Rep. Chris Caruso, D-Bridgeport, who is in favor of taking away the pensions of officials convicted up to 10 years ago, said he believes in pension revocation and not the “watered down” version the Senate Democrats tried to pass last week. “If you allow plea bargaining, which I know the Senate Democrat version does, if you allow plea bargaining with a pension, then it’s not revoking the pension,” Caruso said.

He said if you allow the pension to be used to pay fines, “you’re using taxpayers money to pay for taxpayers money that was stolen.”

Click the play arrow to watch Rep. Caruso talk about how the two different versions would work.

In response to the criticism of its compromise with Rell, Sen. President Donald Williams sent out this statement Monday evening: “Last week Senate Republicans, relying on a technicality, refused to even allow a debate, or final action, on the ethics bill supported by Gov. Rell, Attorney General Blumenthal, and Senate Democrats.”

“Now Republican lawmakers are saying they want reform - and that is good to hear. The real test though, is not what they say on a Monday but what they do on a Wednesday,” Williams said in an emailed statement. “We want to pass a bill that will strengthen public trust in government and I hope our Republican and Democratic friends will roll up their sleeves and make a pledge to get this done.”