HBA-MPM C.S.H.B. 2122 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 2122
By: Tillery
Pensions & Investments
4/24/2001
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

In 1997, the 75th Legislature redesignated the Texas Statewide Volunteer
Fire Fighters Retirement Fund as the Texas Statewide Emergency Services
Personnel Retirement Fund to extend  benefits from a statewide retirement
system to volunteer firefighters and other emergency services personnel.
C.S.H.B. 2122 makes technical and administrative changes to the Texas
Statewide Emergency Services Retirement Act to facilitate the efficient
operation of the fund. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 2122 amends the Texas Statewide Emergency Services Retirement Act
to specify that six members rather than all nine members of the state board
of trustees must be active members of the fund, and that five members of
the local board of trustees representing emergency services personnel are
active. The bill requires the board to determine the appeal of a decision
of a local board of trustees based on the hearing record of the state
office of administrative hearings. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 2122 differs from the original bill to remove the provision that
increased the amount of a monthly retirement annuity from six to seven
times the governing body's average monthly contribution over the member's
term of qualified service.  The substitute also removes provisions in the
original that increased the percentage of a member's monthly pension
compounded annually to which a member is entitled for each year of
additional qualified service in excess of 15 years from seven to 7.5
percent.  The substitute adds provisions regarding active members and the
appeal process.