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 […]
TRS-Care Joint Committee Meeting to Be Held March 30, TRTA Members Encouraged to Attend
The Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) is focused on the upcoming TRS-Care Joint Committee Meeting. As we mentioned in a recent Inside Line, the first meeting of the joint committee is planned for 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 30, 2016 in Room E1.028 (Hearing Room) of the Texas Capitol. TRTA members are encouraged to attend! […]
Thanks for Voting! What’s Next for TRTA Members?
Yesterday, 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 are a […]
Push to the Polls: Primary Season Begins
The NFL Super Bowl may occur on the first Sunday of each February, but for the Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA), our Super Bowl occurs every other year in mid-February. We are, of course, referring to the Texas Primary Elections! Early voting began today, and the stakes couldn’t be higher! TRS-Care, the health care program […]
TRS Board of Trustees Discusses Goals for TRS-Care in 2016, Legislative Interim Charges
The Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) Board of Trustees continued its meeting in Richardson today, focusing much of their conversation and reporting on the TRS-Care retiree health insurance program. TRS Chief Health Care Officer Katrina Daniel made a presentation about internal efforts to provide efficient administration of the TRS-Care plan, as well as financial […]
TRS Board Meets, TRS-Care Joint Committee Meeting Date Announced
The Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) Board of Trustees met this week in Richardson, Texas at the Education Region 10 Service Center to discuss various issues including the status of the pension fund and the TRS-Care retiree health insurance program. Prior to beginning a discussion about these vital issues, TRS Executive Director Brian Guthrie […]
Push to the Polls: Early Voting Down From 2008
According to the Houston Chronicle (subscription only article), early voting has decreased from the 2008 primary elections. The 2008 elections held a particular significance, as they were the last open-seat presidential election year. During the first six days of the 2016 Texas primary elections, 336,982 votes were cast between the Republican and Democratic parties. Comparatively, […]
New TRTATV Episode: Texas Primary Elections, Part Two
Early voting for the Texas primaries begins on February 16. For weeks, we’ve been reporting on the importance of these elections, and how your vote in them has a greater impact than in the general election! Often, the Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) receives the question of which candidates we support. Unlike a Political Action […]
New TRTATV Episode: Primaries Upcoming
Texas primary elections are right around the corner. If you’ve been following the Inside Line, you know just how important these elections are to the well-being of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS). If historical trends hold, only about eight races will be contested by the time the Texas general election rolls around in […]