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 Fed 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 8~210~1in %x8at
que8tion 4. If the smwer to quetttlon three ir
'Zo', whet 18 the poMlt7, Md 'upon uhom does .&t fallt”
‘60 0all attention to the follow4+; proviaicm8 of Senate
Bill No. 47, Aote &th Le:~lrlatum , Jrnownas 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 for publla eduurtion, awh 88 the
commonand independent school boar.:s, th8 bowdr of regettt8
orl.atato oolloger and univsrdtles, the oounty r,&cml
boardr, or 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 l7stem 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 a 8 Of th a t da te 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 %ZIthe
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.
'(2) l3egm Septsmber,l, 1938, and thereefte~
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 . .
"%C. 8-l (8) . . . Contributions to and pa
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 for a metabe~ shall
notexcoedOneHundredEighty ($1&3&O) Dollarrr dur%ng
any otle (l,)-year. .lle~~tloQe ehallbegindth the fiP8t
ppp-rol$&erlod:j or 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
deducilone ma% and provided for heroin and stsall~recsipt
for his fkll salary or coxpenaation, and paynmkt of
3
Hon. J.C. Patterson, Page 3
rakry or c5span8ation, less sold deduction, ehall be a
full end colaplejte dleaharge and acquittame of all ol.aims
attd dezumd.a whatmever for the lervioee 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 I 1, or in et.& other manner as said Board ma7
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
“(a) ii.ach employer shall cause to bo deducted 0% each
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
th6 treasurer of ealdBqplo9er on each end ever7 pay roll
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.lngto the pt?5vlelons OS thi8 Aot. FOP tho pur-
pose of oollecting contribution6 of teacher8 who are teaching
fn commonlchool di8tri8ts, the oounty l uporfntendent or ex-
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 oalaulft 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 4
"(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
of t&id 8ht4lX4Zht. md ii14 the I-4 rith th4 bOUtit
Seantarfof tb State Board of Tmutee8 of the Teaaher
i34tlr4m4at S 8t4la. If additioas to or deduatloar f‘romthi8
list should bmads durin& the year8 8uah addition4 or
doduotlom ehell liksrise be aertlfied under oath to th4
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 r4&?4at it 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 Syclteanbut suoh teacher became+ a n&emberof .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
8y8t4lllWU8 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 iietircxuont3yrtem, that oace a teacher becomes e inaabor of
the teachar iiotlrtxaeatSy8ten, 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 Of 84h001 dilrtriOt4 in thi8 3t4t4 t0
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 %WR b 4 Xl
ldvi8ed Of it8 C4q attl.
HO& J. C. Patt4r80ns Page 5
Ya oall attention to Seotlon 6 (11) wi&ah places
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~-
m4XlO4 Of it8 duty inrpO84d by m, Sl8t t8k&dut4V4~ action
say be damed a;l appropriate and adequate remedy md to the b48t
iater68t of ths 3y8t4?8 -uId4r the ClZWnJUdMC48.
BY I/P Ceail C. Canmaok
Ccoil C. clicuaacll
h8i8tUlt