Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HB2986 Compare Versions

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1	1	81R4624 KCR-F
2	2	By: Phillips H.B. No. 2986
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the participation of certain retired employees of
8	8	juvenile probation departments in the group benefits plan for state
9	9	employees.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Section 1551.002, Insurance Code, is amended to
12	12	read as follows:
13	13	Sec. 1551.002. PURPOSES. The purposes of this chapter are
14	14	to:
15	15	(1) provide uniformity in life, accident, and health
16	16	benefit coverages for all state officers and employees and their
17	17	dependents;
18	18	(2) enable the state to attract and retain competent
19	19	and able employees by providing employees and their dependents with
20	20	life, accident, and health benefit coverages at least equal to
21	21	those commonly provided in private industry;
22	22	(3) foster, promote, and encourage employment by and
23	23	service to the state as a career profession for individuals of high
24	24	standards of competence and ability;
25	25	(4) recognize and protect the state's investment in
26	26	each permanent employee by promoting and preserving economic
27	27	security and good health among employees and their dependents;
28	28	(5) foster and develop high standards of
29	29	employer-employee relationships between the state and its
30	30	employees;
31	31	(6) recognize the long and faithful service and
32	32	dedication of state officers and employees and encourage them to
33	33	remain in state service until eligible for retirement by providing
34	34	health benefits for them and their dependents; [and]
35	35	(7) recognize the service to the state by employees
36	36	and retired employees of community supervision and corrections
37	37	departments by extending to them and their dependents the same
38	38	life, accident, and health benefit coverages as those provided
39	39	under this chapter to state employees, retired state employees, and
40	40	their dependents; and
41	41	(8) recognize the service to the state by retired
42	42	employees of juvenile probation departments who retire from
43	43	departments located in counties with populations of less than
44	44	150,000 by extending to those retired employees the same life,
45	45	accident, and health benefit coverages as those provided under this
46	46	chapter to retired state employees.
47	47	SECTION 2. Section 1551.111(c), Insurance Code, is amended
48	48	to read as follows:
49	49	(c) Except as provided by Section 1551.114 and 1551.115,
50	50	participation in the group benefits program does not extend to:
51	51	(1) the governing body of either system;
52	52	(2) a municipality or subdivision participating in
53	53	either system; or
54	54	(3) a trustee, officer, or employee, or a dependent of
55	55	a trustee, officer, or employee, of a participating municipality or
56	56	subdivision.
57	57	SECTION 3. Subchapter C, Chapter 1551, Insurance Code, is
58	58	amended by adding Section 1551.115 to read as follows:
59	59	Sec. 1551.115. PARTICIPATION BY RETIRED EMPLOYEES OF
60	60	CERTAIN JUVENILE PROBATION DEPARTMENTS. (a) In this section,
61	61	"retired employee of a juvenile probation department" means an
62	62	employee of a department that is established under Chapter 142,
63	63	Human Resources Code, located in a county with a population of less
64	64	than 150,000 who retires from that department.
65	65	(b) A retired employee of a juvenile probation department
66	66	shall be treated as an annuitant for purposes of this chapter only
67	67	as provided by this section.
68	68	(c) A retired employee of a juvenile probation department
69	69	may participate in the group benefits program administered by the
70	70	board of trustees under this chapter. Participation under this
71	71	section is limited to retired employees of juvenile probation
72	72	departments who are described by Subsections (d) and (e).
73	73	(d) For a retired employee of a juvenile probation
74	74	department who is, on August 31, 2009, employed by a juvenile
75	75	probation department located in a county with a population of less
76	76	than 150,000, the retired employee may participate in the group
77	77	benefits program if:
78	78	(1) the retired employee:
79	79	(A) retires from the juvenile probation
80	80	department on or after September 1, 2009;
81	81	(B) has at least 10 years of creditable service
82	82	earned for service at one or more juvenile probation departments;
83	83	and
84	84	(C) meets all the requirements for retirement
85	85	benefits prescribed by the Texas County and District Retirement
86	86	System; and
87	87	(2) the juvenile probation department from which the
88	88	retired employee of a juvenile probation department retires:
89	89	(A) does not provide retired employees access to
90	90	a health benefit plan on or after the effective date of the
91	91	employee's retirement; or
92	92	(B) provides retired employees access to a health
93	93	benefit plan on or after the effective date of the employee's
94	94	retirement that provides coverage that is less comprehensive than
95	95	the coverage provided to annuitants under the basic coverage for
96	96	annuitants.
97	97	(e) For a retired employee of a juvenile probation
98	98	department located in a county with a population of less than
99	99	150,000 who is not described by Subsection (d) and who is employed
100	100	by the department on or after September 1, 2009, the retired
101	101	employee may participate in the group benefits program if:
102	102	(1) the retired employee:
103	103	(A) retires from the juvenile probation
104	104	department on or after September 1, 2019;
105	105	(B) has at least 10 years of creditable service
106	106	earned for service at one or more juvenile probation departments on
107	107	or after September 1, 2009; and
108	108	(C) meets all the requirements for retirement
109	109	benefits prescribed by the Texas County and District Retirement
110	110	System; and
111	111	(2) the juvenile probation department from which the
112	112	retired employee of a juvenile probation department retires:
113	113	(A) does not provide retired employees access to
114	114	a health benefit plan on or after the effective date of the
115	115	employee's retirement; or
116	116	(B) provides retired employees access to a health
117	117	benefit plan on or after the effective date of the employee's
118	118	retirement that provides coverage that is less comprehensive than
119	119	the coverage provided to annuitants under the basic coverage for
120	120	annuitants.
121	121	(f) A retired employee of a juvenile probation department is
122	122	eligible to participate in the group benefits program under this
123	123	section on application to the board of trustees. On application, a
124	124	retired employee is automatically covered by the basic coverage for
125	125	annuitants unless the retired employee is expelled from the
126	126	program.
127	127	(g) The retired employee is eligible to receive a state
128	128	contribution under Subchapter G for premiums to the same extent as
129	129	an individual eligible to participate as an annuitant under Section
130	130	1551.102.
131	131	(h) Each participating retired employee of a juvenile
132	132	probation department shall pay that portion of the cost of group
133	133	coverage selected by the retired employee that exceeds the amount
134	134	of the state contribution. The retired employee shall pay
135	135	contributions required from the retired employee in the manner
136	136	prescribed by the board of trustees.
137	137	SECTION 4. Subchapter G, Chapter 1551, Insurance Code, is
138	138	amended by adding Section 1551.325 to read as follows:
139	139	Sec. 1551.325. REQUIRED REPORTS OF CERTAIN JUVENILE
140	140	PROBATION DEPARTMENTS. Not later than June 1 of each year, a
141	141	juvenile probation department located in a county with a population
142	142	of less than 150,000 shall submit to the board of trustees a good
143	143	faith estimate of the number of retired employees and active
144	144	employees employed on June 1 but expected to retire before the next
145	145	June 1 that may elect to enroll in the group benefits program for
146	146	the following fiscal year.
147	147	SECTION 5. (a) The Employees Retirement System of Texas
148	148	shall develop a plan for the extension of benefits under the group
149	149	benefits program to retired employees of juvenile probation
150	150	departments eligible to participate in the group benefits program
151	151	under Section 1551.115, Insurance Code, as added by this Act. The
152	152	Employees Retirement System of Texas shall adopt rules necessary to
153	153	implement this subsection not later than September 1, 2010.
154	154	(b) Coverage under Section 1551.115, Insurance Code, as
155	155	added by this Act, shall become effective September 1, 2010.
156	156	SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.