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