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J.R. Gray Among 6 Men Owed Over $100K in Pensions

J.R. Gray Among 6 Men Owed Over $100K in Pensions
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By The Associated Press
Jan. 13, 2017 | FRANKFORT, KY
By The Associated Press Jan. 13, 2017 | 11:53 PM | FRANKFORT, KY
Kentucky taxpayers owe six state lawmakers well over $100,000 year in retirement benefits, including western Kentucky's J.R. Gray.

Two of the state's retirement systems released benefit information for most current and former state lawmakers on Friday. The information was made public after The Associated Press and other news agencies filed an open records request under a new state law that took effect this week. It is the first time the public can see how much their elected lawmakers have accumulated in pension benefits.

Topping the list are three state representatives who also had careers as educators, so they also earn benefits from the Kentucky Teachers Retirement System.

First is former Democratic House budget chairman Harry Moberly Jr., who earns $165,157.32 per year. He served 31 years in the state legislature, but his pension is based on his 22 years as a high-level administrator at Eastern Kentucky University.

Second is Jon Draud, a former Republican state representative and commissioner of education, who earns $158,123.52 per year. Draud served nine years in the state House, but he worked 40 years in the public education field, including one year as the state commissioner of education, which gave a significant boost to his retirement benefits.

Third is current State Representative Charles Miller, who would earn $132,581.70 each year. Miller has been a Democratic state representative from Louisville since 1998. But he was a high school principal before that, and $118,000 of his retirement benefit comes from that. When he retires from the legislature, he'll be eligible for at least an additional $14,206.08 per year.

Fourth is Lew Nicholls, a former state judge who served in that role for 29 years, and will draw $132,275.88 yearly. As a Democrat, he won a special election to the Kentucky House of Representatives last March, but lost the seat in November's regular election. He wasn't a legislator long enough to qualify for their pension system.

Fifth is Democrat J.R. Gray of Benton, who earns $117,740.16 per year. He spent 26 years in the House of Representatives, but Gray also served three years as secretary of the Labor Cabinet under former Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear. A 2005 state law allowing lawmakers to apply high-paying salaries from other state jobs to their legislative pensions gave Gray's pension a significant boost.

Sixth is Dan Kelly, a circuit judge who was appointed by Gov. Beshear in 2009, with an annual benefit is $104,239.56. Beshear appointed Republican Kelly as judge to vacate his spot in the state senate's 14th district, hopefully so a Democrat could win the seat (Republican Jimmy Higdon won). Kelly is now in the judicial and legislative pension systems.

The Courier-Journal reported on the pension earnings along with the Associated Press. Click the link below to see the Courier-Journal article, which includes a chart showing everyone in the retirement system - in alphabetical order.

On the Net:

Courier-Journal article on pensions
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