Case Information
*1 THEATI-ORNEP GENERAL OF TEXAS -
Avsrur.
-s
Eonorable J. C, Potteram
Coutity Attorney
Benfami$n, Texas
3ear 311-t Opl.Qloa EC', o-l!?'30
Ret Tmmheerr Rotlrement 'Syrtem
iVe we 5.n reaelpt of 7our letter Of September 30, 1939, in.whieh the tellwlng qae8tions preaontod to ou by the Superfntend- ent,ot the Sutuaet Aural High Who01 Lpe submit F ed to thi8 Departmnt for an oplnionl 'Queirtion 1. 7&at is the pen8lt7 if 8 beg-
toaaher doer not oloot ta betmar a 8tmsbec of the Re~lrezaont System, md tha local 8chool board se88 fit to e.3~107 oaid tewhert
"&e8tlazi 2. If there ia a penalty, doe8 St fall upott the beginnIng teaober, the school board, or botht "%C?8tiOZl 3. 'Yiiy a teacher who is 6 monbw of tho -ietir4ment ~g8tWl~ cleat QOt to raaain In the said Retirement +h3m, and rtlll teaah 8~210~1 in %x8at
que8tion 4. If the smwer to quetttlon three ir 'Zo', whet 18 the poMlt7, Md 'upon uhom does .&t fallt” follow4+; proviaicm8 of Senate
‘60 0all attention to the Bill No. 47, Aote &th Le:~lrlatum , Jrnown as the Tea&or Retlramant Ei1J.l
"Sea.. 1 (5) 1 Bapleyart Shall mean the Stktv'of TOXU 8nd an7 of ita derignated agent8 or agenate nfth WI- ponaibilit.7 a&i authority publla eduurtion, awh 88 the common and independent school boar.:s, th8 bowdr of regettt8 orl.atato oolloger and univsrdtles, the oounty r,&cml boardr, 8n7 other ageno of and ~&thin the Sfra&# by whlah a person 8ia7 be aGIplo7ed for servl5e in yd%o eduoa- tien.
Eon, J.C. Pnttoraoa, PoZe 2 ,(6) *Member* aball moan any tea&W iaoluded In
the momborahlp or the l 7stem as provided in Se&ion 3 or thi8 Act,
"S"0ti0n 3. ldemberabipt The membership of 8aid
i?etI,reraont System ahall be composed ae follourt
'(1) All ersons who are teaohereon the d&e as or rhltah the RetL tat syotam is rrtabll8hed ahall becOm6 member8 a8 Of that date 6s l collation Of th0i.F employment unlerr wfthin a period of nfnety (90) days after September 1, 1937, any suah teacher mh~U file dth the State Board of Trustees on a fbn~ prorcrlbed by ruch Board, a notice of his election not to be covered %ZI the memberahlp of the System md a duly executed rkiver OS all prose!& aud prospectlvo benefits rh5.ch uould othemiae inure to him on acoount of his participation in the Retire- milt s~8tIWl. 1938, and thereefte~
'(2) l3egm Septsmber,l, arry teacher teaching for the first time in Texas ahall beccoae a member of tha Rotitement sy8tcna &is a oonditlon Of hi8 ~~0>7fteZtt.
The ewtmt oontplbutad b7 s&h teaahez. to the Ro??t Fund &elf be five (5%) per a&m of the ~0gul6r amual oaapensatlon paid eachqmber, tlia amount not to ix&eed One Iiundred Eighty (W3O~~.Dollvs per anmxb . . . . . Contributions to and pa "%C. 8-l (8)
fr~mtheTeael!wr SaringFundahallbemade aa io lr- oust "(b) Each Raploper &&a&& oawo to be deduated from the 8altu-y of +3h member on eaoh end every pq-roll of 8utah employer for each and every papr5ll pod&, flvo (5%) per ceatum of hi8 earnable oompene&tloa, provided that the sum of the dwiuotloas made a metabe~ shall notexcoedOneHundredEighty ($1&3&O) Dollarrr dur%ng any otle (l,)-year. .lle~~tloQe ehallbegindth the fiP8t ppp-rol$&erlod:j the mheol year 19f7-1938. . .
