LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD Austin, Texas FISCAL NOTE, 81ST LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION May 30, 2009 TO: Honorable David Dewhurst , Lieutenant Governor, Senate Honorable Joe Straus, Speaker of the House, House of Representatives FROM: John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board IN RE:SB497 by Wentworth (Relating to compensation paid to certain judges and justices.), Conference Committee Report No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated. The bill would amend the Government Code by making the Judiciary Section, Comptroller's Department, rather than the Texas Judicial Council the entity responsible for the payment of salary supplements for district judges presiding over asbestos- or silica-related multidistrict litigation cases. Funding for the supplements are $63,250 each fiscal year. Because the bill would transfer statutoryauthority for paying the salary supplements from one agency to another, no fiscal implication isanticipated for this provision. The bill would also clarify that judicial longevity pay does not constituteadditional salary for purposes of determining whether a judge's salary exceeds the statutorymaximum. The bill would provide that monthly longevity pay is equal to the product of 3.1 percent of a judge's current monthly salary, provided the judge has served 16 years rather than $20 for each year of service. This provision is expected to increase monthly longevity payments for eligible judges, but does not represent a significant fiscal implication. Local Government Impact The bill would authorize a county commissioners court to provide longevity pay to a judge or justice who would otherwise be eligible for such pay if the service credit the judge or justice earned as a statutory county court judge was established in the retirement system. It is assumed that the bill would not have a significant fiscal implication to local government because county commissioners would only authorize longevity pay if the county had sufficient resources to absorb the costs. Source Agencies:304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council LBB Staff: JOB, TP, MN, TB
LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE, 81ST LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
May 30, 2009
TO: Honorable David Dewhurst , Lieutenant Governor, Senate Honorable Joe Straus, Speaker of the House, House of Representatives FROM: John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board IN RE:SB497 by Wentworth (Relating to compensation paid to certain judges and justices.), Conference Committee Report
TO: Honorable David Dewhurst , Lieutenant Governor, Senate Honorable Joe Straus, Speaker of the House, House of Representatives
FROM: John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE: SB497 by Wentworth (Relating to compensation paid to certain judges and justices.), Conference Committee Report
Honorable David Dewhurst , Lieutenant Governor, Senate Honorable Joe Straus, Speaker of the House, House of Representatives
Honorable David Dewhurst , Lieutenant Governor, Senate Honorable Joe Straus, Speaker of the House, House of Representatives
John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
SB497 by Wentworth (Relating to compensation paid to certain judges and justices.), Conference Committee Report
SB497 by Wentworth (Relating to compensation paid to certain judges and justices.), Conference Committee Report
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Government Code by making the Judiciary Section, Comptroller's Department, rather than the Texas Judicial Council the entity responsible for the payment of salary supplements for district judges presiding over asbestos- or silica-related multidistrict litigation cases. Funding for the supplements are $63,250 each fiscal year. Because the bill would transfer statutoryauthority for paying the salary supplements from one agency to another, no fiscal implication isanticipated for this provision. The bill would also clarify that judicial longevity pay does not constituteadditional salary for purposes of determining whether a judge's salary exceeds the statutorymaximum. The bill would provide that monthly longevity pay is equal to the product of 3.1 percent of a judge's current monthly salary, provided the judge has served 16 years rather than $20 for each year of service. This provision is expected to increase monthly longevity payments for eligible judges, but does not represent a significant fiscal implication.
Local Government Impact
The bill would authorize a county commissioners court to provide longevity pay to a judge or justice who would otherwise be eligible for such pay if the service credit the judge or justice earned as a statutory county court judge was established in the retirement system. It is assumed that the bill would not have a significant fiscal implication to local government because county commissioners would only authorize longevity pay if the county had sufficient resources to absorb the costs.
Source Agencies: 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council
304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council
LBB Staff: JOB, TP, MN, TB
JOB, TP, MN, TB