TEXAS AFT LEGISLATIVE HOTLINE--MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2009 (copyright 2009 Texas AFT)   * TRS Update * Further Word from TEA on H1N1 Flu * Health-Care Reform Myth #2, Plus an Online Poll   TRS Update: The board of trustees of the Texas Teacher Retirement System heard last week that your pension trust fund as of June 30 achieved one of the best quarterly returns ever, lifting net assets by more than $8 billion to a total of $82.4 billion. However, that remarkable quarterly gain has to be put in the context of historic losses sustained since last September in what some have dubbed the Great Recession. At its high point in 2008, your pension fund's net assets briefly rose to $118 billion. Thus, as of June 30, the upswing that began in February of this year had restored less than a fourth of the value lost since September.   Don't let anyone tell you that payments of benefits from the pension fund are in jeopardy because of the market's downturn. They are not. But state legislators certainly have ample reason to rethink the decision they made this spring to cut the state's contribution rate to your pension fund from 6.58 percent down to 6.4 percent. The state contribution rate should be going up, not down, in order to hasten the day when real, permanent benefit improvements can be enacted again.   Further Word on H1N1 Flu: The Texas Education Agency put out new guidance to school administrators today on dealing with H1N1 flu virus as five million Texas students return to school this week. The information tracks the advice coming from the federal government that we reported in the hotline for August 21. Reviewing the experience of last spring, today's guidance letter from Commissioner of Education Robert Scott notes: "Because there was limited knowledge of the severity of the flu strain, the Department of State Health Services recommended school closures in those areas believed to be affected by the H1N1 virus. With new information and research, it is evident that this flu strand contains moderate symptoms that resemble those in seasonal flu, and thus school closures will no longer be recommended to limit transmission." But that doesn't mean school closures are ruled out in case of a severe outbreak. To see the full text of the commissioner's letter, outlining steps for district and campus administrators and for parents to take, go to http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/taa/health082409.html.   Health-Care Reform Myth #2, and an Online Poll: Courtesy of our national affiliate, the American Federation of Teachers, we offer the second in a series of "mythbusters" about health-care reform, plus an invitation to participate in an online poll sponsored by AFT.   MYTH #2: A public-plan option will force all Americans into a government-run health program.   THE FACTS: Individuals with insurance do not have to choose the public option. As President Obama has said: "If you like what you have, you can keep it." Reform will create a health-insurance "exchange" for the uninsured; this will allow individuals to compare prices and health plans to choose which plan (public or private) is right for them and their families. The choice is left up to the individual. The public-plan option will benefit uninsured as well as insured Americans by increasing competition and choice in the marketplace. It will hold private insurers accountable by giving their customers an affordable alternative. It will lower costs while ensuring affordable health care.   As the nation debates health-care reform, AFT would like to hear from you on this important issue. Please take a short survey to and rate the most important elements of health-care reform: http://leadernet.aft.org/surveymaker/take/survey.cfm?id=33cf7fb5-5056-b94b-1110-14068a76ca29.   Also visit http://www.aft.org/fight4america to learn more about AFT's position on health-care reform and how you can be part of the action.