BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 265

By: Hernandez

Pensions

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties contend that the ineligibility of a retiree of the Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS) for membership as an elected member on the ERS board of trustees excludes an important stakeholder group from policymaking decisions that may directly affect the future of ERS. H.B. 265 seeks to address this issue by revising the composition of the ERS board of trustees to provide for the election of a retiree to the board.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

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

H.B. 265 amends the Government Code to decrease from three to two the number of elected members of the board of trustees of the Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS) who must be ERS members and hold positions that are included in the employee class of membership and are not with an agency or department with which another trustee holds a position. The bill requires the third elected board member to either meet those requirements or be an ERS retiree.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2017.