AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa issued the following statement on the passage of Proposition 9:

“Tonight, voters reaffirmed their support for our Texas public school retirees. For the first time since 2004, retired public school teachers will receive an infuriatingly long-overdue Cost-of-Living Adjustment for their TRS pension benefits. While this is a massive win for Texas public educators – we must remember that it was MAGA Texas Republicans in leadership who fought prior attempts to bolster retirement benefits at every step. The extremist right is waging an all-out war against public education by withholding a COLA from retired teachers, underfunding our classrooms, banning inclusive curriculum, and advocating for shameless school voucher scams that line the pockets of the ultra-rich. Tonight, we celebrate this win for retired teachers – and tomorrow, Texas Democrats everywhere will continue the fight for our public schools, teachers and students.”

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