Happy Holidays from the Pool: How’d We Do in 2025? Everyone at the TML Risk Pool joins together to wish every Member a safe and joyous holiday season and a Happy New Year! As you reflect upon the last year, please email Scott Houston — the Pool’s Intergovernmental Relations Manager — at scott.houston@tmlirp.org with kudos, concerns, questions, or comments about your experience(s) with us in 2025.
January is R.O.A.D. Ready Month: Keep Your Employees Safe in and Around Roadways
R.O.A.D. Ready (Recognize the Hazards; Observe People, Processes, and Equipment; Assess the Risk Level; and Determine the Safest Course of Action) is a Risk Pool program designed to save lives, prevent injuries, and protect property by raising Member awareness of dangers on and near roadways.
The Pool provides participating Members with: (1) specifically designed resources and training to mitigate roadway risks; and (2) digital achievement badges and promotional materials to show they are R.O.A.D. Ready. Visit the webpage and contact your Safety and Loss Control Consultant or Risk Management Advisor for more information.
H.B. 4144 Critical Illness Coverage for Retired Police Officers and Firefighters (Departments with 50 or More)
Last session, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 4144. The bill applies to a firefighter or peace officer who retires from a fire department or law enforcement agency with at least 50 firefighters or peace officers, respectively.
It amends the first responder disease presumption statute to require the employing city or other local government to provide firefighters or peace officers with a “critical illness supplemental income benefit or comparable health benefit plan coverage” if they are diagnosed with one of the 11 cancers in the presumption statute, a heart attack, or a stroke within three years of retirement.
The amount of the supplemental income benefit is the lesser of the first responder’s final yearly salary or $100,0000. Alternatively, the governmental entity may provide comparable health benefit plan coverage. Neither the supplemental income benefit nor the health coverage is a workers’ compensation benefit, which means the Pool isn’t mandated to (and in fact cannot) provide coverage for them through the workers’ compensation process.
However, as a service to Members, the Pool used our consultant of record — HUB International — to seek an insurance product that satisfies the bill’s requirements. After a formal request for proposals, the Pool’s Board of Trustees accepted a proposal from MetLife/AmWins to provide a coverage, with the Pool serving as the master policy holder. Pool staff is currently working with MetLife/AmWins to obtain Department of Insurance approval of an affordable product that will provide the supplemental income benefit. January 1 is the effective date of the bill’s requirements, and we are making best efforts to provide the coverage by that date or shortly thereafter.
More details will be provided as they become available. In the meantime, contact Scott Houston at scott.houston@tmlirp.org with questions.
TML and TML Risk Pool Announces Site Selection for Future Offices
The Texas Municipal League (TML) and the TML Risk Pool are pleased to announce the selection of a site for their new headquarters. The site is an existing historic building (previously called the Wesleyan and currently called the Georgetonian) located at 205 East University Avenue in Georgetown, which will be remodeled and renamed as the new Texas Municipal Center. The rendering to the right shows how the remodel could look upon completion.
After a long process that included staff input, numerous meetings of a joint Visioning Committee composed of representatives from the TML and TML Risk Pool boards, and the evaluation of numerous sites, the board chose the new location because it fits who we are now and who we plan to be for the next 40 years.
The current Texas Municipal Center building, located at 1821 Rutherford Lane in Austin, has served as home base to TML and the TML Risk Pool for three decades, but a lot has changed over that time — including remote schedules, new technology, and more. The new TMC will address those changes by embracing flex space, wellness-focused design, sustainability, and technology-forward meeting areas. There will be places for collaboration and focus, for board business, and for casual connection.
The process continues to follow a deliberate six-phase plan. The following have been completed: (1) visioning; (2) team assembly; and (3) site selection. The following phases remain: (1) reconstruction; (2) construction; and (3) move-in. The current TMC will continue to remain our home during permitting and construction, which is estimated to run into 2029.
In the end, the new TMC will be more than a building. It will be a statement. It will say: we are building for the future. We value people. We value progress. And we value the local officials and staff who make Texas cities run.
Don’t Miss It: The TML Risk Pool’s Local Officials: Stronger, Together Podcast Series!
The TML Risk Pool’s “Local Officials: Stronger, Together Podcast Series” was awarded the Association of Government Risk Pool’s Award for Excellence in 2024. The podcast helps local officials (and managers and staff) understand key operational and legal concepts and the services the Pool provides. Each 15-minute episode gives easy action items to help keep your citizens, employees, volunteers, and property safe, all while saving public dollars.
Your host is Scott Houston, the Pool’s Intergovernmental Relations Manager. Scott served the Texas Municipal League for over 20 years, the last half as deputy director and general counsel. Tune in to hear Scott interview experts and provide action items to help you save lives, prevent injuries, and protect property in your city.
Member Spotlight: City of Pharr hosts “Pharr University” Training Program
The City of Pharr’s internal training program, called Pharr U, once again brought together employees from across the city for three days focused on growth, learning, and collaboration. The event is designed to support professional development by providing staff with tools, resources, and inspiration to strengthen their skills and continue serving the community with excellence.
Highlights of the event included engaging presentations, such as the TML Risk Pool Safety and Loss Control Consultant Johnny Vera’s session on the value of workplace safety and employee engagement, along with interactive training sessions and opportunities to hear from leaders across different departments. City staff also had the chance to connect, share best practices, and explore innovative ways to improve teamwork, safety, and service delivery.
Pharr U reflects the City of Pharr’s ongoing commitment to investing in its employees. By encouraging continuous development, this event helps ensure that staff remain well-equipped, motivated, and prepared to meet the needs of both the organization and the community.
Service in Focus: Member Portal Upgrades
The Pool is pleased to announce the launch of a new and improved Member Portal. Members can expect the following improvements:
Instant Claim Information: Receive a claim number and adjuster information instantly for Automobile, Cybersecurity, and Workers’ Compensation claims.
Claim Status Updates: Check the status of claims at any time via the claim submissions page.
Streamlined Claim Forms: Increased claim filing efficiency with prepopulated Member information.
Modern Look and Feel: A refreshed, intuitive design for easier navigation.
Mobile-Friendly Access: Access the portal anywhere via a phone, tablet, or computer.
Cybersecurity for AI — Safe Use of Public AI Tools Data Management Program — CIS Controls 3.1–3.6 Incident Response Planning — Texas-Aligned IRP Development