.?‘(e) The dsduetions provided for herein &all be made notw.$tCstanding t&at the minimun compensation provided for by law for any member sh6ll be roduced thereby.
Every member shall be deemed to coriaent and agree to the for heroin and stsall~recsipt deducilone ma% and provided for his fkll salary or coxpenaation, and paynmkt of *3 Hon. J.C. Patterson, Page
rakry or c5span8ation, less sold deduction, ehall be a full end colaplejte dleaharge and acquittame of all ol.aims attd dezumd.a whatmever the l ervioee rendwed by ouch perwn durin;; the period covered by 8uch payment, except es to the becsSLtr provided under this Act. The employer &hall certlf to the State Boswd of Tnuto;e8 on eaoh end every pay-m 1, or in et.& other manner as said Board ma7 I
prtaoribe, the eaaottnte to be deducted: aqd each of eqid emount8 shell be deducted, and when deducted *hall be paid into refd Teachor Saving Fund9 end -‘be sredlted, to the lndivldual &ccount of the member harm whose com- pezmation 8aid deduction 1~8 made,.”
‘Soa.8-7 (1) The oollectlon of lnembers~ contribution6 shall be aa follower ii.ach employer shall cause to bo deducted 0% each “(a)
and over7 pay-roll of a member for each end ever7 pay roll period 8ub8eqIUUlt to the date of errtsblislvbnt of the Re- tiroemnt System tho contributions papaale by euch member, ea provided in this Act,. Each emgloper Ball oortlfy tc on each end ever7 pay roll th6 treasurer of ealdBqplo9er a statesent a8 vouche~e .;Sor the mount 80 deducted,
“(b) The tremr or proper diebursi.ng oSSlccur of each e143.oyor on authority from the employer ahall m&o de- ductlam Sraa salaries of teachers a8 provided in thla Act, aad &all trami& monthl9, or at crreb time a8 the State Board of Truateee shall deslgnat~, a cortifled oopy OS the pey roll, md tho amount epecifiod to be deducted ehall be pal& to the Executive Secretary of the State Bcprd of Turetoee, and aStor eiaklng a reaord of all reooipte, the 8tid board 8hau pO!y thsln t0 the Tmasurer Of the ‘State, of Texas, utd by him be or6dited to Teacher Retirement Fund, and euch fUnda 8hell be deemed 66 approprloted Snr uee a5oord.lng to the pt?5vlelons OS thi8 Aot. FOP tho pur- pose of oollecting contribution6 of teacher8 who are teaching the oounty l uporfntendent ex- fn common l chool di8tri8ts, offioio couziky 8uperintondent of each county of.this State is hereb7.de8ignated to perfom the duties of emplo9or of all oomon eahool dietrlets over uh.bh he h&8 #urfedltstlan, and he $8 hereby auehorlsed end empowered to retain the anoun~c so deducted Sroln pay rolla of members and heqo a correrpondini; (Mount deduote,d f’rom en funds mailable for paying teachersi salaries, and tr oalaulf t same to the Executive Secretary OS the State Board of Tmuteee a8 provided Sor in thi8 dct. Arg ooLI.ege or qniverelty 0~ other eduoatlonsl lnetitutlon or agonc7 supported in rhoIs or in pert by the State rh~&Y. heve the smount retained or deduoted from the Sunds ro,fu3erl7 appropriated by the State &or, the current aPaintenence for s-ah educational departsent end luetltutiom.
