By Black                                              H.B. No. 2779
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to eligibility for coverage under the Texas Employees
    1-3  Uniform Group Insurance Benefits Act.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Sec. 3(B), Article 3.50-2, Vernon's Texas Civil
    1-6  Statutes, is amended to read as follows:
    1-7        Sec. 3(B)(i) Central Texas College, by an act of its Board of
    1-8  Trustees, may elect not to participate in coverage provided
    1-9  pursuant to the Texas Employees Uniform Group Insurance Benefits
   1-10  Act.  Should Central Texas College elect not to participate in
   1-11  coverage provided pursuant to the Texas Employees Uniform Group
   1-12  Insurance Benefits Act, it shall so notify the trustee of its
   1-13  election not later than six months before the beginning of the
   1-14  fiscal year in which such election is to take effect, and the State
   1-15  of Texas shall provide to Central Texas College alternative funding
   1-16  in the amount necessary to provide the employees and retired
   1-17  employees of Central Texas College levels of medical and life
   1-18  insurance benefits in no circumstance less that those available to
   1-19  such employees and retired employees if Central Texas College had
   1-20  elected to participate in coverage provided under the Texas
   1-21  Employees Uniform Group Insurance Benefits Act.  Under no
   1-22  circumstance shall any break occur in the availability of such
   1-23  coverage to employees and retired employees of Central Texas
    2-1  College.
    2-2        (ii)  Should Central Texas College elect not to participate
    2-3  in coverage provided pursuant to the Texas Employees Uniform Group
    2-4  Insurance Benefits Act, it will be permitted, by an act of its
    2-5  Board of Trustees, to revoke such election at a future date, and to
    2-6  participate again in the coverage provided pursuant to the Texas
    2-7  Employees Uniform Group Insurance Benefits Act, provided that it
    2-8  notifies the trustee of its revocation not later than six months
    2-9  before the beginning of the fiscal year in which such renewed
   2-10  participation in the coverage pursuant to the Texas Employees
   2-11  Uniform Group Insurance Benefits Act is to take effect.
   2-12  Alternative funding in the amount set out in subsection (i) above
   2-13  shall be provided by the State of Texas until active coverage is
   2-14  once again obtained under the Texas Employees Uniform Group
   2-15  Insurance Benefits Act.
   2-16        (iii)  No election or revocation of election authorized by
   2-17  this Section 3B shall be permitted to adversely affect the
   2-18  availability of coverage under the Texas Employees Uniform Group
   2-19  Insurance Benefits Act to any individual who has served as a member
   2-20  of the Board of Trustees of Central Texas College, provided that
   2-21  such individual contribute, in the manner directed by the Employees
   2-22  Retirement System of Texas, the entire amount of money required to
   2-23  pay the premium incurred by such participation.
   2-24        SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-25  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    3-1  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    3-2  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    3-3  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
    3-4  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
    3-5  passage, and it is so enacted.