District Judges Get $182K, Elected-Class Pensions Locked To $140K

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89R13471 JTZ-F

By: Vasut
H.B. No. 4080

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the compensation of a district judge and the associated

retirement benefits of certain other elected state officials.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 659.012(a), Government Code, is amended

to read as follows:

(a) Notwithstanding Section 659.011 and subject to

Subsections (b) and (b-1):

(1) a judge of a district court or a division of the

business court is entitled to an annual base salary from the state

as set by the General Appropriations Act in an amount equal to at

least $182,000 [ $140,000 ], except that the combined base salary of

a district judge or judge of a division of the business court from

all state and county sources, including compensation for any

extrajudicial services performed on behalf of the county, may not

exceed the amount that is $5,000 less than the maximum combined base

salary from all state and county sources for a justice of a court of

appeals other than a chief justice as determined under this

subsection;

(2) except as provided by Subdivision (3), a justice

of a court of appeals other than the chief justice is entitled to an

annual base salary from the state in the amount equal to 110 percent

of the state base salary of a district judge as set by the General

Appropriations Act, except that the combined base salary of a

justice of the court of appeals other than the chief justice from

all state and county sources, including compensation for any

extrajudicial services performed on behalf of the county, may not

exceed the amount that is $5,000 less than the base salary for a

justice of the supreme court as determined under this subsection;

(3) a justice of the Court of Appeals for the Fifteenth

Court of Appeals District other than the chief justice is entitled

to an annual base salary from the state in the amount equal to

$5,000 less than 120 percent of the state base salary of a district

judge as set by the General Appropriations Act;

(4) a justice of the supreme court other than the chief

justice or a judge of the court of criminal appeals other than the

presiding judge is entitled to an annual base salary from the state

in the amount equal to 120 percent of the state base salary of a

district judge as set by the General Appropriations Act; and

(5) the chief justice or presiding judge of an

appellate court is entitled to an annual base salary from the state

in the amount equal to $2,500 more than the state base salary

provided for the other justices or judges of the court, except that

the combined base salary of the chief justice of a court of appeals

from all state and county sources may not exceed the amount equal to

$2,500 less than the base salary for a justice of the supreme court

as determined under this subsection.

SECTION 2. Sections 814.103(a) and (a-1), Government Code,

are amended to read as follows:

(a) Except as provided by Subsection (a-1) or (b), the

standard service retirement annuity for service credited in the

elected class of membership is an amount equal to the number of

years of service credit in that class, times 2.3 percent of $140,000

[ the state base salary, excluding longevity pay payable under

Section 659.0445 and as adjusted from time to time, being paid to a

district judge as set by the General Appropriations Act in

accordance with Section 659.012(a) ].

(a-1) Except as provided by Subsection (b), the standard

service retirement annuity for service credited in the elected

class of membership for a member of the class under Section

812.002(a)(3) whose effective date of retirement is on or after

September 1, 2019, is an amount equal to the number of years of

service credit in that class, times 2.3 percent of the state salary,

excluding longevity pay payable under Section 659.0445 [ and as

adjusted from time to time ], being paid in accordance with Section

659.012 to a district judge who has the same number of years of

contributing service credit as the member on the member's last day

of service as a district or criminal district attorney, as

applicable.

SECTION 3. Section 834.102(a), Government Code, is amended

to read as follows:

(a) The base service retirement annuity for a person whose

effective date of retirement is:

(1) before September 1, 2019, is an amount equal to 50

percent of the state base salary[ , as adjusted from time to time, ]

being paid in accordance with Section 659.012(a) to a judge of a

court of the same classification as the court on which the retiree

last served before retirement; or

(2) on or after September 1, 2019, is an amount equal

to 50 percent of the state salary[ , as adjusted from time to time, ]

being paid in accordance with Section 659.012(b)(2) to a judge of a

court of the same classification as the court on which the retiree

last served before retirement.

SECTION 4. Notwithstanding Section 659.012(a), Government

Code, as amended by this Act, a judge of a district court is

entitled to an annual base salary from the state as set by the

General Appropriations Act in an amount equal to at least $165,000

for the state fiscal year beginning September 1, 2025, and ending

August 31, 2026, and that amount is the annual base salary to be

used for the purpose of calculating any other judicial salaries by

reference to that section for the state fiscal year beginning

September 1, 2025, and ending August 31, 2026.

SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.