10/9/07
Information sheet for Public Safety Officers (pdf)
6/15/07
The TMRS Bill, HB 1244, was signed by Governor Perry. In addition, HB 3392, the “Laredo bill” was signed by the Governor. HB 3392, filed on behalf of Laredo municipal employees, has an immediate effective date. If your city has ever privatized part of its workforce, and later reversed the action, this provision may apply to some of your city's retirees. Please contact TMRS if you think this provision applies to your city.
5/14/07
HB 1244 was passed by the full Senate. After some administrative measures are completed in the House, the bill will be headed to the Governor.
5/03/07
The Senate State Affairs committee passed HB 1244. The bill was referred to the Senate Local and Uncontested calendar and could pass the full Senate as early as mid-May.
4/19/07
The Texas House of Representatives passed HB 1244 by Kuempel, as substituted by the House Pensions and Investments Committee. The bill now goes to the Senate, where its companion legislation is being heard in the Senate State Affairs Committee.
HB 1244 does not contain the provision that would allow a TMRS retiree to return to work for the same city from which he or she retired without suspension of benefits, nor does it include the additional matching ratios.
3/29/07
The Committee Substitute for HB 1244 by Kuempel has passed out of the House Pensions and Investments Committee with the recommendation that it be placed on the House Local and Consent Calendar.
3/22/07
A Committee Substitute for HB 1244 was heard in the House Pensions and Investments Committee. The Committee took testimony on the bill but did not vote.
2/16/07
SB 681 by Williams has been filed as the companion bill to HB 1244 by Kuempel.
2/12/07
House Bill 1244 by Kuempel, was referred to House Pensions and Investments Committee.
2/8/2007
HB 1244 by Representative Kuempel has been filed in the Texas Legislature. If passed by the Legislature, the bill will enact the following recommendations of the TMRS Board of Trustees. Please watch this page for information as the bill progresses through the legislative process.
HB 1244 contains the following recommendations of the TMRS Board of Trustees:
- Allow cities to make additional contributions to TMRS above the calculated contribution rate, on a voluntary basis, to give cities more flexibility in paying for their TMRS benefits and modify the statutory Maximum Contribution rate for cities so that additional contributions can be made.
- Permit the TMRS Board to set amortization periods for funding TMRS pension liabilities, but the period will not be longer than 25 years. This keeps current limits and provides added funding flexibility.
- Grants the TMRS Board rulemaking authority to permit distributions to qualified health insurance providers for retired public safety officers under the federal Pension Protection Act.
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