Mendoza seeks to end ‘exit bonus’ for lawmakers who resign in disgrace— pay for days not worked

As federal investigators hammer down on political corruption, Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza says she wants the state to stop paying lawmakers who resign in disgrace an “exit bonus” — a paycheck for days they’re not working.

According to the Illinois General Assembly Compensation Act, “a member who has held office any part of a month is entitled to compensation for an entire month.”

Mendoza’s proposal, sponsored by state Sen. Cristina Castro, D-Elgin, would stop that practice — and save the state some money.

The state has paid $18.247.14 to two former lawmakers under federal investigation despite their resignations.

Former state Rep. Luis Arroyo, D-Chicago, was paid $5,788.66 and an $881.16 stipend — for a total of $6,669.82, despite resigning Nov. 1, according to the comptroller’s office.

And former state Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Chicago, is still getting paid, even though he submitted his resignation Nov. 27. Sandoval was paid $5,788.66 in December. He is set to get that same amount for January — meaning the state has paid him $11,577.32 for doing no work.

Under the proposal, lawmakers who resign before completing their entire term would be compensated based on the number of days they work in the Legislature. The same would apply to lawmakers appointed to complete the term of a vacancy, the comptroller’s office said. The measure would also change legislators’ monthly paycheck to a bi-weekly check, just like all other state employees and constitutional officers. That’s in an effort to curb double salaries should a lawmaker’s replacement already begin working.

Sandoval has not been charged. But Arroyo was charged in late October with allegedly offering a state senator $2,500 a month in bribes to support electronic sweepstakes-related legislation.

Arroyo’s resignation Nov. 1 came after four full days of public pressure and negative headlines, which began with the unsealing of a complaint against Arroyo. It also came with an important timestamp: the first of the month.

Arroyo is accused of passing the bribe to a senator — identified by the Chicago Sun-Times as Vernon Hills Democrat Terry Link — to move forward sweepstakes gaming legislation in Springfield. That charge added Arroyo to the list of Illinois politicians caught up in multiple, widening federal campaigns against public corruption — which seem to be targeting veteran, old-school Chicago politicians.

Sandoval submitted his resignation letter Nov. 27 but made it effective New Year’s Day. Unredacted warrants show the feds zeroed in on Sandoval’s ties to the clouted redlight camera company SafeSpeed, a video gambling magnate and numerous lobbyists and political organizations in a probe that has put several suburbs under the microscope.