February 13, 2018   
CALL TO ACTION ALERT!
HB 903 Limits or Eliminates TRS COLA's For Educators After 1993

Please contact your House member now regarding  HB 903 , PAGE-opposed legislation sponsored by Rep. Howard Maxell (R-Dallas). The bill seeks to limit Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA's) for any educator who became a Teachers Retirement System (TRS) member on or after July 1, 1993, unless the annual required employer contribution for the preceding fiscal year was less than $150 million and the employee contribution rate is established by the TRS board at 6 percent.

The COLA conditions contained in the bill would seriously limit or totally eliminate post-retirement benefit increases for educators who began teaching in Georgia after 1993.
Bill Intended to Stir Larger TRS Conversation

Rep. Maxwell chairs the House Regulated Industries Committee and is a former chair of the House Retirement committee. He is a longtime member of the House Education Committee and the Paulding County School Board. Rep. Maxwell has announced he will not seek reelection after his current term ends.

HB 903 is a single-signer bill. PAGE has talked with Rep. Maxwell and expressed serious concern about his plan. Rep. Maxwell explained that his motivation is to curtail taxpayer funding of TRS and pointed to the TRS 2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. He indicated that the bill is intended to provoke a larger conversation about the sustainability of TRS.
Policymakers Must Understand TRS is Critical to Educator 
Families and to Georgia

Though HB 903 may not pass in its current form, its introduction merits contacting your House member now in opposition and to discuss the importance of TRS and its impact on the Georgia teacher pipeline, TRS member families, and the Georgia economy. The TRS website contains a useful table with county-by-county data that can inform discussions with policymakers regarding the impact of HB 903 in their districts. Educators are encouraged to work in concert with PAGE efforts to establish an ongoing dialogue about TRS with policymakers running for reelection and all candidates running in 2018.

The most effective advocacy is polite, positive, and designed to open a lasting line of communication. When contacting policymakers, remember to use your personal, not school, email address and electronic device outside of instructional time.    
  
Use your home address HERE to access your House member's contact info today.
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