1 | 1 | | 89R14137 RDR-F |
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2 | 2 | | By: Smithee H.B. No. 5191 |
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3 | 3 | | |
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4 | 4 | | |
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5 | 5 | | |
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6 | 6 | | |
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7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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9 | 9 | | relating to providing a one-time supplemental payment and a |
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10 | 10 | | cost-of-living adjustment applicable to certain benefits paid by |
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11 | 11 | | the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. |
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12 | 12 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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13 | 13 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter H, Chapter 824, Government Code, is |
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14 | 14 | | amended by adding Section 824.704 to read as follows: |
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15 | 15 | | Sec. 824.704. COST-OF-LIVING ADJUSTMENT: JANUARY 2026. |
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16 | 16 | | (a) Notwithstanding any other section of this subchapter, the |
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17 | 17 | | retirement system shall make a one-time cost-of-living adjustment |
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18 | 18 | | payable to annuitants receiving a monthly death or retirement |
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19 | 19 | | benefit annuity, as provided by this section. |
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20 | 20 | | (b) Subject to Subsections (c) and (d), to be eligible for |
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21 | 21 | | the adjustment, a person must be, on the effective date of the |
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22 | 22 | | adjustment and disregarding any forfeiture of benefits under |
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23 | 23 | | Section 824.601, an annuitant eligible to receive: |
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24 | 24 | | (1) a standard service or disability retirement |
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25 | 25 | | annuity payment; |
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26 | 26 | | (2) an optional service or disability retirement |
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27 | 27 | | annuity payment as either a retiree or beneficiary; |
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28 | 28 | | (3) an annuity payment under Section 824.402(a)(3) or |
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29 | 29 | | (4); |
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30 | 30 | | (4) an annuity payment under Section 824.502; or |
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31 | 31 | | (5) an alternate payee annuity payment under Section |
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32 | 32 | | 804.005. |
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33 | 33 | | (c) If the annuitant: |
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34 | 34 | | (1) is a retiree, or is a beneficiary under an optional |
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35 | 35 | | retirement payment plan, to be eligible for the adjustment under |
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36 | 36 | | this section: |
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37 | 37 | | (A) the annuitant must be living on the effective |
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38 | 38 | | date of the adjustment; and |
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39 | 39 | | (B) the effective date of the retirement of the |
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40 | 40 | | member of the retirement system must have been after August 31, |
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41 | 41 | | 2020, but before January 1, 2025; |
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42 | 42 | | (2) is a beneficiary under Section 824.402(a)(3) or |
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43 | 43 | | (4) or 824.502, to be eligible for the adjustment: |
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44 | 44 | | (A) the annuitant must be living on the effective |
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45 | 45 | | date of the adjustment; and |
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46 | 46 | | (B) the date of death of the member of the |
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47 | 47 | | retirement system must have been after August 31, 2020, but before |
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48 | 48 | | January 1, 2025; or |
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49 | 49 | | (3) is an alternate payee under Section 804.005, the |
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50 | 50 | | annuitant is eligible for the adjustment only if the effective date |
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51 | 51 | | of the election to receive the annuity payment was after August 31, |
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52 | 52 | | 2020, but before January 1, 2025. |
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53 | 53 | | (d) An adjustment made under this section does not apply to |
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54 | 54 | | payments under: |
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55 | 55 | | (1) Section 824.203(d), relating to retirees who |
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56 | 56 | | receive a standard service retirement annuity in an amount fixed by |
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57 | 57 | | statute; |
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58 | 58 | | (2) Section 824.304(a), relating to disability |
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59 | 59 | | retirees with less than 10 years of service credit; |
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60 | 60 | | (3) Section 824.304(b)(2), relating to disability |
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61 | 61 | | retirees who receive a disability annuity in an amount fixed by |
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62 | 62 | | statute; |
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63 | 63 | | (4) Section 824.404(a), relating to active member |
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64 | 64 | | survivor beneficiaries who receive a survivor annuity in an amount |
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65 | 65 | | fixed by statute; |
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66 | 66 | | (5) Section 824.501(a), relating to retiree survivor |
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67 | 67 | | beneficiaries who receive a survivor annuity in an amount fixed by |
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68 | 68 | | statute; or |
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69 | 69 | | (6) Section 824.804(b), relating to participants in |
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70 | 70 | | the deferred retirement option plan with regard to payments from |
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71 | 71 | | their deferred retirement option plan accounts. |
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72 | 72 | | (e) An adjustment under this section must be made beginning |
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73 | 73 | | with an annuity payable for the month of January 2026. |
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74 | 74 | | (f) The amount of the adjustment provided under this section |
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75 | 75 | | is calculated by multiplying the amount of the monthly benefit |
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76 | 76 | | subject to the adjustment by two percent. The adjustment under this |
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77 | 77 | | section is in addition to the adjustments, if any, granted under |
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78 | 78 | | Sections 824.702 and 824.703, or any other law. |
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79 | 79 | | (g) The board of trustees shall determine the eligibility |
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80 | 80 | | for and the amount of any adjustment in monthly annuities in |
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81 | 81 | | accordance with this section. |
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82 | 82 | | SECTION 2. (a) The Teacher Retirement System of Texas |
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83 | 83 | | shall make a supplemental payment of a retirement or death benefit, |
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84 | 84 | | as provided by this section. |
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85 | 85 | | (b) The supplemental payment is payable in January 2026 and, |
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86 | 86 | | to the extent practicable, on a date or dates that coincide with the |
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87 | 87 | | regular annuity payment payable to each eligible annuitant. |
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88 | 88 | | (c) The amount of the supplemental payment is equal to the |
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89 | 89 | | gross amount of the regular annuity payment to which the eligible |
