The Texas Association of Public Employee Retirement Systems (TEXPERS) is a voluntary nonprofit association that provides education and legislative advisory services to the trustees, administrators, professional service providers, and employee groups that manage the retirement money of police officers, firefighters, and municipal and district employees in cities across Texas. TEXPERS has 68 member pension systems that manage $32.7 billion in retirement assets for 57,728 active members and 60,737 retirees and beneficiary annuitants.
Membership Any public employee retirement system of Texas is eligible for membership and encouraged to join. TEXPERS’ past and present membership has consisted of police and fire departments, municipal employees, airport authorities, hospital districts, regional planning commissions, river authorities, transit authorities, community colleges, and university medical centers. TEXPERS membership also includes investment and brokerage firms, actuaries, and general businesses that provide services to pension funds as permitted by association bylaws.
Mandated Trustee Training It is important for trustees and administrators to voluntarily give their time to strengthen and enhance their pension fund management skills. As such, TEXPERS supported HB 13, enacted by the 83rd Legislature, and participated in the Pension Review Board (PRB) working committee that developed the Minimum Education and Training (MET) Program. The MET Program has been approved by the PRB and was effective January 1, 2015. In turn, TEXPERS developed the Basic Trustee Training class, which fulfills the requirements of the Program, and offers it at least twice yearly prior to our conferences. TEXPERS is dedicated to making high quality, low cost, and convenient training available to our members and we believe that it is critical to advancing the excellence of Texas public fund management and the public’s confidence in trustees and administrators to prudently manage their retirement systems. Additional Education TEXPERS conducts an Annual Conference each spring and a Summer Educational Forum in August each year. Along with the Basic Trustee Training class, we offer additional focused workshops designed around the current topics or trends focused on public fund management and investment issues. We also conduct various seminars, workshops, and field trips throughout the year. TEXPERS education and training provides one avenue to assist trustees with maintaining their knowledge of state-of-the-art pension fund management techniques and changes in the law or court decisions concerning pension funds. In addition, they serve as a focal point for the exchange of ideas and best practices among participating members across the state.
