HBA-SEB H.B. 3327 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3327 By: Gallego Pensions and Investments 4/1/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, the amount of a peace officer's disability retirement annuity is 50 percent of the officer's monthly compensation. This amount may not be sufficient for a disabled officer who needs to retrain or find a new line of work. At this time, 134 officers in this state receive retirement benefits due to an injury sustained in the line of duty. H.B. 3327 increases the minimum retirement annuity for a disabled peace officer from 50 to 70 percent of the officer's monthly salary. 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. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 814.207(c), Government Code, to prohibit a disability retirement annuity under this section (Disability Retirement Benefits for Certain Peace Officers) from being less than 70, rather than 50, percent, of the officer's monthly compensation regardless of the amount of service credited to the officer in the employee class of the Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS). SECTION 2. Requires ERS to recompute an annuity that first became payable before September 1, 1999, as though Section 814.207(c), Government Code, as amended by this Act, was in effect on the date the annuity first became available. Provides that the first payment of the recomputed annuity is payable on the first payment date occurring on or after the effective date of this Act. SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 4. Emergency clause.