HB145INTRODUCED Page 0 MTU9HW-1 By Representative Hill RFD: Ways and Means General Fund First Read: 21-Mar-23 1 2 3 4 5 MTU9HW-1 03/08/2023 CNB (L) bm 2023-819 Page 1 SYNOPSIS: This bill would create three additional circuit judgeships and two additional district judgeships to be funded out of the State General Fund in Fiscal Year 2024 as follows: an additional circuit judgeship, designated as Circuit Judgeship Number 4, in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit comprised of Lauderdale County; an additional circuit judgeship, designated as Circuit Judgeship Number 4, in the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit comprised of Autauga, Chilton, and Elmore Counties; an additional circuit judgeship, designated as Circuit Judgeship Number 6, in the Twenty-eighth Judicial Circuit comprised of Baldwin County; an additional district judgeship, designated as District Judgedship Number 3, in Baldwin County; and an additional district judgeship, designated as District Judgeship Number 2, in DeKalb County. This bill would create three additional circuit judgeships and two additional district judgeships to be funded out of the State General Fund in Fiscal Year 2025 as follows: an additional circuit judgeship, designated as Circuit Judgeship Number 7, in the Sixth Judicial Circuit comprised of Tuscaloosa County; an additional circuit judgeship, designated as Circuit Judgeship Number 9, in the Twenty-third Judicial 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 HB145 INTRODUCEDHB145 INTRODUCED Page 2 Circuit comprised of Madison County; an additional circuit judgeship, designated as Circuit Judgeship Number 4, in the Thirty-seventh Judicial Circuit comprised of Lee County; an additional district judgeship, designated as District Judgeship Number 6, in Mobile County; and an additional district judgeship, designated as District Judgeship Number 3, in Shelby County. This bill would create two additional circuit judgeships and one additional district judgeship to be funded out of the State General Fund in Fiscal Year 2026 as follows: an additional circuit judgeship, designated as Circuit Judgeship Number 5, in the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit comprised of Autauga, Chilton, and Elmore Counties; an additional circuit judgeship, designated as Circuit Judgeship Number 7, in the Twenty-eighth Judicial Circuit comprised of Baldwin County; and an additional district judgeship, designated as District Judegship Number 5, in Madison County. This bill would provide for the authority of the judges and for the compensation and benefits of the judges. A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 HB145 INTRODUCEDHB145 INTRODUCED Page 3 To provide for additional circuit judgeships and additional district judgeships to be funded out of the State General Fund in Fiscal Years 2024, 2025, and 2026; and to provide for the authority of the judges and for the compensation and benefits of the judges. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA: Section 1.(a)(1) There is created an additional circuit judgeship for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit which shall be designated as Judgeship Number 4. (2) There is created an additional circuit judgeship for the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit which shall be designated as Circuit Judgeship Number 4. The judge elected to Judgeship Number 4 may reside in any county within the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit. The judge occupying Judgeship Number 4 shall be assigned to the domestic relations division of the circuit. (3) There is created an additional circuit judgeship for the Twenty-eighth Judicial Circuit which shall be designated as Circuit Judgeship Number 6. (4) There is created an additional district judgeship for Baldwin County which shall be designated as District Judgeship Number 3. (5) There is created an additional district judgeship for DeKalb County which shall be designated as District Judgeship Number 2. (b) The additional judgeships created pursuant to subsection (a) shall be filled at the next general election after the effective date of this act. 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 HB145 INTRODUCEDHB145 INTRODUCED Page 4 (c) The initial judges elected to the additional judgeships created pursuant to subsection (a) shall serve for a six-year term holding office from the first Monday following the second Tuesday in January after the general election at which the judges are elected. (d) The initial judges elected to the additional judgeships created pursuant to subsection (a) shall have and shall exercise all the jurisdiction, power, rights, and authority and shall possess all of the qualifications, perform all of the duties, and shall be subject to all of the responsibilities and duties of the office to which other judges are subject. (e) The annual compensation of the additional judges elected pursuant