Published Wednesday, November 25, 2009 6:05 AM

AG nixes extra $500 for retired educators

AUSTIN -- A $500 bonus for about 25,000 retired educators and state workers in Texas won't happen because legislators improperly appropriated the funds.

Attorney General Greg Abbott on Monday issued an opinion that says normal procedures for distributing the $155 million were not followed by the 2009 Legislature.

Lawmakers can set up one-time payments to retired teachers and state workers. But the ruling says legislators wrongly bypass trustees and sent the $155 million to the state comptroller's office, not to state pension funds.

Lawmakers earlier this year had said the $500 checks could be provided to the retirees only if the attorney general's office decided the funding complied with legal requirements.

Representatives of educator groups say they're disappointed.

---

Notice about comments: Theeagle.com is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Theeagle.com cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not theeagle.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website. Full terms and conditions can be read here. The Eagle is proud to offer our users enhanced commenting features. You can now build user-to-user connections, follow friend's recent posts, add an avatar that fits your personality, and more. If you have posted here before you’ll need to sign up again and if you’ve never posted start now by signing up!.