Bon, J. c. Petterecn, Page
"(0) For the purpose of eneblizg the collgatloa of sivs ($1 p4r oentm or the SalIirf48 of a0 aemb8F.8 or the retLrm4at Syatam to be nwi4 a8 8iapl4 as popeible, the sate -358rd or lku8t44r &all requlrb th4 8+&4tary or other oiiiaer of each 4t4#ey4r=boerd or ~&my* within thirty (9) dUy8 Uft4P th4b4~~~Or 44ah8t%hoOly44.~, t0 E4k4 Up 8 Li8t Of ti t444h42’8 in it8 4Klp1OJ. UhO &X’4 - bel’r Of th4 ii4t-t Sy8tePI, 8Ot Oat th4iI’ 84hd48 by the mmth axd by th4 y4Us Z48k4 Ut UfiidUVit to th4 OOl'-&iIL488 t&id 8ht4lX4Zht. md ii14 of the I-4 rith th4 bOUtit Seantarfof tb State Board of Tmutee8 of the Teaaher i34tlr4m4at S 8t4la. If additioas to or deduatloar f‘rom thi8 should bmads durin& the year8 8uah addition4 or list doduotlom ehell be aertlfied under oath to th4 liksrise State 8Oacd Ot -hl8t448 Of th4 ‘p444h4P R4til’4lR8& Sy8t4IZh
“Sea. 6 (11) Th4 Attorney G4nsr41 of the 3tat.4 ot T&as 8hallb4 the lsgll adviser of the St4t4 Board of TPu8t~d8, 8nd oh&l it r4&?4at ti 4ll ~itigPtiOJ38.’ 31th refersacre to your first que8tio~ we dish to point .oul th8t updsr SootiOn 3 (2) Pny b@XUl~ t464h4r W&O 18 magloyed fbr th4 fk8t tine l&3 Texas doee not have an olootlon to became a member or the iietiraaeat Sycltean but suoh teacher became+ a n&ember of .tihe i:etUement .?ay8t- 48 8 condition of hia ongloyzrmnt, a4 a laatt4r of 10% Th4 I-4 I8 t.584 Of p4I'8OZM Who WOI'4 t4Wh4W OP tbo date the 8y8t4lll WU8 e8teb&Bhed uril488 8uOh t4MheP 4%4W418bd hi8 4leCtiOIi not to be aovered th4rrby within ninety days after Septembar 1, 1937.
This 24partuent r-&led in a lo,tter oalnloa d&ed Sept-jmber 22, 1937, addressed to Efon. 2b-id.mr GrORI, :~xecutive %amtary Teaeher iietircxuont 3yrtem, that oace a teacher becomes e inaabor of the teachar iiotlrtxaeat Sy8ten, he car;aot dthdrar iron membership in such system cxaept to aen84 being 4 t44Ch4rs to die or to be retlrod with a dissbillty benefit or to be retired on wcount of aga with 8uah annuity or other bezmf%it 48 is releoted by auf& tsachec. BIe a&r44 wfth the conelusion 4Qr4884d in that opinion and enalose 8 copy h4reritL
Xt is 414tw from a’reading of the above quoted provlsiw of th4 Feaaher Hstirem4at Act th8t a duty is iaQw84d upon th4 gOV4rming bOdie8 UId O?fiO4r4 in thi8 3t4t4 t0 Of 84h001 dilrtriOt4 aek4 the dedu4tioru raquic4d by law UUI properly 4ooount therefor? Altiiou& thin dot plWVid.8 no 4pecifio penalty for 4 f4Ilur4 on the part of locsl pubU0 oftloi4ls to perform th4ir dx.zty, ~4 omnot pr4arune th8t they will rillfully and violate the olear l48date Of th4 b%W Rb 4Xl l dvi8ed Of it8 C4q attl.
HO& J. C. Patt4r80ns Page to Seotlon 6 (11) wi&ah places
Ya oall attention the duty upQn tki8 departibent to aot a8 14f3d Adviser mid rOpl'484Zlt th4 Stat4 hard Of TFU8t448 in ti1 $.fti&dfOn, If the OOoa8iOn rhauld 4X184 , thi8 departamVinthe pe%'fo~- inrpO84d by m, m4XlO4 Of it8 duty Sl8t t8k&dut4V4~ action say be damed a;l appropriate and adequate remedy md to the b48t iater68t of ths the ClZWnJUdMC48. 3y8t4?8 -uId4r
BY I/P Ceail C. Canmaok Ccoil C. clicuaacll h8i8tUlt