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90 | 90 | | annuitant is otherwise entitled for the month of December 2025. |
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91 | 91 | | (d) The supplemental payment is payable without regard to |
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92 | 92 | | any forfeiture of benefits under Section 824.601, Government Code. |
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93 | 93 | | The Teacher Retirement System of Texas shall make applicable tax |
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94 | 94 | | withholding and other legally required deductions before |
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95 | 95 | | disbursing the supplemental payment. A supplemental payment under |
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96 | 96 | | this section is in addition to and not in lieu of the regular |
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97 | 97 | | monthly annuity payment to which the eligible annuitant is |
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98 | 98 | | otherwise entitled. |
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99 | 99 | | (e) Subject to Subsection (f) of this section, to be |
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100 | 100 | | eligible for the supplemental payment, a person must be, for the |
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101 | 101 | | month of December 2025, and disregarding any forfeiture of benefits |
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102 | 102 | | under Section 824.601, Government Code, an annuitant eligible to |
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103 | 103 | | receive: |
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104 | 104 | | (1) a standard retirement annuity payment; |
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105 | 105 | | (2) an optional retirement annuity payment as either a |
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106 | 106 | | retiree or beneficiary; |
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107 | 107 | | (3) a life annuity payment under Section |
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108 | 108 | | 824.402(a)(4), Government Code; |
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109 | 109 | | (4) an annuity for a guaranteed period of 60 months |
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110 | 110 | | under Section 824.402(a)(3), Government Code; or |
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111 | 111 | | (5) an alternate payee annuity payment under Section |
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112 | 112 | | 804.005, Government Code. |
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113 | 113 | | (f) If the annuitant is a retiree or a beneficiary under an |
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114 | 114 | | optional retirement payment plan, to be eligible for the |
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115 | 115 | | supplemental payment, the effective date of the retirement of the |
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116 | 116 | | member of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas must have been |
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117 | 117 | | before December 31, 2024. If the annuitant is a beneficiary under |
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118 | 118 | | Section 824.402(a)(3) or (4), Government Code, to be eligible for |
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119 | 119 | | the supplemental payment, the date of death of the member of the |
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120 | 120 | | retirement system must have been before December 31, 2024. The |
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121 | 121 | | supplemental payment shall be made to an alternate payee who is an |
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122 | 122 | | annuitant under Section 804.005, Government Code, only if the |
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123 | 123 | | annuity payment to the alternate payee commenced before December |
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124 | 124 | | 31, 2024. The supplemental payment is in addition to the guaranteed |
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125 | 125 | | number of payments under Section 824.204(c)(3) or (4) or |
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126 | 126 | | 824.402(a)(3), Government Code, and may not be counted as one of the |
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127 | 127 | | guaranteed monthly payments. |
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128 | 128 | | (g) The supplemental payment does not apply to payments |
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129 | 129 | | under: |
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130 | 130 | | (1) Section 824.304(a), Government Code, relating to |
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131 | 131 | | disability retirees with less than 10 years of service credit; |
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132 | 132 | | (2) Section 824.304(b)(2), Government Code, relating |
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133 | 133 | | to disability retirees who receive a disability annuity in an |
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134 | 134 | | amount fixed by statute; |
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135 | 135 | | (3) Section 824.804(b), Government Code, relating to |
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136 | 136 | | participants in the deferred retirement option plan with regard to |
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137 | 137 | | payments from their deferred retirement option plan accounts; |
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138 | 138 | | (4) Section 824.501(a), Government Code, relating to |
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139 | 139 | | retiree survivor beneficiaries who receive a survivor annuity in an |
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140 | 140 | | amount fixed by statute; or |
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141 | 141 | | (5) Section 824.404(a), Government Code, relating to |
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142 | 142 | | active member survivor beneficiaries who receive a survivor annuity |
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143 | 143 | | in an amount fixed by statute. |
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144 | 144 | | (h) Except as provided by this section, the board of |
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145 | 145 | | trustees of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas shall determine |
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146 | 146 | | the eligibility for and the amount and timing of a supplemental |
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147 | 147 | | payment and the manner in which the payment is made. |
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148 | 148 | | SECTION 3. Section 824.704, Government Code, as added by |
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149 | 149 | | this Act, applies only to a monthly benefit payment made by the |
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150 | 150 | | Teacher Retirement System of Texas on or after January 1, 2026. |
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151 | 151 | | SECTION 4. The Teacher Retirement System of Texas is |
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152 | 152 | | required to make a cost-of-living adjustment under Section 824.704, |
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153 | 153 | | Government Code, as added by this Act, or a one-time supplemental |
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154 | 154 | | payment of benefits under Section 2 of this Act only if the board of |
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155 | 155 | | trustees of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas finds that the |
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156 | 156 | | legislature appropriated money to the retirement system in an |
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157 | 157 | | amount sufficient to provide the adjustment or payment without |
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158 | 158 | | increasing the unfunded actuarial liabilities of the retirement |
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159 | 159 | | system. The amount appropriated by the legislature to provide the |
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160 | 160 | | adjustment or payment must be in addition to any amounts the state |
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161 | 161 | | is required to contribute to the retirement system under Section |
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162 | 162 | | 825.404, Government Code. If the board of trustees of the Teacher |
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163 | 163 | | Retirement System of Texas finds that the legislature did not |
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164 | 164 | | appropriate money in an amount sufficient to provide the |
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165 | 165 | | cost-of-living adjustment or one-time supplemental payment without |
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166 | 166 | | increasing the unfunded actuarial liabilities of the retirement |
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167 | 167 | | system, the retirement system may not make the adjustment or |
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168 | 168 | | payment. |
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169 | 169 | | SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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