Even if Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) is convicted of all seven counts of financial corruption listed in the indictment against him, he'll still be eligible to collect his taxpayer-funded pension of roughly $122,000 if he steps down in 2009.

Why? Ethics legislation enacted last September deprives a lawmaker of his or her pension only for final conviction of certain offenses committed after the bill's enactment. Most of the charges against Stevens (as listed in his seven-count indictment) are for offenses he allegedly committed before that time. Moreover, none of the charges for violations he may have committed after September 2007 are among the 10 specific felony offenses (including bribery, conspiracy, and racketeering) that constitute pension removal under current law.

Read the full NTU press release.

Taxpayers for Common Sense determined that Stevens has secured or played a significant role in securing more than 891 earmarks for Alaska worth $3.2 billion, or $4,872 per capita, from 2004 to 2008.