Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB5191 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.
OldNewDifferences
11 89R14137 RDR-F
22 By: Smithee H.B. No. 5191
33
44
55
66
77 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
88 AN ACT
99 relating to providing a one-time supplemental payment and a
1010 cost-of-living adjustment applicable to certain benefits paid by
1111 the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.
1212 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1313 SECTION 1. Subchapter H, Chapter 824, Government Code, is
1414 amended by adding Section 824.704 to read as follows:
1515 Sec. 824.704. COST-OF-LIVING ADJUSTMENT: JANUARY 2026.
1616 (a) Notwithstanding any other section of this subchapter, the
1717 retirement system shall make a one-time cost-of-living adjustment
1818 payable to annuitants receiving a monthly death or retirement
1919 benefit annuity, as provided by this section.
2020 (b) Subject to Subsections (c) and (d), to be eligible for
2121 the adjustment, a person must be, on the effective date of the
2222 adjustment and disregarding any forfeiture of benefits under
2323 Section 824.601, an annuitant eligible to receive:
2424 (1) a standard service or disability retirement
2525 annuity payment;
2626 (2) an optional service or disability retirement
2727 annuity payment as either a retiree or beneficiary;
2828 (3) an annuity payment under Section 824.402(a)(3) or
2929 (4);
3030 (4) an annuity payment under Section 824.502; or
3131 (5) an alternate payee annuity payment under Section
3232 804.005.
3333 (c) If the annuitant:
3434 (1) is a retiree, or is a beneficiary under an optional
3535 retirement payment plan, to be eligible for the adjustment under
3636 this section:
3737 (A) the annuitant must be living on the effective
3838 date of the adjustment; and
3939 (B) the effective date of the retirement of the
4040 member of the retirement system must have been after August 31,
4141 2020, but before January 1, 2025;
4242 (2) is a beneficiary under Section 824.402(a)(3) or
4343 (4) or 824.502, to be eligible for the adjustment:
4444 (A) the annuitant must be living on the effective
4545 date of the adjustment; and
4646 (B) the date of death of the member of the
4747 retirement system must have been after August 31, 2020, but before
4848 January 1, 2025; or
4949 (3) is an alternate payee under Section 804.005, the
5050 annuitant is eligible for the adjustment only if the effective date
5151 of the election to receive the annuity payment was after August 31,
5252 2020, but before January 1, 2025.
5353 (d) An adjustment made under this section does not apply to
5454 payments under:
5555 (1) Section 824.203(d), relating to retirees who
5656 receive a standard service retirement annuity in an amount fixed by
5757 statute;
5858 (2) Section 824.304(a), relating to disability
5959 retirees with less than 10 years of service credit;
6060 (3) Section 824.304(b)(2), relating to disability
6161 retirees who receive a disability annuity in an amount fixed by
6262 statute;
6363 (4) Section 824.404(a), relating to active member
6464 survivor beneficiaries who receive a survivor annuity in an amount
6565 fixed by statute;
6666 (5) Section 824.501(a), relating to retiree survivor
6767 beneficiaries who receive a survivor annuity in an amount fixed by
6868 statute; or
6969 (6) Section 824.804(b), relating to participants in
7070 the deferred retirement option plan with regard to payments from
7171 their deferred retirement option plan accounts.
7272 (e) An adjustment under this section must be made beginning
7373 with an annuity payable for the month of January 2026.
7474 (f) The amount of the adjustment provided under this section
7575 is calculated by multiplying the amount of the monthly benefit
7676 subject to the adjustment by two percent. The adjustment under this
7777 section is in addition to the adjustments, if any, granted under
7878 Sections 824.702 and 824.703, or any other law.
7979 (g) The board of trustees shall determine the eligibility
8080 for and the amount of any adjustment in monthly annuities in
8181 accordance with this section.
8282 SECTION 2. (a) The Teacher Retirement System of Texas
8383 shall make a supplemental payment of a retirement or death benefit,
8484 as provided by this section.
8585 (b) The supplemental payment is payable in January 2026 and,
8686 to the extent practicable, on a date or dates that coincide with the
8787 regular annuity payment payable to each eligible annuitant.
8888 (c) The amount of the supplemental payment is equal to the
8989 gross amount of the regular annuity payment to which the eligible
9090 annuitant is otherwise entitled for the month of December 2025.
