H.B. No. 3609
 
 
 
 
AN ACT
  relating to membership and service credit in the Employees
  Retirement System of Texas for certain employees.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 812.201, Government Code, is amended by
  amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (d) to read as
  follows:
         (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (c) or (d), a retiree
  may not rejoin the retirement system as a member of the class from
  which the person retired.
         (d)  A person who retired from the employee class of
  membership with more than 14 years of service credit and who, after
  retirement, resumed employment with a house of the legislature, not
  as an employee of an individual member, is entitled, on request to
  the retirement system, to resume membership in that class and
  receive service credit for the period served in that position after
  retirement. To receive the credit, the person is required to pay
  employee contributions, without interest, for the period of service
  after retirement. The contributions may be deducted from the
  person's annuity as recalculated under this subsection. This
  subsection does not apply to a person whose post-retirement service
  extends after January 1, 2007.
         SECTION 2.  (a)  A member of the Employees Retirement System
  of Texas who is an appointed or elected officer of the Senate of the
  80th Legislature of the State of Texas, as determined by the Senate
  Journal, who has at least 20 years of service credit in the
  retirement system, may transfer the person's service credit to the
  elected class.  A person who makes a transfer under this provision
  may continue to transfer the credit between classes before or after
  retirement.
         (b)  A member of the Employees Retirement System of Texas who
  is an appointed or elected officer of the House of Representatives
  of the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas, as determined by the
  House Journal, and who has also served on the staff of a state
  judicial agency, and who has at least 15 years of service credit in
  the retirement system, may transfer the person's service credit to
  the elected class.  A person who makes a transfer under this
  provision may continue to transfer the credit between classes
  before or after retirement.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
  a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
  provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
  Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
  Act takes effect September 1, 2007.
 
 
  ______________________________ ______________________________
     President of the Senate Speaker of the House     
 
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 3609 was passed by the House on May
  11, 2007, by the following vote:  Yeas 144, Nays 0, 2 present, not
  voting; that the House refused to concur in Senate amendments to
  H.B. No. 3609 on May 25, 2007, and requested the appointment of a
  conference committee to consider the differences between the two
  houses; and that the House adopted the conference committee report
  on H.B. No. 3609 on May 27, 2007, by the following vote:  Yeas 142,
  Nays 2, 2 present, not voting.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 3609 was passed by the Senate, with
  amendments, on May 23, 2007, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays
  0; at the request of the House, the Senate appointed a conference
  committee to consider the differences between the two houses; and
  that the Senate adopted the conference committee report on H.B. No.
  3609 on May 27, 2007, by the following vote:  Yeas 30, Nays 0.
 
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate   
  APPROVED: __________________
                  Date       
   
           __________________
                Governor