to subsection (a) shall be in accordance with Chapter 10A of Title 12, Code of Alabama 1975, including, but not limited to, the provision that no judge first elected or appointed to office after October 1, 2001, may be provided a salary supplement or expense allowance. (f) Funding for the additional judgeships created pursuant to subsection (a) shall be made from the State General Fund appropriation to the Unified Judicial System commencing in Fiscal Year 2024. Section 2. (a)(1) There is created an additional circuit judgeship for the Sixth Judicial Circuit which shall be designated as Judgeship Number 7. (2) There is created an additional circuit judgeship for the Twenty-third Judicial Circuit which shall be designated as Circuit Judgeship Number 9. 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 HB145 INTRODUCEDHB145 INTRODUCED Page 5 (3) There is created an additional circuit judgeship for the Thirty-seventh Judicial Circuit which shall be designated as Circuit Judgeship Number 4. (4) There is created an additional district judgeship for Mobile County which shall be designated as District Judgeship Number 6. (5) There is created an additional district judgeship for Shelby County which shall be designated as District Judgeship Number 3. (b) The additional judgeships created pursuant to subsection (a) shall be filled at the next general election after the effective date of this act. (c) The initial judges elected to the additional judgeships created pursuant to subsection (a) shall serve for a six-year term holding office from the first Monday following the second Tuesday in January after the general election at which the judges are elected. (d) The initial judges elected to the additional judgeships created pursuant to subsection (a) shall have and shall exercise all the jurisdiction, power, rights, and authority and shall possess all of the qualifications, perform all of the duties, and shall be subject to all of the responsibilities and duties of the office to which other judges are subject. (e) The annual compensation of the additional judges elected pursuant to subsection (a) shall be in accordance with Chapter 10A of Title 12, Code of Alabama 1975, including, but not limited to, the provision that no judge first elected or 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 HB145 INTRODUCEDHB145 INTRODUCED Page 6 appointed to office after October 1, 2001, may be provided a salary supplement or expense allowance. (f) Funding for the additional judgeships created pursuant to subsection (a) shall be made from the State General Fund appropriation to the Unified Judicial System commencing in Fiscal Year 2025. Section 3. (a)(1) There is created an additional circuit judgeship for the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit which shall be designated as Circuit Judgeship Number 5. The judge elected to Judgeship Number 5 may reside in any county within the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit. (2) There is created an additional circuit judgeship for the Twenty-eighth Judicial Circuit which shall be designated as Circuit Judgeship Number 7. (3) There is created an additional district judgeship for Madison County which shall be designated as District Judgeship Number 5. (b) The additional judgeships created pursuant to subsection (a) shall be filled at the next general election after the effective date of this act. (c) The initial judges elected to the additional judgeships created pursuant to subsection (a) shall serve for a six-year term holding office from the first Monday following the second Tuesday in January after the general election at which the judges are elected. (d) The initial judges elected to the additional judgeships created pursuant to subsection (a) shall have and shall exercise all the jurisdiction, power, rights, and 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 HB145 INTRODUCEDHB145 INTRODUCED Page 7 authority and shall possess all of the qualifications, perform all of the duties, and shall be subject to all of the responsibilities and duties of the office to which other judges are subject. (e) The annual compensation of the additional judges elected pursuant to subsection (a) shall be in accordance with Chapter 10A of Title 12, Code of Alabama 1975, including, but not limited to, the provision that no judge first elected or appointed to office after October 1, 2001, may be provided a salary supplement or expense allowance. (f) Funding for the additional judgeships created pursuant to subsection (a) shall be made from the State General Fund appropriation to the Unified Judicial System commencing in Fiscal Year 2026. Section 4. Section 1 shall become effective immediately, Section 2 shall become effective October 1, 2024, and Section 3 shall become effective October 1, 2025, following its passage and approval by the Governor, or its otherwise becoming law. 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187