A former Missouri state lawmaker is battling the state over whether a federal conviction should affect his qualification for a state pension.
Ray Salva, who is 68, served in the Missouri House for about seven years beginning in 2003. The Kansas City Star reports he pleaded guilty in 2013 to a federal charge of illegally receiving Social Security payments while working as a state legislator.
Salva says he's entitled to his state pension because his guilty plea came after he left the legislature.
But Missouri officials say the state constitution prohibits pension payments to public officials convicted of felonies. The state has cut off Salva's pension and wants a judge to order him to repay about $30,000 he's already received.
The dispute is scheduled for trial in late November.
