The Texas Retired Teacher's Association (TRTA)

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Legislative Updates

Legislative Update No. 59, Session 81
By Tim Lee, Executive DirectorPrinter Friendly ||| Print as PDF

July 24, 2009

TRTA Lawyers Make Case for Payment

TRTA Email Campaign Now Available! (Click Here, or Below)

The Texas Retired Teachers Association hired the law firm Morgan Lewis to write a legal opinion explaining why eligible TRS retirees and dependants should receive a supplemental payment passed by the Texas Legislature.

As many of you know, this supplemental payment of up to $500 was part of the state adopted budget. Senate budget negotiators argued that the supplemental payment was not legal according to their interpretation of two sections in the Texas Constitution.

During the regular session, TRTA argued that the constitutionality questions being raised did not present a sufficient case for denying retirees their supplemental payment. TRTA supported this position with a letter authored by our association legal counsel at that time.

The Senate, though, continued to object to the appropriation of approximately $120 million for the purpose of sending retirees a supplemental payment. House budget negotiators stood firm for TRS retirees and the compromise reached allowed for the money to be held until Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott made a definitive decision on the issue.

If Attorney General Abbott agrees that the payment is legal, retirees should receive their supplemental payment (of up to $500) no later than December 31.

A copy of the TRTA’s complete legal opinion can be viewed by clicking this link.

Attorney General Abbott has until mid-November to make a determination, but his office has communicated with TRTA that they are working to make a final decision as quickly as possible.

What Can I Do To Help?—CLICK HERE To SEND EMAIL TO ATTORNEY GENERAL GREG ABBOTT

A new TRTA email campaign is now available. Click here to send a pre-drafted email to Attorney General Greg Abbott.

TRTA members sent nearly 50,000 emails to legislators this session through the TRTA email advocacy service. We are now asking our members to help us once more by clicking the link below to send an email to Attorney General Gregg Abbott asking him to rule favorably on retirees receiving their supplemental payment. Please click the link below to send your email to Mr. Abbott.

TRTA Membership Numbers on the Rise!

Thank you for your hard work and continued support of the Texas Retired Teachers Association. We are so grateful to have you as one of our members.

I am pleased to report that TRTA membership recruitment and renewal efforts are in full swing. The good news is that we are about 2,000 members ahead of where we were a year ago at this same time!

TRTA has a membership goal of 100,000 members or more by 2010. We ended the 2008 membership year just a few members shy of the 70,000 mark. It is possible to reach our goal and we want to thank you for helping make that happen.

Obviously, the importance of membership cannot be understated. The more numbers we have, the greater our influence in the Texas Legislature. Our issues continue to become even more difficult to pass, but through your hard work we have been and will continue to be successful!

If you have already renewed your TRTA membership, I want to personally thank you for doing so. If you have not yet had the chance, or if you would like some more information about joining TRTA, please call 1.800.880.1650 and a member of the TRTA team will be happy to assist.

Enjoy your weekend.

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