HB 3976 Passes Out Of Texas House
House Bill 3976 passed out of the Texas House in a 143-0 vote this afternoon (May 3). The bill relates to making dramatic changes to TRS-Care, including providing $633 million towards continuing the state-run retiree health insurance program. Without HB 3976’s passage, TRS-Care would likely have gone into free-fall. The program was predicted to collapse […]
Texas House Scheduled to Vote on HB 3976
ALERT! The Texas House of Representatives has added HB 3976 to its calendar for Wednesday, May 3. Click here to email your Representative As members of the Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) know, the TRS-Care retiree health insurance program currently faces a $1 billion budget shortfall. If nothing is done this session to address it, […]
TRTA Day at the Capitol is Here! MEMBER ACTION ALERT!
Invite your legislators to join us today for TRTA Day at the Capitol! Clicking here! Today, March 29, is the Texas Retired Teachers Association Day at the Capitol event! More than 1500 retired educators from across the state will arrive on the east grounds of the Texas Capitol wearing red shirts, carrying red bags and […]
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 […]
Texas House Appropriations Committee Discusses Funding Plan For TRS-Care
The Texas House Appropriations Committee met Monday, April 17 to discuss House Bill 3976, the TRS-Care bill filed by Chairman Trent Ashby. HB 3976 proposes to make significant plan design changes to TRS-Care, and increases state and school district funding to the retiree health care program. The bill was voted out of committee yesterday. It […]
Texas House Select Committee on State and Federal Power and Responsibility Discuss Resolution to Repeal GPO, WEP
Today, the Texas House Select Committee on State and Federal Power and Responsibility met to discuss several bills, including HCR 101, a resolution that would urge Congress to repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) of the Social Security Act. Members of the Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) know about […]
Senate Bill 788 Pulled From Consideration
Earlier today Senator Joan Huffman (R-Houston) removed Senate Bill 788 from the docket to be considered by the Senate. The bill would have made major reforms to TRS-Care, including creating a high deductible health care plan for pre-65 retired educators and switching all Medicare eligible retirees to Medicare Advantage. Now that the bill has been […]
TRS-Care: What’s Next
Dear TRTA Member, Thank you for your tireless advocacy efforts in protecting your benefits provided by the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS). Your calls, emails and visits to legislators are truly making a difference. Legislators have heard your voice, and are formulating plans to try to help our cause. However, many legislators are preparing […]
Texas Senate to Vote on SB 788
Use our Action Alert to email your Senator today or call 1-888-674-3788 to talk to your Senator today! The Texas Senate is preparing to vote on SB 788. SB 788 proposes to dramatically alter the state-run retiree health insurance program, TRS-Care. SB 788 is on the state’s intent calendar. Bills on the intent calendar can […]
Texas House Passes Budget Bill, Provides An Additional $500 Million For TRS-Care
The Texas House of Representatives passed its budget this morning. The budget includes the statutory contribution to TRS-Care as well as $500 million coming out of the Economic Stabilization Fund, also known as the Rainy Day Fund. The statutory state contribution for TRS-Care is 1 percent of active educator payroll. Representatives debated the bill early […]