TRS Board Meets, Discusses Customer Services Issues, Rate of Return

Executive Summary: TRS Board of Trustees to vote on changing rate of return assumption in April. TRTA members and leadership provided testimony about the future of the pension fund. TRS provided presentations on the customer service issues, including increased phone call volume. TRS received presentations on changing the rate of return assumption. The Teacher Retirement […]

TRS Board Elections Underway, Legislature Budget Conferees Named, and More!

While activity continues at the Texas Legislation to address the TRS-Care shortfall, this edition of the Inside Line will focus on some other key issues and actions that Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) members should know about. I. TRS Board of Trustees Elections: Be Sure to Vote! Elections are now underway to fill two seats […]

URGENT MEMBER ALERT: Bills Filed to Eliminate TRS Defined Benefit Plan!

Update: SB 1750 and 1751 did not advance out of committee. Thank you for your support! ​​CLICK HERE to send an email to your legislators today, asking them to oppose legislation that eliminates the TRS defined benefit plan! *Editor’s Note: This story has been updated based on conversations with Senator Bettencourt. As the 85th Legislative […]

TRTA at the Texas Public Policy Foundation: Defending Your Public Pension Plan!

On Thursday, November 10, the Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) attended and spoke during the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) event Rethinking Retirement: Solutions to Secure Texas’ Public Pension Plans. Representing TRTA on two separate panels were Executive Director Tim Lee and Retirement Consultant and former Executive Director of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas […]

TRTA Responds to Gubernatorial Appointment for State Pension Review Board

Click here to email Gov. Greg Abbott. Click here to email your senator. Near the end of 2015, the Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) released an Inside Line article discussing the recent appointment by Governor Greg Abbott of anti-public pension critic Josh McGee as Chairman of the State Pension Review Board. As Vice-President of the […]

TRS Releases Pension Fund Valuation, Reports on Status of TRS-Care

The Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) released its annual valuation of the pension trust fund yesterday. The nation’s sixth largest pension fund presently has $128.5 billion held in trust for over 350,000 Texas public education retirees and 1,000,000 pre-retirees. This figure is down from $132.7 billion August 2014. Additionally, TRS reported that the fund […]

Pensions Committee Considering Ways to Help Retirees

During a May 4 meeting, the Texas House Pensions Committee reviewed seven bills that if passed would provide benefit increases for annuitants of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS). The Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) was present at the hearing, with many members attending and testifying. Below is a list of bills that were […]