| 1 | 1 | | 84R12057 AJA-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Capriglione H.B. No. 2743 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to enrollment of certain retirees in the Texas Public |
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| 8 | 8 | | School Employees Group Insurance Program. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 1575, Insurance Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended by adding Section 1575.1621 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 1575.1621. SUPPLEMENTAL ENROLLMENT PERIOD. (a) The |
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| 13 | 13 | | trustee shall, as described by Subsection (b), provide a |
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| 14 | 14 | | supplemental enrollment period for a retiree who establishes that |
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| 15 | 15 | | the retiree experienced extenuating circumstances that led to the |
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| 16 | 16 | | retiree's reasonable failure to select coverage during the |
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| 17 | 17 | | retiree's initial enrollment period under Section 1575.161. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (b) The trustee shall give a retiree described by Subsection |
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| 19 | 19 | | (a) an opportunity to enroll in the group program on or before the |
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| 20 | 20 | | 30th day after the date the trustee determines that the retiree is |
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| 21 | 21 | | entitled to a supplemental enrollment period under this section. |
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| 22 | 22 | | (c) The trustee by rule shall establish: |
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| 23 | 23 | | (1) criteria under which a retiree will be considered |
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| 24 | 24 | | to have experienced extenuating circumstances described by |
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| 25 | 25 | | Subsection (a); |
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| 26 | 26 | | (2) a process through which a retiree may establish |
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| 27 | 27 | | that the retiree meets those criteria; and |
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| 28 | 28 | | (3) a reasonable period for requesting a supplemental |
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| 29 | 29 | | enrollment period under this section following the occurrence of |
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| 30 | 30 | | extenuating circumstances described by Subsection (a). |
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| 31 | 31 | | SECTION 2. (a) Not later than November 1, 2015, the |
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| 32 | 32 | | Teacher Retirement System of Texas shall adopt rules necessary to |
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| 33 | 33 | | implement Section 1575.1621, Insurance Code, as added by this Act. |
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| 34 | 34 | | (b) Rules adopted by the Teacher Retirement System of Texas |
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| 35 | 35 | | under Section 1575.1621, Insurance Code, as added by this Act, |
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| 36 | 36 | | must: |
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| 37 | 37 | | (1) apply to a retiree described by that section, |
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| 38 | 38 | | regardless of whether the expiration of the retiree's initial |
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| 39 | 39 | | enrollment period occurred before, on, or after the effective date |
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| 40 | 40 | | of the rules or this Act; and |
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| 41 | 41 | | (2) allow a retiree who experienced extenuating |
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| 42 | 42 | | circumstances described by that section before the effective date |
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| 43 | 43 | | of the rules a reasonable period after that effective date to |
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| 44 | 44 | | request a supplemental enrollment period. |
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| 45 | 45 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 46 | 46 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 47 | 47 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 48 | 48 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 49 | 49 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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