News Detail

Summer 2023

5/1/2023

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN

Dear Fund Members,

It was great seeing those of you who attended the Retiree BBQ in May. Everyone seemed to really enjoy catching up with old friends in person.

As we begin our new fiscal year, the legislative session has wrapped up, and HB 3340 passed the House 133-9 in favor. Unfortunately, it did not receive a hearing in the Senate. We know what our obstacles are for the 2025 session and will be working on that until we can pass legislation that helps Houston firefighters and their families. We are encouraged by the support from, not only our House members, but all the calls by city officials and business owners who realize we are losing too many firefighters. They have expressed support for our retirees who are dealing with rising inflationary costs across the board.

This has been a volatile year, once again, for investments. However, thanks to our broad diversification and forward-thinking investments team, we managed to outperform markets across the board and remain in a strong, healthy position. We continue to grow while many funds in Texas, and across the country, have struggled to minimize their losses. Our pension fund is the poster for investment strategy and philosophy.

The board of trustees will continue to fight for every active and retired member, and will not stop until the job is done. Thank you members for all of your support and phone calls.

Happy Summer!

Brett Besselman
Chairman of the Board
Houston Firefighters' Relief and Retirement Fund