Alabama 2025 Regular Session

Alabama Senate Bill SB227 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	SB227INTRODUCED
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3	3	SB227
4	4	LS3PWYW-1
5	5	By Senator Barfoot
6	6	RFD: Finance and Taxation General Fund
7	7	First Read: 05-Mar-25
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12	12	5 LS3PWYW-1 02/25/2025 OW (L)cr 2025-305
13	13	Page 1
14	14	First Read: 05-Mar-25
15	15	SYNOPSIS:
16	16	Under existing law, the salary of any justice,
17	17	judge, or district attorney newly appointed or elected
18	18	is set by law.
19	19	This bill would make certain technical
20	20	amendments to the law to allow for the implementation
21	21	of certain cost-of-living adjustments already enacted.
22	22	This bill would also further implement a
23	23	proposed constitutional amendment to change when a
24	24	district attorney's salary may be altered.
25	25	A BILL
26	26	TO BE ENTITLED
27	27	AN ACT
28	28	Relating to compensation for district attorneys,
29	29	judges, and certain local officials; to amend Sections
30	30	12-10B-1 and 12-10B-3, Code of Alabama 1975, to remove
31	31	restrictions on district attorney salary increases; and to
32	32	amend Section 12-17-182, Code of Alabama 1975, to provide for
33	33	the compensation of newly appointed district attorneys.
34	34	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
35	35	Section 1. Sections 12-10B-1 and 12-10B-3, Code of
36	36	Alabama 1975, are amended to read as follows:
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66	66	Alabama 1975, are amended to read as follows:
67	67	"§12-10B-1
68	68	(a) Pursuant to Amendment 426 Section 148 of the
69	69	Constitution of Alabama 1901 of 2022, now appearing as Section
70	70	148 of the Official Recompilation of the Constitution of
71	71	Alabama of 1901, as amended , and notwithstanding any other
72	72	provision of law, beginning on October 1, 2021, judges and
73	73	justices shall be compensated as follows:
74	74	(1) The chief justice of the supreme court's initial
75	75	salary shall be one hundred seventy-six thousand dollars
76	76	($176,000).
77	77	(2) An associate supreme court justice's initial salary
78	78	shall be one hundred seventy-five thousand dollars ($175,000).
79	79	(3) An appellate court judge's initial salary shall be
80	80	one hundred seventy-four thousand dollars ($174,000). The
81	81	presiding judge of any appellate court shall receive
82	82	additional compensation of five hundred dollars ($500) per
83	83	year.
84	84	(4) A circuit judge's initial salary shall be one
85	85	hundred forty thousand dollars ($140,000).
86	86	(5) A district judge's initial salary shall be one
87	87	hundred thirty-nine thousand dollars ($139,000).
88	88	(b) Each of these amounts shall be adjusted by the
89	89	Administrative Office of Courts to reflect any cost-of-living
90	90	adjustment effective on or after October 1, 2021.
91	91	(b)(1)a.(c)(1)a. The salary of circuit judges and
92	92	district judges shall be increased by 7.5 percent on October 1
93	93	after the completion of six full years of service as a circuit
94	94	or district judge. The salary shall be increased by an
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124	124	or district judge. The salary shall be increased by an
125	125	additional 7.5 percent on October 1 after the completion of 12
126	126	full years of service as a circuit or district judge. The
127	127	salary shall be increased by an additional 7.5 percent on
128	128	October 1 after the completion of 18 full years of service as
129	129	a circuit or district judge.
130	130	b. A district judge who is subsequently appointed or
131	131	elected as a circuit judge shall receive as an initial salary
132	132	the base salary of a circuit judge plus the appropriate amount
133	133	for bench experience as a circuit or district judge as
134	134	provided in paragraph a.
135	135	c. A circuit or district judge who is subsequently
136	136	appointed or elected as the chief justice of the supreme
137	137	court, a supreme court justice, or a judge of the appellate
138	138	court, shall receive the initial salary of the chief justice
139	139	of the supreme court, a supreme court justice, or an appellate
140	140	court judge as provided in subdivision subdivisions (a) (1),
141	141	(a)(2), or (a)(3) of subsection (a) .
142	142	(2)a. The salary of the chief justice of the supreme
143	143	court, supreme court justices, and judges of the appellate
144	144	courts shall be increased by 7.5 percent on October 1 after
145	145	the completion of six full years of service as the chief
146	146	justice of the supreme court, a supreme court justice, or a
147	147	judge of the appellate court. The salary shall be increased by
148	148	an additional 7.5 percent on October 1 after the completion of
149	149	12 full years of service as the chief justice of the supreme
150	150	court, a supreme court justice, or a judge of the appellate
151	151	court. The salary shall be increased by an additional 7.5
152	152	percent on October 1 after the completion of 18 full years of
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182	182	percent on October 1 after the completion of 18 full years of
183	183	service as the chief justice of the supreme court, a supreme
184	184	court justice, or a judge of the appellate court.
