Registration Update: What Attendees Will Take Home From the 2026 TEXPERS Legislative Advocacy Workshop
Registration is underway for the 2026 TEXPERS Legislative Advocacy Workshop, scheduled for Oct. 27–28 at the Hyatt Centric Congress Austin. Guided by the theme “Making Your Pension’s Story Impossible to Ignore,” the workshop will help public pension trustees and administrators move beyond simply presenting facts. Attendees will learn how to organize their messages, tell their systems’ stories and engage more effectively with legislators and their staffs ahead of the 2027 Texas legislative session. Just as importantly, attendees will leave with practical resources they can immediately apply within their retirement systems.
A Toolkit Designed for Action
Each attendee will receive an advocacy toolkit on a thumb drive containing three core resources:
Step-by-Step Advocacy Planning Guide
The planning guide will walk attendees through creating an actionable advocacy plan for their own retirement systems.
After the workshop, systems can save the guide to their own platforms and use it to identify priorities, develop messages, assign responsibilities, plan legislative outreach, and establish follow-up steps.
Customizable System Explainer
Attendees will also receive a one-page template they can customize with their system’s story, statistics, and key facts.
Once completed, the explainer can be printed and taken to meetings as a concise leave-behind that introduces the system and helps legislators and staff understand who it serves.
2026 TEXPERS Legislative Guidebook
The thumb drive will also contain the 2026 TEXPERS Legislative Guidebook, a digital educational resource that explains defined-benefit retirement plans and their impact on the Texas economy.
After saving the internal planning materials and printing the customized system explainer, attendees can use the thumb drive and guidebook as a legislative office leave-behind. Legislators and their staffs can then review the guidebook after the meeting and gain a better understanding of public pensions and their value to Texas communities.
Practical Preparation for the 2027 Legislative Session
The workshop is designed to help trustees and administrators participate confidently and effectively in the legislative process.
Programming will include interactive advocacy training, a look ahead at the 2027 Texas legislative session, and a practical discussion about taking an issue from a retirement system to the Capitol.
Attendees will leave with more than notes from another conference. They will have the beginnings of an advocacy plan, a system-specific communication tool, and an educational resource they can put directly into the hands of policymakers.
Event at a Glance
Dates: Oct. 27–28, 2026
Location: Hyatt Centric Congress Austin
System Member registration: $150
Non-member System registration: $195
Continuing education: Up to two hours of Texas Pension Review Board Minimum Educational Training credit
The workshop will also include an After-Hours Networking Reception from 5–7 p.m. Oct. 27 at The Independent Condominiums.
Register Today
TEXPERS System Members can register using the link below:
Representatives of non-member public retirement systems may register by contacting TEXPERS Director of Communications Allen Jones at [email protected].
Thank You to Our Sponsors
TEXPERS thanks the organizations that have already committed their support:
- Reception Sponsor: Dimensional Fund Advisors
- Leadership Partner: Campion Research & Associates
Organizations interested in sponsoring the workshop may contact Allen Jones at [email protected].
Do not wait until the legislative session begins to decide how your system will tell its story. Join TEXPERS in Austin and begin building an advocacy plan your system can put into action.
About the Author: Allen Jones is the director of communications and event marketing for TEXPERS, where he leads editorial strategy, member communications, conference marketing, and digital engagement initiatives for Texas public employee retirement systems. He began his journalism career in 1998 and has worked in journalism and communications for more than 25 years.