Priority

• Ensure adequate actuarial funding for the Teachers’ Retirement System, in part by opposing legislation intended to reduce or eliminate the state’s personal income tax, which is a major source of revenue for the retirement system.

• Achieve a cost-of-living benefits adjustment (COLA) comparable to other state retirement systems, starting with the establishment of a permanent COLA revolving account and securing sources of COLA funding.

• Enhance the voice of Oklahoma’s retired educators on the Teachers’ Retirement System Board of Trustees by adding one new member elected by retired educators themselves.

• Achieve adequate state funding for public education at all levels.

Others

• Protect and improve the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS) defined benefit plan design.

• Increase the TRS health insurance premium subsidy for retired educators.

• Provide individual retirees the option to enroll/re-enroll in state-sponsored insurance programs after initial retirement upon occurrence of a qualifying event.

• Monitor changes in law at the state and federal levels to ensure high quality healthy insurance offerings to retired educators at an affordable cost.

• Increase from $5,000 to $7,500 the death benefit payable to beneficiaries of retired educators.

• Provide a one-time “catch up” benefits improvement to qualifying retired educators living at or below the poverty level, and who meet years of service and other criteria.