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Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Terrell) is hosting a Facebook Live event today (July 18) at 3:00 p.m. to discuss his proposal (HB 151) to inject $1 billion into the TRS-Care retiree health insurance program. Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) Executive Director Tim Lee will join Gooden.

The event will be on Gooden’s Facebook page. To receive a reminder from Facebook when the event goes live, you can ‘follow’ Gooden’s page.

Gooden sent Gov. Greg Abbott a letter about TRS-Care’s importance last week, which you can read here.

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Click here to contact your Representative about cosigning HB 151.

The Texas Legislature kicked off its special session today, and many bills are being filed to address the Governor’s concerns. For many members of the Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA), the issue of TRS-Care funding is foremost on their minds.

TRTA Executive Director Tim Lee spoke today with Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Terrell) during a Facebook Live event about his proposal to overhaul state funding for TRS-Care. Gooden’s bill (HB 151) would allocate $1 billion from the state’s Economic Stabilization Fund (also known as the Rainy Day Fund) for the program. The funding would dramatically ease the financial pain retirees will experience as a result of changes made to the program during the regular 85^th Legislative Session.

Rep. Gooden encouraged retirees to continue communicating with Gov. Greg Abbott about the importance of finding additional funding for TRS-Care. Gooden also recommended that retirees communicate with their Representatives about his bill and encourage all State Representatives to cosign the bill.

Click here to contact your Representative about cosigning HB 151.

Remember, special session only lasts for 30 days. If nothing is done during this timeframe, the new plan design changes for TRS-Care will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2018, leaving many retirees with difficult financial burdens.

TRTA has many friends in the Legislature, and there will be several bills filed proposing help for retirees. We will report and analyze each bill as special session progresses.

The TRTA State Legislative Committee also met in Austin today to discuss their plans for special session and beyond. The committee members received the latest information about potential methods for funding TRS-Care, and how to best communicate with their Senators and Representatives.

Thank You

Thank you for your membership to TRTA. If you are not yet a member of TRTA, please join today.

Be sure to connect with us via Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

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The Texans for Public Education hosted a rally at the Texas Capitol today. The rally drew more than 2,500 educators from all across the state. The purpose of the rally was to draw legislative attention to public education issues, including TRS-Care funding, on the eve of the Legislature’s special session.

The Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) was well represented at the rally with Tim Lee, TRTA’s Executive Director, being a headline speaker. Lee gave a rousing speech to the crowd, and implored the attendees to remember this event when the Texas election cycle begins.

TRTA is asking Governor Greg Abbott to add TRS-Care to the list of issues to be discussed during special session. While the changes Texas made to TRS-Care during the regular session may have temporarily saved the program, many retired educators have been left without affordable insurance. Thus far, TRTA has tracked more than 8,700 emails sent to Gov. Abbott’s office in regards to this issue.

Today’s rally was just one of many being organized by educators. Last week, Lee spoke at an educator rally in Longview, Texas. On Saturday, July 22, at 11 a.m. there will be another educator rally in Austin, Texas. You can learn more here.

Rep. Lance Gooden to Host Facebook Live Event With Tim Lee Tomorrow, July 18, At 3 P.M.

Representative Lance Gooden (R-Terrell) has filed a bill, HB 151, proposing to add $1 billion to TRS-Care. He will be speaking about his bill and the state of TRS-Care with Tim Lee tomorrow on Facebook Live. The event will take place on Gooden’s Facebook page.

TRTA will be sending out a reminder email in the morning that will have the official link.

Gooden also sent Gov. Abbott a letter expressing his support for TRS-Care, which you can read here.

Thank You

Thank you for your support of TRTA. Your emails and participation are making a difference! If you are not yet a member of TRTA, you can join here.

Be sure to connect with us via Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

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