TX
Texas Senate Bill SB19

Texas 2017 - 85th 1st C.S.

Texas Senate Bill SB19 Compare Versions

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1-85S11293 LED-D
21 By: Nelson, et al. S.B. No. 19
3- (Zerwas, Darby, VanDeaver, Howard, Ashby)
4- Substitute the following for S.B. No. 19: No.
52
63
74 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
85 AN ACT
9- relating to an appropriation of money from the economic
10- stabilization fund to decrease participants' health insurance
11- costs for certain health benefit plans administered by the Teacher
12- Retirement System of Texas.
6+ relating to bonuses for public school classroom teachers and state
7+ assistance for the Texas Public School Employees Group Insurance
8+ Program.
139 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
14- SECTION 1. The amount of $212.7 million is appropriated
15- from the economic stabilization fund to the retired school
16- employees group insurance fund established under Section 1575.301,
17- Insurance Code, for use by the Teacher Retirement System of Texas to
18- decrease the costs for the 2018 and 2019 plan years for participants
19- in the Texas Public School Employees Group Insurance Program
20- authorized by Chapter 1575, Insurance Code.
21- SECTION 2. The Teacher Retirement System of Texas may use
22- funds appropriated by this Act only to:
23- (1) decrease the premiums and deductibles that would
24- otherwise be paid during the 2018 and 2019 plan years by
25- participants in the Texas Public School Employees Group Insurance
26- Program authorized by Chapter 1575, Insurance Code; and
27- (2) reduce costs for an enrolled adult child with a
28- mental disability or a physical incapacity during the 2018 and 2019
29- plan years.
30- SECTION 3. (a) Subject to Subsection (b) of this section:
31- (1) this Act takes effect immediately if it receives a
32- vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
33- provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution; and
34- (2) if this Act does not receive the vote necessary for
35- immediate effect, this Act takes effect on the 91st day after the
36- last day of the legislative session.
37- (b) This Act takes effect only if it receives a vote of
38- two-thirds of the members present in each house of the legislature,
39- as provided by Section 49-g(m), Article III, Texas Constitution.
10+ SECTION 1. Subchapter I, Chapter 21, Education Code, is
11+ amended by adding Section 21.417 to read as follows:
12+ Sec. 21.417. CLASSROOM TEACHER STATE CAREER BONUS.
13+ (a) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for
14+ purposes of this section, the agency shall provide an annual bonus
15+ to each classroom teacher with at least six years of teaching
16+ experience at the beginning of the school year during which the
17+ bonus is provided.
18+ (b) The amount of the bonus provided to each classroom
19+ teacher during any school year shall be established by
20+ appropriation, and the appropriation may provide for different
21+ bonus amounts during a school year based on the number of years of
22+ teaching experience.
23+ (c) A bonus provided to a classroom teacher under this
24+ section is not considered in determining whether a school district
25+ is paying the teacher the minimum monthly salary under Section
26+ 21.402.
27+ (d) The agency shall provide a bonus under this section only
28+ to a person employed as a classroom teacher at the time the bonus is
29+ paid.
30+ SECTION 2. (a) The amount of $193,000,000 of the
31+ unencumbered appropriations from the general revenue fund for the
32+ state fiscal biennium ending August 31, 2019, made by S.B. 1, Acts
33+ of the 85th Legislature, Regular Session, 2017 (the General
34+ Appropriations Act), to the Health and Human Services Commission is
35+ transferred to the Texas Education Agency to be used by the agency
36+ to provide the following bonuses to public school classroom
37+ teachers under Section 21.417, Education Code, as added by this
38+ Act:
39+ (1) a bonus of $600 to be paid in September 2018 for
40+ each classroom teacher with at least 6 but less than 11 years of
41+ teaching experience at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year;
42+ and
43+ (2) a bonus of $1,000 to be paid in September 2018 for
44+ each classroom teacher with at least 11 years of teaching
45+ experience at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year.
46+ (b) The Health and Human Services Commission shall identify
47+ the strategies and objectives out of which the transfer under
48+ Subsection (a) of this section is to be made.
49+ SECTION 3. (a) The amount of $212,000,000 of the
50+ unencumbered appropriations from the general revenue fund for the
51+ state fiscal biennium ending August 31, 2019, made by S.B. 1, Acts
52+ of the 85th Legislature, Regular Session, 2017 (the General
53+ Appropriations Act), to the Health and Human Services Commission is
54+ transferred to the Teacher Retirement System of Texas and may be
55+ used by the retirement system during that state fiscal biennium to
56+ provide support to participants in the Texas Public School
57+ Employees Group Insurance Program authorized by Chapter 1575,
58+ Insurance Code. The Health and Human Services Commission shall
59+ identify the strategies and objectives out of which the transfer is
60+ to be made.
61+ (b) The Teacher Retirement System of Texas may use the money
62+ transferred under Subsection (a) of this section to:
63+ (1) reduce costs for participants, including
64+ premiums, deductibles, and prescription drugs, during the 2018 and
65+ 2019 plan years; and
66+ (2) reduce the premium and maximum out-of-pocket cost
67+ for an enrolled adult child with a mental disability or a physical
68+ incapacity during the 2018 and 2019 plan years.
69+ (c) The Teacher Retirement System of Texas shall determine
70+ the most efficient allocation of the money transferred under
71+ Subsection (a) of this section to achieve the maximum benefit for
72+ participants in the program.
73+ SECTION 4. Section 21.417, Education Code, as added by this
74+ Act, applies beginning with the 2018-2019 school year.
75+ SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
76+ a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house as
77+ provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
78+ Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
79+ Act takes effect on the 91st day after the last day of the
80+ legislative session.