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.