FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 15, 2011
CONTACT STATE REP. DUEY STROEBEL (608) 267-2369
STROEBEL BILL AIMED AT PREVENTING “DOUBLE DIPPING”
Madison -- State Representative Duey Stroebel (R-Cedarburg) recently introduced legislation to stop state pension participants from “double dipping.”
“The intent of the bill is very clear: to end the practice of ‘double dipping’ by Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) annuitants,” said Stroebel. “People who double dip compromise the integrity of the entire system and antagonize Wisconsin taxpayers. The pensions of retirees who choose to ‘un-retire’ on a half time or more basis with any WRS participating employer will be abated until they choose to ‘retire’ again.”
Currently, a WRS participant can reenter service within 30 days of retirement, some to the very same position they just retired from, while still collecting a retirement pension. This bill states that if a participant in WRS, who is receiving an annuity reenters a job on a half-time or more basis that participates in WRS, the participant’s annuity must be terminated and no annuity payment is payable until after the participant again terminates employment. This bill enhances the solvency of the WRS while allowing other residents a better chance to begin a new career in Wisconsin public service.
“This legislation causes public employees to think carefully about the decision to retire. If they choose to un-retire for a half-time or more position, they must understand that they can’t collect both a salary and a pension from the state of Wisconsin and its taxpayers,” Stroebel concluded.
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