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Committee reviews TRS housekeeping bill to tighten reporting, clarify who counts as an active member
Summary
House Bill 67 would require employers to report substitute and extra‑duty hours from day one, codify an 'educational services capacity' definition for TRS reporting, update federal required minimum distribution ages in state law, and clarify benefit recalculation for previously disabled members who return to work.
Representative Marta Bertoglio opened House Bill 67 on behalf of the Teachers Retirement Board, describing the measure as a biennial housekeeping bill to clarify administration of the Teachers Retirement System. Sean Graham, executive director of the Montana Teachers Retirement System, explained the bill’s major changes.
Graham said Section 1 would ensure wages and service for extra‑duty assignments (playground duty, lunch duty, stipends) are reported for members who are otherwise TRS participants so that those wages count toward retirement service and compensation. Sections 2, 3 and 5 would require employers to report substitute and part‑time hours from the first day as non‑contributing records in TRS so the system can track hours worked across multiple employers and automatically convert a worker to active membership once they exceed 210 hours in a fiscal year.
The bill would also put into statute the TRS fact‑sheet language defining "educational services capacity" (positions that directly teach or instruct students, provide professional educational services, evaluate competencies, determine or implement student‑specific programs, supervise staff, or serve as primary administrators) so employers and members have clearer guidance. Graham noted sections aligning state law to recent federal changes in required minimum distribution (RMD) ages and a provision clarifying how to recalculate benefits for a previously disabled member who returns to active status and later retires.
Representatives asked operational questions about the 210‑hour threshold and why wages have sometimes been omitted from TRS reporting; Graham said the threshold approximates a month of full‑time work, that current law already includes the opt‑out for certain substitutes, and that the bill is intended to improve electronic tracking without changing the opt‑out threshold itself. Legal counsel and Graham explained the placement of the educational‑services definition in the statute where it is most used.
Graham said the bill would take effect July 1, 2025, and asked the committee for a do‑pass recommendation; education groups and school administrators testified in support.
