| 1 | 1 | | By: West S.B. No. 1136 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | relating to the compensation of presiding judges of administrative |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | judicial regions. |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Sections 74.051(b), (c), (d), and (e), |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | Government Code, are amended to read as follows: |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | (b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), a presiding judge |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | shall receive an annual [a] salary from the state not to exceed that |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | is 28 percent of the annual state salary of a district judge |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | [$33,000 a year. The Texas Judicial Council shall set the salary |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | biennially and, in arriving at the amount of the salary, shall |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | consider whether the presiding judge is active in administrative |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | duties, performs part time, or is a retired judge. The salary set |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | by the Texas Judicial Council shall be apportioned to each county in |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | the region according to the population of the counties comprising |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | the region and shall be paid through the county budget process]. |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | (c) A presiding judge who is a retired or former district |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | judge or a retired appellate judge and who presides over an |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | administrative region with 30 or more district courts, statutory |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | county courts, and retired and former judges named on the list |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | maintained under Section 74.055 for the administrative region is |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | entitled to an annual salary from the state for each fiscal year as |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | follows: |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | Number of Courts and Judges Percent of a District Judge State Salary Number of Courts and Judges Percent of a District Judge State Salary |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | Number of Courts and Judges Percent of a District Judge State Salary |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | 30 to 49 28 percent [$35,000] 30 to 49 28 percent [$35,000] |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | 30 to 49 28 percent [$35,000] |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | 50 to 69 32 percent [$40,000] 50 to 69 32 percent [$40,000] |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | 50 to 69 32 percent [$40,000] |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | 70 to 89 36 percent [$45,000] 70 to 89 36 percent [$45,000] |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | 70 to 89 36 percent [$45,000] |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | 90 [or more] to 109 40 percent [$50,000] 90 [or more] to 109 40 percent [$50,000] |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | 90 [or more] to 109 40 percent [$50,000] |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | 110 to 129 44 percent 110 to 129 44 percent |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | 110 to 129 44 percent |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | 130 to 149 48 percent 130 to 149 48 percent |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | 130 to 149 48 percent |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | 150 to 169 52 percent 150 to 169 52 percent |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | 150 to 169 52 percent |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | 170 to 189 56 percent 170 to 189 56 percent |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | 170 to 189 56 percent |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | 190 or more 60 percent 190 or more 60 percent |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | 190 or more 60 percent |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | (d) A retiree judge appointed to serve as a presiding judge |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | under Section 74.005 does not resume service as a judicial officer |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | for purposes of Sections 832.102 and 837.102, and the retiree's |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | annuity payments will not be suspended [The salary shall be |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | apportioned to each county in the region according to the |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | population of the counties comprising the region]. |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | (e) A former judge appointed to serve as a presiding judge |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | under Section 74.005 is entitled to service credit in the Judicial |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | Retirement System of Texas Plan One or the Judicial Retirement |
|---|
| 57 | 57 | | System of Texas Plan Two in which the judge is a member for each |
|---|
| 58 | 58 | | month in which the former judge serves as a presiding judge [Each |
|---|
| 59 | 59 | | county comprising the administrative region shall pay annually to |
|---|
| 60 | 60 | | the presiding judge, out of the officers' salary fund or the general |
|---|
| 61 | 61 | | fund of the county, the amount of the salary apportioned to it as |
|---|
| 62 | 62 | | provided by this section and the other expenses authorized by this |
|---|
| 63 | 63 | | chapter that are not paid by state appropriations. The presiding |
|---|
| 64 | 64 | | judge shall place each county's payment of salary and other |
|---|
| 65 | 65 | | expenses in an administrative fund, from which the salary and other |
|---|
| 66 | 66 | | expenses shall be paid. The salary shall be paid from the |
|---|
| 67 | 67 | | administrative fund in 12 equal monthly payments]. |
|---|
| 68 | 68 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
|---|
| 69 | 69 | | |
|---|
| 70 | 70 | | Number of Courts and Judges Percent of a District Judge State Salary |
|---|
| 71 | 71 | | |
|---|
| 72 | 72 | | 30 to 49 28 percent [$35,000] |
|---|
| 73 | 73 | | |
|---|
| 74 | 74 | | 50 to 69 32 percent [$40,000] |
|---|
| 75 | 75 | | |
|---|
| 76 | 76 | | 70 to 89 36 percent [$45,000] |
|---|
| 77 | 77 | | |
|---|
| 78 | 78 | | 90 [or more] to 109 40 percent [$50,000] |
|---|
| 79 | 79 | | |
|---|
| 80 | 80 | | 110 to 129 44 percent |
|---|
| 81 | 81 | | |
|---|
| 82 | 82 | | 130 to 149 48 percent |
|---|
| 83 | 83 | | |
|---|
| 84 | 84 | | 150 to 169 52 percent |
|---|
| 85 | 85 | | |
|---|
| 86 | 86 | | 170 to 189 56 percent |
|---|
| 87 | 87 | | |
|---|
| 88 | 88 | | 190 or more 60 percent |
|---|