AUSTIN, Texas — This legislative session, Texas lawmakers are working on several bills to increase the pay structure for state employees and benefits for retirees.
Democratic State Rep. John Bucy, who represents Austin, filed two House bills to ensure these state employees are covered for life. Meanwhile, Democratic State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, who also represents Austin, filed the two companion bills in the Senate.
Pay raises for state employees
House Bill 237, and its companion Senate Bill 573, would give all full-time state employees a $10,000 raise each year for the next two years.
“We lost important institutional knowledge and talent when we refuse to pay people what they’re worth,” Eckhardt said.
The lawmakers said the state workforce turnover reached a 30-year peak in 2022. John Gengler, a state employee in the Department of State Health Services, said in the seven years he’s worked for Texas, he’s seen 13 people come and go.
“We are constantly training new workers every week, every day, every month,” Gengler said. “We’ve got someone new that needs to be trained on something.”
Lawmakers say that turnover rate is hurting not just the employees, but all Texans.
“When these workers leave, it costs all of us,” Bucy said. “Services slow down, efficiency drops and taxpayers are left footing the bill to train their replacements.”
Last session Texas lawmakers passed a 5% raise for state employees, which brought turnover to the lowest point in 14 years at 16.5%. However, these lawmakers say it’s still not where it needs to be.
“If you are a private employer, and you’re seeing a 16.5% churn in your staffing, there is a problem,” Eckhardt said.
Increased cost-of-living adjustment for retirees
House Bill 343 and its senate companion would increase the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for state employee retirees by 7% for people who retired on or before August 31, 2014, and 4% for those who retired after August 31, 2014.
State retirees haven’t received a COLA in more than 25 years, back when a gallon of gas cost just $1.51 and the median rent in Texas was $574. According to Zumper, an average one-bedroom apartment rent in Austin in 2025 is $1,700.
Joan Barash retired after spending more than 30 years at the Health and Human Services Commission in San Antonio. Since retiring in 2019 and moving to Austin, Barash said it’s been difficult to make ends meet.
“People point to, well you should be able to manage with social security,” Barash said. “But when you put the two together, it’s still not enough.”
The Democrat lawmakers also said the mandatory overtime hours many agencies require have been hurting state employees who sometimes work up to 20 hours of overtime every week.
“Texas cannot be the greatest state in the nation if we refuse to take care of the people who make it work,” Bucy said.