1-1 By: Bivins S.J.R. No. 52 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed April 20, 2001; April 20, 2001, read 1-3 first time and referred to Committee on Education; May 3, 2001, 1-4 reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 8, Nays 0; 1-5 May 3, 2001, sent to printer.) 1-6 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 1-7 proposing a constitutional amendment to authorize the legislature 1-8 to use contributions to the pension fund of the Teacher Retirement 1-9 System of Texas to finance health care benefits for retirees of 1-10 that system. 1-11 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-12 SECTION 1. Subdivision (1), Subsection (b), Section 67, 1-13 Article XVI, Texas Constitution, is amended to read as follows: 1-14 (1) The legislature shall establish by law a Teacher 1-15 Retirement System of Texas to provide benefits for persons employed 1-16 in the public schools, colleges, and universities supported wholly 1-17 or partly by the state. Other employees may be included under the 1-18 system by law. The legislature may enact laws to include within 1-19 the retirement benefits provided to retirees by the Teacher 1-20 Retirement System of Texas health care benefits in the manner 1-21 provided by Section 401(h), Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and its 1-22 subsequent amendments, or its successor statute, that are financed 1-23 by contributions under this section. 1-24 SECTION 2. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be 1-25 submitted to the voters at an election to be held August 11, 2001. 1-26 The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the 1-27 proposition: "The constitutional amendment to provide for the use 1-28 of contributions to the pension fund of the Teacher Retirement 1-29 System of Texas to finance health care benefits for retirees of the 1-30 system." 1-31 * * * * *