The pensions of teachers and public employees are the hot topic in the Illinois General Assembly. Teachers are bombarded almost daily with proposals, counter-proposals and political debate. The only common threads are uncertainty about the future.

Teachers’ Retirement System does not take the lead in advocating for or against legislative proposals before Congress, the Illinois General Assembly, local governments or school districts. It is the legislature’s job to dictate the laws and rules that govern TRS and other public pension systems. The job of TRS is to administer those laws and work to secure the System’s finances so that the promises made to generations of teachers by the General Assembly can be kept.

The TRS Board of Trustees does take official positions on legislative proposals when the bill in question affects funding for the System. TRS strives to provide factual information and analysis to policy makers, members and the general public. This page is designed to provide members and the public with facts related to various issues and concerns.