Legislative Update

2025-26 Biennium Session

The 2026 session of the Georgia General Assembly is well underway, marking the second year of the 2025-2026 biennium. As a reminder, retirement bills with a fiscal impact may only be introduced in the first year of the biennium but may be acted upon in the second. Fiscal retirement bills passed this session take effect no earlier than July 1, 2026, due to constitutional requirements that new retirement liabilities be fully funded in the year enacted.

The Georgia Constitution contains several provisions relating to retirement legislation, which require that retirement bills be treated differently from other legislation. Any bill that creates a fiscal impact on a public retirement system such as TRS must be fully funded in the year it is enacted. TRS operates under a “pay as you work” model in which employees and employers contribute monthly to pre-fund future retirement benefits. Because of this structure, any legislation that increases the system's liabilities must include the necessary funding upfront to ensure long-term financial stability.

Below is a summary of legislation introduced or acted upon this session that could affect the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia (TRS).

House Bills

HB 372 - Full-Time Rehiring of TRS Retirees

HB 372 removes the requirement that RESAs designate high-need subject areas and authorizes local school systems to make those determinations. It extends eligibility for full-time reemployment of TRS retirees until June 30, 2030.

The bill passed the House unanimously on February 24, 2026, and was read and referred in the Senate on February 25, 2026; had “hearing only” in Senate Retirement Committee on March 10, 2026; no action taken.

HB 599 - Full-Time Reemployment Extension for TRS Retirees

HB 599 similarly extends, through June 30, 2030, the ability of public-school systems to employ certain TRS beneficiaries in full-time teaching roles. Unlike HB 372, this bill retains the requirement that high-need areas be identified annually by the Georgia Department of Education in consultation with the Professional Standards Commission. It applies specifically to retired educators with at least 30 years of creditable service.

The bill remains in the House Retirement Committee, with no 2026 movement recorded.

HB 773 - TRS Membership Election for Certain PSERS-Eligible Employees

HB 773 would allow certain employees who would otherwise be required to participate in the Public School Employees Retirement System (PSERS) to instead make a one-time, irrevocable election to join TRS. The bill does not permit the transfer of previous PSERS service into TRS and sets out special rules for individuals based on whether they have more or less than 10 years of PSERS service.

The bill remains in the House Retirement Committee, with no activity beyond March 2025 recorded.

HB 873 - DOE Employment of TRS Beneficiaries

HB 873 authorizes the Georgia Department of Education to employ TRS beneficiaries while allowing them to continue receiving their monthly retirement benefit, with the stipulation that no additional creditable service is earned and no recalculation of benefits occurs after service ends.

The bill was last acted upon in March 2025 and remains in the House Retirement Committee.

Senate Bills

SB 150 - Expansion of Full-Time Reemployment Program for TRS Retirees

SB 150 extends the full-time return-to-work program provisions for classroom teachers through June 30, 2034, reduces required service years from 30 to 25 to work full-time in retirement, and removes high-need area requirements. This bill does not remove early retirement reductions for current or future TRS members.

It passed the Senate on February 9, 2026, and is now in the House Retirement Committee.

SB 209 - TRS Membership Election for Certain PSERS-Eligible Employees

SB 209 allows certain employees who would normally enter the Public School Employees Retirement System (PSERS) to make a one-time, irrevocable election to join the Teachers Retirement System (TRS) instead. The bill prohibits transferring prior PSERS service into TRS and establishes rules based on years of service:

• Employees with 10+ years of PSERS service may withdraw contributions or leave them in place and retain vested rights
• Employees with less than 10 years must withdraw their accumulated contributions

The option applies both to current PSERS members as of September 1, 2026, and to newly hired employees after September 2, 2026. The bill becomes effective July 1, 2026, contingent on concurrent funding.

SB 209 was favorably reported by substitute on March 3, 2026, and received its Second Reading in the Senate on March 4, 2026.

Resolutions

SR 237 - Strengthening Georgia's K-12 Workforce

SR 237 is a non-binding resolution urging collaboration among major state education agencies—including TRS, the Professional Standards Commission, the Department of Education, the Technical College System of Georgia, and others—to develop coordinated strategies to address Georgia's educator workforce challenges. These recommended strategies include:

• Improving teacher recruitment pipelines
• Expanding mentorship and professional development opportunities
• Increasing public awareness of educator benefits, including TRS
• Strengthening teacher and school leader retention initiatives

The resolution passed the Senate unanimously on April 2, 2025.

HR 1582 - House Study Committee on Veteran Teacher Compensation

HR 1582 proposes the creation of a House Study Committee on Veteran Teacher Compensation to examine compensation challenges faced by educators with more than two decades of service. The resolution cites concerns such as the absence of salary step increases beyond 21 years at the state level, variation in local supplementation, and statewide teacher retention issues. It also notes TRS data indicating that the average length of service is currently 25.5 years, short of the traditional 30-year full-retirement threshold.

The committee would be tasked with analyzing compensation structures, reviewing recommendations such as the Georgia Roundtable's proposal for an additional salary step at Year 28, and identifying cost-effective strategies to retain veteran educators.

The resolution passed unanimously in the House Special Rules Committee on March 12, 2026.