Texas Legislature Ends 2nd Special Session Without Pension Action
Texas lawmakers officially adjourned the 89th Legislature’s 2nd Called Special Session sine die on Sept. 4, 2025—a Latin phrase meaning “without day,” which signals the final adjournment of a legislative session with no set date to reconvene. The move closed out the session without advancing any new legislation directly affecting public pensions, investments, or retirement benefits. Despite calls from retiree advocates for a supplemental “13th check,” the issue was not included in the Governor’s call, according to the Texas Public Employees Association.
What Lawmakers Did Address
Before closing the special session, the Legislature focused on other priorities:
- Senate Bill 5: Allocated hundreds of millions from the Economic Stabilization Fund (Rainy Day Fund) for disaster preparedness, including flood warning sirens, county grants, and improved weather modeling (News4 San Antonio).
- SR 2: Established a General Investigating Committee on the deadly July 4, 2025 flooding events (Texas Tribune).
- SR 5: Restructured Senate committees, merging Border Security with Veteran Affairs, splitting Education into K–12 and Higher Education, and consolidating Jurisprudence into State Affairs.
Why It Matters for Trustees & Administrators
For trustees and administrators, the key takeaway is that this special session did not address pensions or retirement issues. Lawmakers focused instead on disaster preparedness and committee oversight.
It’s important to note, however, that earlier in the year, the regular legislative session included significant retirement system updates. Adjustments were made to support retention in the Houston Fire and Police systems, structural funding improvements were passed for the Texas Emergency Services Retirement System (TESRS), and the Austin Police System was also shored up. These changes remain part of the broader framework guiding public retirement systems today.
Separately, the Legislature also enacted major fiscal policies during the regular session, including $8 billion for public education and $10 billion in property tax relief. The tax relief package will appear on the November ballot as a proposed constitutional amendment for voter approval, according to MySanAntonio.
Closing Note
By adjourning sine die on Sept. 4, 2025, the Legislature formally ended its 2nd Called Special Session. The outcomes underscore the state’s emphasis on disaster response and committee restructuring, while pension and retirement issues were addressed earlier in the year during the regular session.