Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for August 5, 2005 TRS RULES CHANGE

In the "It ain't over till it's over" category...

The outcome of the spring session of the General Assembly brought many pension policy changes for members of the Teachers' Retirement System (TRS), and the Association is continuing to monitor the way TRS proposes to implement those changes. Here's the latest information from President Ken Swanson.

Current Status

Though the pension changes were signed into law June 1, how the law actually will affect TRS members won't be clear until the rules and regulations are written and adopted by the TRS Board of Trustees. The TRS staff is in the very early stages of drafting the new rules and regulations.

TRS will accept written public comment from Aug. 15 to Sept. 16 and also has set Sept. 21 as a date to meet and discuss concerns with the proposed rules. We do not know yet whether the meeting will be public. Check the TRS Web site and the IEA Web site for updates.

TRS Staff Draft

The TRS staff has developed a proposed set of rules and they are available here for download in PDF format. It is important to note that this is a draft that has not yet been processed by the TRS Board of Trustees with whom final authority for rules and regulations rests.

The draft recommendations are troubling because the suggestions are different than, and in most cases inconsistent with, representations previously made by representatives from TRS to IEA leaders and staff. The recommendations also seem to conflict with TRS positions stated in the FAQs on the TRS Web site. Indeed, a few of the rules seem particularly harsh and inconsistent with the intent of SB27.

What Is Being Done

The good news is that there is time to debate these rules with TRS. The IEA Legal and Government Relations departments are working intently to ensure the final rules are consistent with:

• Positions and representations previously articulated by TRS.
• The language and intent of the law.
• The interests of IEA members and locals.

A great deal can, and most likely will, change between now and when the TRS trustees adopt new rules. IEA is actively engaged in addressing these matters and will keep you informed on an ongoing basis.