Legislation
Arlington RSEA is an affiliate of TRTA (Texas Retired Teachers Association ). TRTA is the only statewide organization in Texas that works exclusively for retired public school and higher education personnel at the legislative level to maintain or improve benefits to all retirees. ARSEA works with our state Legislative Committees to provide members with information about their annuities and TRS benefits. We provide information and resources about upcoming local and state elections and legislative actions. We visit with legislators in person and virtually, and stay in touch by phone and email.
Membership in ARSEA/TRTA provides the following:
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Advocacy on issues important to retirees, including working for a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA), maintaining our health insurance, preserving our annuity with a defined benefits plan.
2027 Legislative Priorities
Protecting the future of Texas education retirees
The Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) is an ardent defender of the traditional Teacher
Retirement System of Texas (TRS) defined benefit plan. Since 1953, TRTA's founding and fundamental
position has been that the most cost-effective and reliable form of retirement security for our retired
educators is the defined benefit plan. TRTA stands firmly behind this belief and will oppose any efforts to close, convert, or weaken the TRS defined benefit plan.
Our Priorities
1 Restore TRS to Actuarial Soundness
HB 2 salary increases in 2025 created $5 billion in TRS unfunded liabilities, pushing the actuarial funding period to 35 years. TRTA supported the educator pay raises, but the Legislature did not fund the actuarial impact. Without this fix, the fund's long-term health is at risk and permanent cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) remain out of reach. When the system's funding is out of alignment, it is the TRS retiree who pays by suffering from inflation.
2 Deliver a Meaningful Benefit Enhancement
Texas education retirees manage their retirement security on very modest fixed pensions that inflation is quietly destroying. The 2023 enhancements were a powerful statement of respect. On average, TRS retirees are 30% behind inflation. We must take another step forward. This session the Legislature needs to pass a state-funded stipend, COLA, or 13th check. All options on the table for decision-makers!
3 Fund TRS-Care
More than 215,000 retirees depend on TRS-Care for their health coverage. TRTA supports full biennial funding at statutory rates, affordable premiums, and a focus on using health care dollars effectively to benefit TRS-Care participants and provide consistent, high quality health care, including rehabilitation services.
TRTA — Advocating for Texas education retirees since 1953
A digital copy of this document is available at: www.trta.org/legislative-priorities
WHAT WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED
TRTA has a proven track record.
In 2024, TRTA worked with its national coalition partners to repeal the arbitrary and unfair Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). For more than four decades, TRS retirees who also worked in the private sector before, during, or after their education careers and paid into Social Security saw their Social Security benefits slashed by WEP, simply because they also received a public pension. TRS retirees also had their spousal or survivor benefits cut or eliminated by GPO. TRTA will continue to keep members updated about the implementation of H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act, as benefits are restored for thousands of TRS retirees and millions of public servants.
In 2023, due to TRTA’s strong advocacy efforts, the Legislature appropriated approximately $5 billion in general revenue designated for COLAs and supplemental payments for eligible TRS annuitants, the largest amount ever appropriated from the state using only general revenue funds for a TRS benefit enhancement.
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Worked with the Legislature to pass Senate Bill 10, providing all TRS annuitants aged 70 and older with a supplemental payment and a tiered cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for TRS annuitants who retired as of August 31, 2020 or before.
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Ensured that the TRS pension fund contribution increases from the state were implemented to help maintain the fund’s actuarial soundness.
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Launched a successful, comprehensive statewide campaign to support the passage of Proposition 9, a constitutional amendment in the November General Election that provided $3.3 billion in general revenue funds for tiered COLAs for TRS annuitants. Proposition 9 received more votes than any of the other 13 amendments on the ballot!
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Helped secure the passage of SCR 28, a resolution urging Congress to repeal GPO and WEP.