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Committee approves bill requiring districts to disclose Social Security/TRS coverage; amendment allows voluntary family coverage for board members
Summary
Senate Education and Youth Committee members voted to pass House Bill 37 (LC 491994) as a committee substitute, requiring districts to notify employees whether they participate in Social Security or the Teachers Retirement System and adding an amendment to allow school board members, at their own expense, to include family members in board-provided health coverage.
Senate Education and Youth Committee members voted to pass House Bill 37 (LC 491994) as a committee substitute, a bill that would require school districts to disclose to employees whether they participate in Social Security or the Teachers Retirement System (TRS) and that—via an amendment—removes a prohibition so districts may allow school board members to enroll family members in a board-provided plan if the board member pays the full cost.
The measure, presented to the committee by Senator Sentaler on behalf of Representative Leverett, would require districts to notify new hires beginning July 1 whether Social Security is withheld from pay and whether the employee participates in TRS, and to refresh that notice for current employees every five years. The committee amendment (AM490219) adds a new code section to Title 20 that authorizes, rather than prohibits, a district from offering family coverage to a school board member so long as the member pays the premium.
Committee members and the bill’s supporters said the disclosure requirement aims to prevent teachers from being surprised at retirement by differences between districts that do and do not withhold Social Security. "We just don't want anybody blindsided" was the position voiced by Robert Aycock of the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, who testified in support of the underlying disclosure provisions.
During discussion, senators noted the patchwork of coverage across the state: some districts with TRS also withhold Social Security, while other districts do not. The bill sponsor showed a statewide map indicating counties that do not withhold Social Security, which committee members said can mean a teacher moving between districts may accumulate only partial Social Security credits.
The amendment clarifies that any additional cost for family coverage would be borne by the school board member, and it inserts the new provision earlier in the statutory code so it becomes section 1 of the bill, with the existing language shifted to subsequent sections. Questions were raised about whether the new language is germane to the underlying bill; legislative counsel advised that arguments could be made either way, and the committee left the determination to the chair and the committee process.
After brief public testimony supporting the disclosure provision, the committee took a voice/hand vote on the amendment and then on the bill as amended. The committee reported the bill out by committee substitute.
Votes at a glance: The committee approved House Bill 37 (LC 491994) with Amendment AM490219 by committee substitute; the record shows a committee voice/hand vote and the chair declared the measure passed. Exact vote tallies were not specified in the transcript.
The bill now moves through the legislative process as the committee substitute version; sponsors said they will address any technical edits requested by legislative counsel at a follow-up meeting.
