Winnebago County Retired Teachers Association
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IRTA LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM

 

The Illinois Retired Teachers legislative platform represents long term goals of the association. Items contained in the legislative platform provide IRTA Legislative Committee and Board of Directors' positions on significant issues affecting the members of IRTA.


1.  Funding

    a.  IRTA supports maintaining State of Illinois funding for the Teachers' Retirement System at the amounts 

           required by PA 90-582.

    b.  IRTA opposes any legislation that reduces funds available for pension funding.

    c.  IRTA supports measures to improve the TRS funded position. No funding component  shall result in an 

         addition to system debt.

   d.  IRTA supports increases in funding to pay for the increase in liability resulting from  benefit improvements i.e.

        ad hoc increase for annuitants retiring before 1980.

2.  Health Benefits

      IRTA supports maintaining and improving health insurance benefits (TRIP) for its members.

3.  Defined Benefit Structure

      a.  IRTA opposes legislation that seeks to impose changes to TRS pension provisions impacting current and/or 

           retired educators.

      b.  IRTA opposes the use of defined contribution plans to cover TRS members.

4.  Post-Retirement Benefits

      IRTA supports ad hoc increases at or above the federally funded poverty level as necessary  to offset the effects of

       inflation and to protect the purchasing power of annuitants.
5.  Investments

     IRTA opposes any restrictions or limitations on investments that reduce  TRS' ability to achieve the best possible 

      investment performance.

6.   Social Security  Success!  WEP and GPO have been repealed.

       IRTA supports the repeal or modification of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government 

       Pension Offset (GPO).

7.  General Provisions

      a.  IRTA supports Constitutional protection of members' benefits, specifically Section 5 of Article XIII of the

             Illinois Constitution that states "Membership in any pension or retirement system of the State, any unit of 
             government or school district, or any agency or instrumentality thereof, shall be an enforceable contractual
             relationship, the benefits of which shall not be diminished or impaired."

      b.  IRTA supports legislation that allows retired educators to return to work without loss of pension benefits for 

           120 days or 600 hours per year.

      c.  IRTA opposes changes in the State or Federal Internal Revenue Code that would subject active educators

           contributions to current taxation.


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