The Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) extends its season’s greetings to all members and friends. As the year draws to a close, we know our dedicated retirees will enjoy spending time with loved ones and celebrating the holidays.
We at TRTA, the Board of Directors and staff, want to express our sincere appreciation to all of you for the support you have given to this great organization in 2019.
Because of you, TRTA is able to participate in vital legislative discussions that impact your retirement benefits, from the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) pension fund to health care, and our charitable partner, the Texas Retired Teachers Foundation (TRTF), has raised more than 93,000 since November for its vital programs to help educators of the past, present and future. You can help TRTF reach $100,000 by donating online today!
In 2019, our members fought to make the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) pension fund actuarially sound and to gain a thirteenth check for hundreds of thousands of public education retirees. Because of your concerted efforts, Senate Bill 12 was passed, putting TRS on a path to eliminate its unfunded liabilities and making the possibility of permanent cost-of-living increases possible again in the future.
Your persistent willingness to call, email and visit your elected officials in person also gives a face to the issues of retiree health care and pension funding!
In 2020, we face new challenges, including the reform of the arbitrary Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) through Congress. Soon members will receive a detailed update about TRTA’s efforts to repeal the WEP in the fourth quarter issue of TRTA’s news magazine, The VOICE, scheduled to hit mailboxes next week. In this issue, we are asking our members to reach out to their congressmen and ask them to support two bills that would help TRTA accomplish the goal of putting more earned Social Security dollars into retirees’ pocketbooks: H.R. 4540 and H.R. 3934. You can also read about these bills by clicking here. You can find your congressional representative by using this website.
TRTA has also joined our friends in Massachusetts, who are also affected by the WEP, in creating the Public Retirees Alliance. Be sure to visit their website and sign up for their email updates to stay tuned to all the latest WEP news!
We hope you enjoy this beautiful holiday season and are ready to get engaged in WEP reform in 2020!
Thank You
Thank you for your membership to TRTA. If you are not yet a member, we need you to help us protect your retirement security. Please join TRTA today!
If you know someone who should be a member of TRTA who has not yet joined, please consider buying them a TRTA membership—just $35—as a gift for this holiday season!
Be sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Year-end, tax-deductible donations to TRTF can be made online here.