85R31293 KSM-D
By: Hunter H.C.R. No. 142
Substitute the following for H.C.R. No. 142:
By: Schofield C.S.H.C.R. No. 142
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Judicial salaries in Texas are consistently lower
than those of other states with similar populations, and the state
judiciary has received only two pay raises since 2000; and
WHEREAS, The Judicial Compensation Commission was created in
2007 to recommend appropriate salaries for judges of the Texas
Supreme Court, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the courts of
appeals, and the district courts; since its inception, the JCC has
issued a report during each state legislative session; the only
upgrade in compensation came after the commission's 2012
endorsement of a 21.5 percent raise in judicial salaries; the
legislature voted to increase wages by 12 percent; and
WHEREAS, The Texas judiciary plays a fundamental role in
upholding the rule of law and safeguarding the rights and
protections guaranteed to citizens by the state and federal
constitutions, and competitive wages help to attract and retain the
most qualified and capable judges for courts across the Lone Star
State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby request the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house
of representatives to create a joint interim committee to study
state judicial salaries; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the study include the creation of a formula to
calculate state judicial salaries, examining the salaries of the
highest appellate courts of the nine most populous states other
than Texas, the salaries of judges on the U.S. Courts of Appeals,
and the average starting base salaries of first-year associate
attorneys at the five largest law firms in Texas; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the committee's proceedings and operations be
governed by such general rules and policies for joint interim
committees as the 85th Legislature may adopt.