," he said, "but we clearly need to learn from this . . . and modify our laws accordingly."