H.B. No. 1608
 
 
 
 
AN ACT
  relating to participation in and contributions to the state
  employee charitable campaign by retired state employees.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 659.140(c), Government Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (c)  The [Each member of the] state policy committee must:
               (1)  be composed of employees and retired state
  employees receiving benefits under Chapter 814; and
               (2)  [a state employee. The membership must] represent
  employees at different levels of employee classification.
         SECTION 2.  Section 659.143(b), Government Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (b)  The presiding officer of a local employee committee
  shall recruit at least five but not more than 10 additional members.
  The members must represent different levels of employee
  classification. One or more members may be retired state employees
  receiving retirement benefits under Chapter 814.
         SECTION 3.  The heading to Section 814.009, Government Code,
  is amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 814.009.  DEDUCTION FROM ANNUITY FOR STATE EMPLOYEE
  ORGANIZATION.
         SECTION 4.  Subchapter A, Chapter 814, Government Code, is
  amended by adding Sections 814.0095 and 814.0096 to read as
  follows:
         Sec. 814.0095.  CHARITABLE DEDUCTION FROM ANNUITY. (a)  
  Except as provided by Section 814.0096(c), a person who receives an
  annuity under this subchapter may, on a printed or electronic form
  filed with the retirement system, authorize the retirement system
  to deduct from the person's monthly annuity payment the amount of a
  contribution to the state employee charitable campaign in the
  manner and for the same purposes for which a state employee may
  authorize deductions to that campaign under Subchapter I, Chapter
  659.
         (b)  An authorization under this section must direct the
  board of trustees to deposit the deducted funds with the
  comptroller for distribution as required by Section 659.132(g) in
  the same manner in which a state employee's deduction is
  distributed.
         (c)  An authorization under this section remains in effect
  for the period described by Section 659.137 unless the person
  revokes the authorization by giving notice to the board of
  trustees.
         (d)  The board of trustees may adopt rules to administer this
  section.  Any rules adopted must be consistent with the
  comptroller's rules related to the state employee charitable
  campaign.
         Sec. 814.0096.  COORDINATION WITH STATE EMPLOYEE CHARITABLE
  CAMPAIGN POLICY COMMITTEE. (a) The board of trustees and the state
  employee charitable campaign policy committee established under
  Section 659.140 shall coordinate responsibility for the
  administration of charitable deductions from annuity payments to
  the state employee charitable campaign under Section 814.0095.
         (b)  The state policy committee is authorized to approve a
  budget that includes funding for as many of the expenses incurred by
  the retirement system associated with the implementation and
  administration of annuitants' participation in the state employee
  charitable campaign as is practicable, including notification of
  annuitants.
         (c)  Except as provided by this subsection, the board of
  trustees shall charge an administrative fee to cover any costs not
  paid under Subsection (b) in the implementation of Section 814.0095
  to the charitable organizations participating in the state employee
  charitable campaign conducted under that section in the same
  proportion that the contributions to that charitable organization
  bear to the total of contributions in that campaign. The board of
  trustees shall determine the most efficient and effective method of
  collecting the administrative fee and shall adopt rules for the
  implementation of this subsection.
         (d)  If necessary, the board of trustees and the state policy
  committee may make the annuity deduction authorization under
  Section 814.0095(a) available in stages to subgroups of the
  retirement system's annuity recipients as money becomes available
  to cover the expenses under Subsection (b) of this section.
         SECTION 5.  (a)  The board of trustees of the Employees
  Retirement System of Texas, in cooperation with the comptroller and
  the state employee charitable campaign policy committee
  established under Section 659.140, Government Code, as amended by
  this Act, may adopt rules to implement Sections 814.0095 and
  814.0096, Government Code, as added by this Act.
         (b)  The board of trustees of the Employees Retirement System
  of Texas by rule shall designate the start date on which annuity
  deductions begin under Sections 814.0095 and 814.0096, Government
  Code, as added by this Act.
         SECTION 6.  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, 2011.
 
 
  ______________________________ ______________________________
     President of the Senate Speaker of the House     
 
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 1608 was passed by the House on May
  13, 2011, by the following vote:  Yeas 134, Nays 4, 2 present, not
  voting.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
 
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 1608 was passed by the Senate on May
  24, 2011, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0
  .
 
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate    
  APPROVED:  _____________________
                     Date          
   
            _____________________
                   Governor