House Bill No. 572 amends the Government Code to expand the definitions and eligibility criteria for purchasing military service credit in the Employees Retirement System of Texas. The bill introduces new definitions for "state active duty," "state training and other duty," and "Texas military forces," all of which are aligned with the meanings assigned by Section 437.001. Additionally, it specifies that military service creditable in the retirement system includes both active federal duty and state active duty or training as a member of the Texas military forces.

Furthermore, the bill modifies the conditions under which military service credit can be used in calculating retirement benefits. It removes the previous requirement that a member must have at least five years of service credit in the employee class without military service credit to qualify for benefits. Instead, it allows the retirement system to use military service credit regardless of the amount of service credit the member has in that class. The bill also mandates the board of trustees to adopt rules to comply with federal regulations regarding military service credit. The provisions of this act will take effect on September 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Government Code 811.001, Government Code 813.301, Government Code 813.304, Government Code 820.021 (Government Code 811, Government Code 820, Government Code 813)