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State
Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for HB2774, As Introduced: a negative impact of ($8,680,000) through the biennium ending August 31, 2017.
The Office of Court Administration reports that 217 county judges have
positions where at least 40 percent of the functions they perform as
county judges meet the qualifications of being judicial functions. A
salary supplement increase from $15,000 to 25 percent of a district
judge's state salary, or $35,000, would be an increase of $20,000 per
judge. The total annual increased cost for 217 judges would
be $4,340,000 each year.
The supplement is funded through a mix
of General Revenue and Judicial Fund No. 573 funding; however, for the
past several years Judicial Fund No. 573 revenues have not been
sufficient to meet state judicial salary obligations. Therefore, this
estimate assumes General Revenue funding would be needed to cover this
supplemental obligation.
Local Government
No significant fiscal implication to local government.
HB 2774 would amend the Government Code to change the annual salary supplement from the state to which certain county judges are entitled from $15,000 to an amount equal to 25 percent of the amount appropriated for the annual salary of a district judge in the General Appropriations Act in accordance with statutory provisions governing judicial salaries.
While county judges may be in need of a salary increase, it is not the role of the state to pay the salary of county judges. For this reason we oppose HB 2774 as a violation of limited government.