185	185	b. A chief justice of the supreme court, a supreme
186	186	court justice, or a judge of the appellate court who is
187	187	subsequently appointed or elected as a chief justice of the
188	188	supreme court, a supreme court justice, or a judge of an
189	189	appellate court shall receive as an initial salary the base
190	190	salary of the judge or justice as provided in subdivision
191	191	subdivisions (a) (1), (a)(2), or (a)(3) of subsection (a) , plus
192	192	the appropriate amount for bench experience as the chief
193	193	justice of the supreme court, a supreme court justice, or a
194	194	judge of the appellate court as provided in paragraph a.
195	195	(3) The compensation paid by the state to any judge or
196	196	justice in service on October 1, 2021, may not be diminished
197	197	pursuant to this section. If a judge's or justice's
198	198	compensation would be diminished pursuant to subsection (a),
199	199	his or her compensation received on October 1, 2021, shall
200	200	remain the same as it was prior to October 1, 2021, and may
201	201	not be increased until the bench experience increase provided
202	202	for in subsection (b) exceeds his or her current compensation.
203	203	(c)(1)(d)(1) Notwithstanding any existing general or
204	204	local law, existing circuit or district judges in service on
205	205	October 1, 2021, and any circuit or district judge appointed
206	206	or elected after October 1, 2021, may only be paid
207	207	compensation from the State Treasury, and may not receive any
208	208	salary supplement or expense allowance, or both, from any
209	209	county.
210	210	(2) This subsection shall supersede any local law
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240	240	(2) This subsection shall supersede any local law
241	241	providing a salary supplement or expense allowance for a
242	242	circuit or district judge."
243	243	"§12-10B-3
244	244	(a) Beginning on October 1, 2021, and notwithstanding
245	245	any other provision of law, any compensation, salary
246	246	supplement, or expense allowance under existing law paid by
247	247	the state, or any political subdivision of the state, to any
248	248	elected official or state officer or employee, excluding
249	249	circuit and district judges, district attorneys, and the
250	250	Attorney General, that is based in whole or in part on the
251	251	compensation, salary supplement, or expense allowance of
252	252	another judge or justice shall be based on the salary, salary
253	253	supplement, or expense allowance of the judge or justice on
254	254	September 30, 2021.
255	255	(b) Beginning with the next term of office following
256	256	October 1, 2025, the compensation of any elected official
257	257	subject to a local law that sets his or her compensation in
258	258	whole or in part on the salary of a circuit or district judge
259	259	shall be calculated using the base amounts in Section
260	260	12-10B-1, and any adjustment based on service or longevity
261	261	must be based on the elected official's own time in office.
262	262	(c) Any compensation paid to an elected official
263	263	subject to this section between October 1, 2021, and the
264	264	official's next term of office commencing after October 1,
265	265	2025, is ratified and confirmed. "
266	266	Section 2. Section 12-17-182, Code of Alabama 1975, is
267	267	also amended to read as follows:
268	268	"§12-17-182
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298	298	"§12-17-182
299	299	(a)(1) Subject to subdivision (2), district District
300	300	attorneys for each judicial circuit in the state serving on
301	301	October 1, 2021, until the end of his or her service, shall be
302	302	paid by the state an annual salary of an amount equal to one
303	303	thousand dollars ($1,000) less than the salary paid by the
304	304	state to the highest paid circuit judge of the state, payable
305	305	as the salaries of other state officers are paid. District
306	306	attorneys holding office on October 1, 2021, are exempt from
307	307	subsection (b).
308	308	(2) A district attorney's salary may only increase
309	309	after the completion of the term for which he or she was
310	310	appointed or elected, and after completion of any subsequent
311	311	elected term.
312	312	(b)(1) Notwithstanding subsection (a), any district
313	313	attorney newly appointed or elected after October 1, 2021,
314	314	shall receive an initial salary of one hundred forty thousand
315	315	dollars ($140,000) the salary equivalent to an incoming
316	316	circuit court judge as determined by the Alabama
317	317	Administrative Office of Courts .
318	318	(2) The salary of district attorneys shall be increased
319	319	by 7.5 percent for the term commencing after the completion of
320	320	the first term for which he or she was appointed or elected as
321	321	district attorney. The salary shall be increased by an
322	322	additional 7.5 percent for the term commencing after the
323	323	completion of his or her second term as district attorney. The
324	324	salary shall be increased by an additional 7.5 percent for the
325	325	term commencing after the completion of his or her third term
326	326	as district attorney. The salary shall further be increased by
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356	356	as district attorney. The salary shall further be increased by
357	357	any cost-of-living adjustment enacted by the Legislature not
358	358	already granted to the district attorney during the previous
359	359	term.
360	360	(c) The compensation paid by the state to any district
361	361	attorney in service on October 1, 2021, 2025 may not be
362	362	diminished pursuant to Act 2021-441 the act adding this
363	363	amendatory language .
364	364	(d) Upon ratification of the constitutional amendment
365	365	proposed in Senate Bill ___ of the 2025 Regular Session,
366	366	providing that the salary of a district attorney may not be
367	367	decreased during his or her term of office, the salary of each
368	368	district attorney shall be increased by any cost-of-living
369	369	adjustment effective on or after October 1, 2021, that is not
370	370	already reflected in his or her compensation. "
371	371	Section 3. This act shall become effective on October
372	372	1, 2025.
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