At least ten states changed laws in 2010 dealing with government retirees who go back to work on public payrolls while still collecting pension checks, up from six in 2009, according to Snell's reports. Most, such as Utah, enacted or extended waiting periods before re-employment can occur without penalties, Snell said in a telephone interview.

Double-dipping workers mushroomed in Utah from 125 in 1995 to 2,166 in 2008, the Pew Center on the States said in February 2010, citing a legislative report. Last year, lawmakers in Salt Lake City limited the practice, the state legislatures group said. The changes included requiring a one-year waiting period before a covered employee can return to government work and continue to receive public pension payments.

Arkansas lawmakers banned double-dipping following news reports in 2009 on eight elected local officials who were getting both sorts of payments, said Jay Wills, general counsel of the Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System. Each of the eight either resigned or was later voted out of office, he said.

"The public has really been outraged about this," Wills said, citing "the duplicity in not revealing that they were doing this." Since 2009, Arkansas officials have identified fewer than a dozen state employees who also engaged in the practice, he said.

Working The System

"It's the culture of the public-employment sector to work the system in your favor," said Arkansas Representative Allen Kerr, a Little Rock Republican who sponsored a bill to end double dipping.

"I can't think of a reason why anyone would think they should have this kind of benefit," Kerr said.

In Texas, about 1,500 employees of the Criminal Justice Department received both a pension payment and a salary from the government in fiscal 2010, Combs, the comptroller, said in a report. The Health and Human Services Commission had 704 double dippers, while the Aging and Disability Services Department had 620. In Combs's office there were 240, according to the report.

The Lone Star state's criminal justice agency has about 38,000 employees and runs 112 prisons and other correctional facilities, according to Michelle Lyons, a spokeswoman.

Hard To Find

About 60% of those returning to jobs at the Aging and Disability Department are in "difficult-to-fill professional positions or in laundry and food service positions," said Allison Lowery, an agency spokeswoman.