TX17 | Texas Legislature, 85(R) HB 3158, enrolled version; legislative enrolled bill summary. These excerpts are quoted verbatim from the official legislature pages (spacing normalized).

[Legislative enrolled bill summary, Effective]
House Bill 3158, effective September 1, 2017, prohibits certain distributions out of a DROP participant's DROP account, subject to certain exceptions, and provides for the bill's severability and effective date. Except as otherwise provided, the bill takes effect May 31, 2017, unless the board violates the bill's provisions regarding such prohibited distributions.

[Enrolled bill, Article 1, Section 1.42, Article 6243a-1 Section 6.14(e-3)]
(e-3) The board may by rule allow a DROP participant who has terminated active service and who is eligible for a retirement pension to: (1) assign the distribution from the participant's annuitized DROP account to a third party provided the pension system receives a favorable private letter ruling from the Internal Revenue Service ruling that such an assignment will not negatively impact the pension system's qualified plan status; and (2) subject to Subsection (e-4) of this section, in the event of a financial hardship that was not reasonably foreseeable obtain a lump-sum distribution from the participant's DROP account resulting in a corresponding reduction in the total number or in the amount of annuity payments.

[Enrolled bill, Article 1, Section 1.42, Article 6243a-1 Section 6.14(e-4)]
(e-4) The board shall adopt rules necessary to implement Subsection (e-3)(2) of this section, including rules regarding what constitutes a financial hardship for purposes of that subdivision.