Teacher Retirement System of Texas using new law to withhold information
Another test of a new state law by Rep. Vicki Truitt has allowed a public pension fund to withhold information that Truitt said she wanted the public to see.
The Teacher Retirement System of Texas does not have to make public a list of the 10 highest average salaries used to compute retirement benefits and the related monthly annuity amounts for May 2010 retirees, a state district court judge ruled Thursday. The TRS has said that the information, requested by the Star-Telegram, could be used to deduce the identities of retirees and that Truitt's bill, HB2460, gave it authority to withhold the records.
The TRS, a taxpayer-supported pension, also said in a court filing that because of the new law, it has "exclusive discretion" over what information it deems public. The judge's ruling did not address that claim.
Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/01/13/3658889/teacher-retirement-system-of-texas.html#storylink=cpy