Governmental Body
Teacher Retirement System of Texas
Start Date for Suspension
End Date for Suspension
Contact Name
Chris Cowan
Contact Title
Assistant General Counsel- Open Government
City
Austin
County
Travis
Governmental Body Type
State agency
Reason for Suspension
Natural Disaster
Description
Severe winter storms beginning January 31, 2023, caused a weather event that necessitated the closure of TRS' Austin offices February 1-2, 2023. TRS employees were advised to work remotely beginning January 31st. Beginning February 1st, power outages impacted numerous employees, including staff responsible for PIA processing' locating, and responding to PIA requests because affected employees had no access to the virtual private network (VPN), which is essential for accessing the PIA database, SharePoint, and internal files, and impacted the ability of TRS employees to search, identify, and provide responsive documents.
The closure of TRS headquarters, power outages, and VPN connectivity issues qualify TRS for a suspension under Tex. Gov. Code Sec. 552.2325(a)(1)(B) as these factors directly interfered with TRS' ability to comply with the requirements of the PIA.
These issue affected TRS' obligations under the PIA for the period February 1-2, 2023. Please note that this has been submitted not more than two days after the requested start date.
The closure of TRS headquarters, power outages, and VPN connectivity issues qualify TRS for a suspension under Tex. Gov. Code Sec. 552.2325(a)(1)(B) as these factors directly interfered with TRS' ability to comply with the requirements of the PIA.
These issue affected TRS' obligations under the PIA for the period February 1-2, 2023. Please note that this has been submitted not more than two days after the requested start date.