February 4, 2019
Legislative Session
Special Report: HB 109, TRS Bill
Report Snapshot

TRS Bill Introduced by House Retirement Chairman

Proposed TRS Changes for New Educators after July 1, 2019

Impact Questions & Next Steps
Upcoming Events

Tuesday, Feb. 5 - Legislative Day 8

Joint House & Senate Education Committee, 406 CLOB, 1:00 p.m.

House Retirement Committee, 415 CLOB, 2:00 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 6 - Legislative Day 9

House Appropriations Education Subcommittee, 341 CAP, 9:00 a.m.

Thursday, Feb. 7 - Legislative Day 10

Friday, Feb. 8 - Legislative Day 11
TRS Bill Introduced by House Retirement Chairman
Recently, a bill altering retirement provisions for new Georgia educators who begin employment after July 1, 2019, was introduced at the Capitol . The legislation’s lead sponsor is retired Georgia educator and TRS member Tommy Benton (R-Jefferson) who is the new chair of the House Retirement Committee.

HB 109 has not yet been heard in committee, but it is generating a number of questions and concerns as has a recent state audit of TRS which PAGE reported on HERE .
Proposed TRS Changes for New Educators after July 1, 2019
HB 109 proposes the following for incoming educators who become TRS members after July 1, 2019:

  • Changing the calculation in determining “average final compensation” to the five highest consecutive years of an educator’s salary. For current members, the calculation is based on the two highest years of salary.

  • Lowers the maximum earnable compensation that can be used in the determination of retirement benefits to $200,000 with an escalator for inflation. The limit/no limit for current TRS members is $280,000.

  • Set a new range of 6-10 percent for mandatory employee contributions to TRS. The percentage would be determined annually by the TRS board and would reflect “needs of the fiscal state of the retirement system.” The employee contribution range for current members is 5-6 percent.

  • Eliminate the opportunity for educators to use unused sick leave toward retirement credit.

  • Eliminate the right for teachers to retire in advance of the start of the school year when they achieve their 30 years of service by Dec. 31 of that school year.

  • Limit the salary increases used to determine the highest five years of compensation to two.

The state auditor’s certification attached to HB 109 deems the legislation to be non-fiscal, so unlike retirement legislation with a clear fiscal impact, HB 109 is eligible to pass during the current legislative session and need not move through the two-year fiscal bill actuarial process.

PAGE staff met with Chairman Benton on Jan. 22 to discuss his anticipated bill, which had not been published at that time. At that meeting, the chairman stressed his intention to preserve TRS as a defined benefit plan, a goal PAGE shares.
Impact Questions & Next Steps
PAGE has invited Benton to present information about HB 109 at our upcoming Day on Capitol Hill event on Tuesday, Feb. 19. Attendees at that event, which will include students in Georgia teacher preparation programs as well as practicing teachers and administrators, will have an opportunity to talk with Benton and other legislators about TRS and other education policies impacting teacher recruitment and retention. 
HB 109 is expected to be considered soon by the House Retirement Committee, though it is not yet clear if the bill will be on the agenda for tomorrow’s committee meeting .

Education stakeholders, particularly students enrolled in Georgia teacher preparation programs, may contact Benton and their House members regarding the bill (use your home address to retrieve your representative’s contact info HERE ). As always when contacting policymakers, use your personal (not school) email address and electronic device outside of instructional time. Remember to personalize your message to explain how HB 109 may impact you and your ability to serve students.

In conjunction with PAGE efforts to obtain the information, stakeholders contacting policymakers may request fiscal information regarding proposed dollars saved by the various reforms suggested in HB 109 and the legislation’s proposed impact on incoming Georgia educators.
Margaret Ciccarelli
Legislative Affairs Specialist