By Telford                                             H.B. No. 828
         76R798 GJH-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to reinstatement of certain service credit in the Teacher
 1-3     Retirement System of Texas.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Sections 823.501(a), (b), and (f), Government
 1-6     Code, are amended to read as follows:
 1-7           (a)  An eligible person who has terminated membership in the
 1-8     retirement system under Section 822.003 by withdrawal of
 1-9     contributions or not qualifying for service credit for five
1-10     consecutive years [absence from service] may reinstate in the
1-11     system the service credit canceled by the termination.
1-12           (b) A person is eligible to reinstate service credit under
1-13     this section if at least six months have elapsed since the end of
1-14     the month in which the termination became effective [is one who is
1-15     a contributing member of the retirement system at the time the
1-16     service is reinstated].
1-17           (f) An eligible person [A contributing member] may have an
1-18     account that was terminated by not qualifying for service credit
1-19     for five consecutive years [absence from service] reactivated by
1-20     requesting the reactivation in writing.  The beneficiary of a
1-21     decedent who was a contributing member at the time of death may
1-22     reactivate [have] an account that was terminated by the decedent's
1-23     not qualifying for service credit for five consecutive years
1-24     [absence from service reactivated] by requesting the reactivation
 2-1     in writing before the first payment of a death benefit.
 2-2           SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
 2-3           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
 2-4     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
 2-5     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 2-6     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 2-7     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.