A New Legislature, A COLA, & A 13th Check

When the Legislature last met in Austin two years ago, lawmakers took an important and long-overdue step to support retired state workers like you and me who spent our careers making Texas stronger, safer, and healthier.

They agreed to invest $510 million in additional funds in ERS every year moving forward. That investment finally put the retirement fund on the path to becoming financially sound — and laid the foundation for a potential Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) in the coming years. As you know, we have not had a COLA in 20 years, and the cost of groceries, gas, and housing continue to rise because of historic global inflation. 

We thank Texas lawmakers for their commitment two years ago — and are also reminding them there is more work to be done now that they’ve returned to Austin for the 88th session.

Comptroller Glenn Hegar has announced that Texas has a $32.7 billion budget surplus. That means that if lawmakers are committed to supporting retirees again this session, they have the resources to do so. 

Our priorities for the legislative session are: 

• Securing a long-overdue COLA for retirees once ERS is financially stable. 

• Getting a 13th paycheck for state retirees in 2023, just like retired teachers have received in recent years. 

• Maintaining the additional yearly investment in ERS that lawmakers approved last session. 

It’s often said that the five-month-long legislative session is a marathon and not a sprint. We are starting that marathon, and we intend to remind lawmakers at every mile marker of the vital need to support state retirees.