House committee approves pensions bill

SB 1667 by Sen. Robert Duncan, relating to the administration of and benefits payable by the Teacher Retirement System of Texas and to certain domestic relations orders, was approved Tuesday by the House Pensions, Investments & Financial Services Committee.

The bill provides for the following:

  • Allows TRS to obtain certain criminal history records.
  • Allows telephonic meetings of the board under certain circumstances.
  • Exempts the names of applicants for the position of executive director, chief investment officer, or chief audit executive of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas from disclosure under the Public Information Act, except that the TRS board must give public notice of the names of three finalists being considered for one of those positions at least 21 days before the date of the meeting at which the final action is to be taken on choosing a finalist for employment.
  • Prohibits anyone who is convicted of causing the death of a member from receiving the benefits of that member.
  • Allows for earlier retirement with a reduced benefit.

The committee also heard SB 155 by Sen. Joan Huffman, relating to the eligibility of certain school district employees to participate or be enrolled in certain group health benefit programs, and left this bill pending. It provides that an employee of a district participating in the uniform group coverage program under Subsection (a) or providing group health coverage under Subsection (b) whose resignation is effective after the last day of an instructional year is entitled to participate or be enrolled in the uniform group coverage plan or the group health coverage through the earlier of: (1) the first anniversary of the date participation in or coverage under the uniform group coverage plan or the group health coverage was first made available to district employees for the last instructional year in which the employee was employed by the district; or (2) the last calendar day before the first day of the instructional year immediately following the last instructional year in which the employee was employed by the district.