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Welcome to a new school year! As you settle in from summer – and look forward to those fall temperatures – we’re bringing you up to speed on what happened during the recently wrapped 2025 legislative session and what’s on tap at TRSL.
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A recap of the 2025 Regular Legislative Session
Teacher Pay: Once again, the state’s voters will decide whether to increase teacher pay by lowering school employer costs. A constitutional amendment is coming to the ballot in the spring to decide the issue.
On April 18, 2026, voters will be asked whether funds in three constitutionally protected education trust accounts should be used to pay retirement debt as a way to create savings for TRSL-participating employers and fund permanent teacher pay raises. A similar proposal was contained in a proposed amendment that failed in a statewide vote last March.
The ballot language is in Act 222, which calls for amending the state constitution to take the balance in the three trust accounts and use it to eliminate a portion of TRSL’s Unfunded Accrued Liability (UAL). Since payment of the UAL is factored into the annual contribution rate employers pay to TRSL, employer costs would decrease.
A companion piece of legislation, Act 366, directs the savings from the reduced employer contribution rate to be used to make permanent salary increases of $2,250 for teachers and $1,125 for school personnel beginning in the 2026-27 school year if the constitutional amendment passes.
Other legislation that passed
Here are another few pieces of legislation that might be of interest to you. Complete details can be found online at www.trsl.org/legislation.
- Optional Retirement Plan (ORP)
Act 47 – formerly House Bill 24 - makes a number of changes to the Optional Retirement Plan (ORP), which is an alternative plan available to academic and unclassified employees of Louisiana colleges and universities.
The changes include extending the window of time for certain ORP participants to leave the ORP and rejoin the TRSL defined benefit retirement plan; providing a limited opportunity for some ORP participants who were previously ineligible to leave the ORP and rejoin TRSL the ability to do so; expanding ORP eligibility to technical college staff; allowing new employees who meet certain criteria to opt out of TRSL membership; and adding the Commissioner of Higher Education or designee to the TRSL Board of Trustees.
If you’d like to learn more, further resources are available at www.trsl.org/orp.
- Return to Work (RTW)
Senate Study Request 1 tasks the Senate Committee on Retirement with weighing possible changes to the state’s current return-to-work laws. The stated goal is to balance retiree options, employer needs and the financial soundness of the retirement system. Findings must be reported to the full Senate prior to the 2026 Regular Legislative Session.
- Citizenship/Immigration Verification and Public Benefits
Act 351 requires state agencies or political subdivisions to verify the citizenship or immigration status of applicants for federal, state or local public benefits, including retirement benefits. For purposes of benefits paid by a public retirement system, the verification of an employee’s U.S. citizenship or satisfactory immigration status at the time of enrollment will satisfy verification requirements. If citizenship or legal immigration status can’t be verified, a report must be made to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and recurring benefits must be terminated.
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Special Elections for Colleges/Universities and District 2:
Don’t forget to vote!
Voting is underway or will start soon in special elections for the seats on the TRSL Board of Trustees representing members employed in higher education and those employed in District 2 (Orleans, St. Tammany and Washington parishes). This is your opportunity for your voice to be heard!
Here are the deadlines for casting your ballot:
- Colleges/Universities: 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 15.
- District 2: 4:30 p.m., Friday, November 28.
For more information, including how to vote, please visit www.trsl.org/elections.
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Annual Member Statements Are Now Online!
Your road to retirement begins the very first day you work for a TRSL-participating employer. Track every mile of the journey with your annual Member Statement, which just landed in your Member Access account.
Member Statements are updated at the start of every school year with new service credit totals, your designated beneficiaries, and your earnings.
If you have at least five years of service credit and have not entered DROP, you’ll also find projected retirement eligibility dates and an estimated future benefit so you know exactly when you can retire and how much income to expect each month.
Check out your Member Statement today and don’t miss a mile of your retirement journey.
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Happy fall! Leaves are falling, which means a new lineup of webinars is calling. We’ve brewed up sessions on DROP, retirement calculators, and more that will keep you busy until the holidays. Here a few upcoming webinars below.
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- TRSL's Member Access & Estimate Calculator
4:30 p.m., Thursday, October 23
- New to TRSL
4:30 p.m., Thursday, November 13
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Whether you’re new (or not so new) to TRSL we’ve got resources designed with you in mind.
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If you're new or still have a few years to retirement...
A TRSL User’s Guide lets you kick the tires, understand how your future benefit will be calculated, and dive into the value of your TRSL membership. Even if retirement seems to be miles away, it’s always good to have a roadmap for the years ahead.
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You’ll find a retirement application checklist, a timeline for your first benefit payment, and more! We even break down your options once you finish DROP.
Destination Retirement makes it easy for you to plan, prepare, and celebrate your last day of work.
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While financial planners often contact school employees to discuss future retirement income, TRSL encourages you to get information about your TRSL retirement directly from TRSL to ensure its accuracy for your specific situation—even if you do use the services of a financial planner.
Here are important points to remember.
- Get information about your TRSL retirement from TRSL.
- TRSL does not employ, authorize, or endorse any outside, third-party vendors to represent TRSL or provide TRSL retirement information to TRSL members.
NOTE: The only exceptions are the three Optional Retirement Plan (ORP) vendors: TIAA, VOYA, and Corebridge (formerly VALIC/AIG). TRSL contracts with these vendors to provide investment services, communication, and record keeping to employees who participate in the ORP.
- TRSL staff will never come to the home of a member or call a member unsolicited to ask for personal information.
- TRSL members should always contact TRSL directly for information about their TRSL benefits.
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Wherever you are in your retirement journey, TRSL’s Instagram is the perfect social media spot to connect with us. You'll find up-to-date TRSL news on our Instagram, as well as fun retirement tips and inspiration to give you that extra boost.
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Got something to say?
Want to submit your own words of wisdom? Scan this QR code, share your thoughts, and get featured on our Instagram page.
What should I say? Write 1-3 sentences.
- Give encouragement to fellow educators
- Tell others what motivates you
- Tell us what what you’re looking forward to in retirement, or
- Give retirement tips
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Coming soon … a report on TRSL’s financial health
Stay tuned this fall for TRSL’s latest actuarial valuation report. Think of the report as an annual measure of the System’s financial health.
Recent valuations have seen the System’s assets grow, employer costs decrease, and the funded status climb.
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PO Box 94123 | Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9123 US
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