BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 1532

                                                                                                                                          By: Averitt

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Currently, public school employees who resign at the end of a school year are not entitled to remain on the school district's insurance policy during the summer months.  As proposed, S.B. 1532 allows an employee of a school district to remain on the school district's group health insurance coverage through the summer months, if the employee's resignation was effective after the last day of an instructional year.  S.B. 1532 also prohibits the school district or the Teacher Retirement System from diminishing or eliminating the amount of a contribution or salary supplementation available to the employee as long as he or she is eligible to participate in the group health insurance plan.  

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. 

ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 22.004, Education Code, by adding Subsections (k) and (l), as follows: 
 
               (k)  Entitles an employee of a district participating in the uniform group coverage program under Subsection (a) or providing group health coverage under Subsection (b) whose resignation is effective after the last day of an instructional year, notwithstanding any other law, to participate or be enrolled in the uniform group coverage plan or the group health coverage through the first anniversary of the date participation in or coverage under the uniform group coverage plan or the group health coverage is first made available to district employees for the last instructional year in which the employee was employed by the district. 
 

              (l)  If an employee's resignation is effective after the last day of an instructional year, the district and the Teacher Retirement System of Texas may not diminish or eliminate the amount of a contribution or salary supplementation available to the employee under Chapter 1579 (Texas School Employees Uniform Group Health Coverage), 1580 (Active Employee Health Coverage or Compensation Supplementation), or 1581 (Employer Expenditures for School Employee Health Coverage Plans), Insurance Code, before the last date on which the employee is entitled to participation or enrollment under Subsection (k).

SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies beginning with the 2005 - 2006 school year.

EFFECTIVE DATE

This Act takes effect September 1, 2005.