| 1 | 1 | | 85S12349 LED/MM-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Uresti S.B. No. 119 |
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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 bonuses for public school classroom teachers and state |
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| 8 | 8 | | assistance for the Texas Public School Employees Group Insurance |
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| 9 | 9 | | Program; making an appropriation. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. (a) The amount of $193 million of the |
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| 12 | 12 | | unencumbered appropriations from the general revenue fund for the |
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| 13 | 13 | | state fiscal biennium ending August 31, 2019, made by Chapter 605 |
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| 14 | 14 | | (S.B. 1), Acts of the 85th Legislature, Regular Session, 2017 (the |
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| 15 | 15 | | General Appropriations Act), to the Health and Human Services |
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| 16 | 16 | | Commission is transferred to the Texas Education Agency to be used |
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| 17 | 17 | | by the agency to provide the following bonuses to public school |
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| 18 | 18 | | classroom teachers: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (1) a bonus of $600 to be paid in September 2018 for |
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| 20 | 20 | | each classroom teacher with at least 6 but less than 11 years of |
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| 21 | 21 | | teaching experience at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year; |
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| 22 | 22 | | and |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2) a bonus of $1,000 to be paid in September 2018 for |
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| 24 | 24 | | each classroom teacher with at least 11 years of teaching |
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| 25 | 25 | | experience at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year. |
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| 26 | 26 | | (b) The Health and Human Services Commission shall identify |
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| 27 | 27 | | the strategies and objectives out of which the transfer under |
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| 28 | 28 | | Subsection (a) of this section is to be made. |
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| 29 | 29 | | (c) A bonus provided to a public school classroom teacher in |
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| 30 | 30 | | accordance with Subsection (a) of this section is not considered in |
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| 31 | 31 | | determining whether a school district is paying the teacher the |
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| 32 | 32 | | minimum monthly salary under Section 21.402, Education Code. |
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| 33 | 33 | | (d) The Texas Education Agency shall provide a bonus under |
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| 34 | 34 | | this section only to a person employed as a public school classroom |
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| 35 | 35 | | teacher at the time the bonus is paid. |
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| 36 | 36 | | SECTION 2. (a) The amount of $212.7 million is appropriated |
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| 37 | 37 | | from the economic stabilization fund to the Teacher Retirement |
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| 38 | 38 | | System of Texas for use as provided by this section. |
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| 39 | 39 | | (b) The amount of $212 million of the unencumbered |
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| 40 | 40 | | appropriations from the general revenue fund for the state fiscal |
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| 41 | 41 | | biennium ending August 31, 2019, made by Chapter 605 (S.B. 1), Acts |
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| 42 | 42 | | of the 85th Legislature, Regular Session, 2017 (the General |
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| 43 | 43 | | Appropriations Act), to the Health and Human Services Commission is |
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| 44 | 44 | | transferred to the Teacher Retirement System of Texas for use as |
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| 45 | 45 | | provided by this section. |
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| 46 | 46 | | (c) The Health and Human Services Commission shall identify |
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| 47 | 47 | | the strategies and objectives out of which the transfer under |
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| 48 | 48 | | Subsection (b) of this section is to be made. |
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| 49 | 49 | | (d) The Teacher Retirement System of Texas may use the money |
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| 50 | 50 | | appropriated under Subsection (a) of this section and transferred |
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| 51 | 51 | | under Subsection (b) of this section to: |
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| 52 | 52 | | (1) reduce costs, including premiums, deductibles, |
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| 53 | 53 | | and prescription drug copayments, for participants in the Texas |
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| 54 | 54 | | Public School Employees Group Insurance Program authorized by |
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| 55 | 55 | | Chapter 1575, Insurance Code, during the 2018 and 2019 plan years; |
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| 56 | 56 | | and |
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| 57 | 57 | | (2) reduce the premium and maximum out-of-pocket cost |
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| 58 | 58 | | for an enrolled adult child with a mental disability or a physical |
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| 59 | 59 | | incapacity during the 2018 and 2019 plan years. |
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| 60 | 60 | | (e) The Teacher Retirement System of Texas shall determine |
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| 61 | 61 | | the most efficient allocation of the money appropriated under |
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| 62 | 62 | | Subsection (a) of this section and transferred under Subsection (b) |
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| 63 | 63 | | of this section to achieve the maximum benefit for participants in |
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| 64 | 64 | | the program. |
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| 65 | 65 | | SECTION 3. (a) Subject to Subsection (b) of this section: |
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| 66 | 66 | | (1) this Act takes effect immediately if it receives a |
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| 67 | 67 | | vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 68 | 68 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution; and |
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| 69 | 69 | | (2) if this Act does not receive the vote necessary for |
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| 70 | 70 | | immediate effect, this Act takes effect on the 91st day after the |
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| 71 | 71 | | last day of the legislative session. |
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| 72 | 72 | | (b) This Act takes effect only if it receives a vote of |
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| 73 | 73 | | two-thirds of the members present in each house of the legislature, |
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| 74 | 74 | | as provided by Section 49-g(m), Article III, Texas Constitution. |
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