The bill, S.B. No. 1892, proposes a cost-of-living adjustment for certain benefits paid by the Employees Retirement System of Texas, specifically targeting death benefit annuities for eligible annuitants. A new section, 814.605, is added to the Government Code, which outlines the criteria for eligibility for this adjustment. To qualify, the annuitant must be alive on the effective date of the adjustment and must have been receiving a death benefit annuity based on the service of a deceased member who was a law enforcement officer at the time of their occupational death. The adjustment will not apply to benefits based on service credited in the elected class.

The adjustment will begin with annuities payable in January 2026 and will be calculated based on the date of the member's death, with different percentage increases (seven percent for deaths before August 31, 2014, and four percent for deaths after that date). The board of trustees is tasked with determining eligibility and the amount of the adjustment, which is in addition to any other adjustments granted under existing laws. The bill stipulates that it will only apply to monthly benefit payments made on or after January 1, 2026, and will take effect immediately if it receives a two-thirds vote from both houses of the legislature; otherwise, it will take effect on September 1, 2025.

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