TRS Board of Trustees Meets, Pressure on TRS-Care Fund Escalates
The Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) Board of Trustees met today, May 13, in Austin to discuss various topics, including potential premium and plan design alternatives for TRS-Care. The retiree health benefits program includes the three standard plans (Tiers 1, 2 and 3), as well as the fully-insured Medicare Advantage Plans and the Medicare […]
House Speaker Straus Emphasizes Importance of Retiree Health Care for State Budget
Earlier this week, Texas Speaker of the House Joe Straus released a letter to the members of the House Appropriations Committee regarding his concerns for the state budget and the many factors that must be considered during the 85th Legislative Session that begins in January 2017. One of those concerns is the TRS-Care retiree health […]
Primary Runoff Elections Coming Soon!
Thousands of voters turned out for the Texas Primary Election on Super Tuesday. According to the Texas Tribune, “more than 4.2 million Texans turned out to vote in the Republican and Democratic primary presidential elections, about 30 percent of registered voters.” We know that many of our members and their fellow retirees were a part […]
TRTA Hosts Successful 63rd Annual Convention
The Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) hosted its 63rd annual convention this week in Houston at the Westin Galleria. More than 1,000 members convened to enjoy fellowship, receive vital training from state counterparts and conduct the business of the association. One of many highlights of the three-day event, Congressman Kevin Brady (R – The Woodlands) […]
TRTA 63rd Annual Convention Starts This Weekend!
The Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) is finalizing plans for the 63rd Annual TRTA Convention to be held in Houston April 10-12, 2016. More than 1,000 retirees are registered for the event already, which is taking place at the Westin Galleria on 5060 West Alabama. This year’s theme, “Hearts of Texas: TRTA Proud,” focuses on […]
TRS-Care Joint Committee Meets as TRTA Hosts Rally at Capitol
“I’m just chock-full of good news today,” joked Teacher Retirement System (TRS) Executive Director Brian Guthrie after eliciting several prolonged sighs from members of the TRS-Care Joint Committee. The TRS-Care Joint Committee is a sub-committee of the Texas Legislature charged with studying the TRS-Care health insurance program. The committee is comprised of three Senators and […]
MEMBER ALERT: Tomorrow is Primary Election Day in Texas!
Tuesday, March 1 is Super Tuesday in Texas, and thousands of registered voters in Texas still have not voted in the Primary Election! According to the Texas Tribune, “over the 11-day early voting period, a total of 1,107,607 voters, making up 12.08 percent of registered voters, cast ballots in the 15 counties with the highest […]
Houston WEP Rally and TRS-Care Hearing This Week
Kevin Brady (R-The Woodlands) is hosting a media event tomorrow to promote the progress on The Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act (HR 711). HR 711 is a bill that proposes to replace the current Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) with a newer, fairer formula. The WEP rally will take place Tuesday, March 29 at 10:00 […]
New TRTATV Episode: HR 711 Update and TRS-Care Meeting Upcoming
The Texas Retired Teachers Association’s (TRTA) lobbying efforts are being felt at both a state and national level. On Tuesday, Tim Lee, TRTA’s Executive Director, and Ronnie Jung, TRTA’s Pensions Consultant, attended the U.S. House of Ways and Means Committee hearing on The Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act (HR 711). HR 711 proposes to […]
Ways and Means Committee Members Discuss Future of WEP
The U.S. House of Ways and Means Committee discussed propositions to alter a Social Security provision known as the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) today. The WEP is an unfair formula that was enacted 1983. It prevents public workers such as educators, firefighters and police officers who pay into state pension plans from receiving their entire […]