9191 (d) The supplemental payment is payable without regard to
9292 any forfeiture of benefits under Section 824.601, Government Code.
9393 The Teacher Retirement System of Texas shall make applicable tax
9494 withholding and other legally required deductions before
9595 disbursing the supplemental payment. A supplemental payment under
9696 this section is in addition to and not in lieu of the regular
9797 monthly annuity payment to which the eligible annuitant is
9898 otherwise entitled.
9999 (e) Subject to Subsection (f) of this section, to be
100100 eligible for the supplemental payment, a person must be, for the
101101 month of December 2025, and disregarding any forfeiture of benefits
102102 under Section 824.601, Government Code, an annuitant eligible to
103103 receive:
104104 (1) a standard retirement annuity payment;
105105 (2) an optional retirement annuity payment as either a
106106 retiree or beneficiary;
107107 (3) a life annuity payment under Section
108108 824.402(a)(4), Government Code;
109109 (4) an annuity for a guaranteed period of 60 months
110110 under Section 824.402(a)(3), Government Code; or
111111 (5) an alternate payee annuity payment under Section
112112 804.005, Government Code.
113113 (f) If the annuitant is a retiree or a beneficiary under an
114114 optional retirement payment plan, to be eligible for the
115115 supplemental payment, the effective date of the retirement of the
116116 member of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas must have been
117117 before December 31, 2024. If the annuitant is a beneficiary under
118118 Section 824.402(a)(3) or (4), Government Code, to be eligible for
119119 the supplemental payment, the date of death of the member of the
120120 retirement system must have been before December 31, 2024. The
121121 supplemental payment shall be made to an alternate payee who is an
122122 annuitant under Section 804.005, Government Code, only if the
123123 annuity payment to the alternate payee commenced before December
124124 31, 2024. The supplemental payment is in addition to the guaranteed
125125 number of payments under Section 824.204(c)(3) or (4) or
126126 824.402(a)(3), Government Code, and may not be counted as one of the
127127 guaranteed monthly payments.
128128 (g) The supplemental payment does not apply to payments
129129 under:
130130 (1) Section 824.304(a), Government Code, relating to
131131 disability retirees with less than 10 years of service credit;
132132 (2) Section 824.304(b)(2), Government Code, relating
133133 to disability retirees who receive a disability annuity in an
134134 amount fixed by statute;
135135 (3) Section 824.804(b), Government Code, relating to
136136 participants in the deferred retirement option plan with regard to
137137 payments from their deferred retirement option plan accounts;
138138 (4) Section 824.501(a), Government Code, relating to
139139 retiree survivor beneficiaries who receive a survivor annuity in an
140140 amount fixed by statute; or
141141 (5) Section 824.404(a), Government Code, relating to
142142 active member survivor beneficiaries who receive a survivor annuity
143143 in an amount fixed by statute.
144144 (h) Except as provided by this section, the board of
145145 trustees of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas shall determine
146146 the eligibility for and the amount and timing of a supplemental
147147 payment and the manner in which the payment is made.
148148 SECTION 3. Section 824.704, Government Code, as added by
149149 this Act, applies only to a monthly benefit payment made by the
150150 Teacher Retirement System of Texas on or after January 1, 2026.
151151 SECTION 4. The Teacher Retirement System of Texas is
152152 required to make a cost-of-living adjustment under Section 824.704,
153153 Government Code, as added by this Act, or a one-time supplemental
154154 payment of benefits under Section 2 of this Act only if the board of
155155 trustees of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas finds that the
156156 legislature appropriated money to the retirement system in an
157157 amount sufficient to provide the adjustment or payment without
158158 increasing the unfunded actuarial liabilities of the retirement
159159 system. The amount appropriated by the legislature to provide the
160160 adjustment or payment must be in addition to any amounts the state
161161 is required to contribute to the retirement system under Section
162162 825.404, Government Code. If the board of trustees of the Teacher
163163 Retirement System of Texas finds that the legislature did not
164164 appropriate money in an amount sufficient to provide the
165165 cost-of-living adjustment or one-time supplemental payment without
166166 increasing the unfunded actuarial liabilities of the retirement
167167 system, the retirement system may not make the adjustment or
168168 payment.
169169 SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.