| TO: | Honorable Tom Craddick, Speaker of the House, House of Representatives |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB3199 by Hartnett (Relating to the creation of the Judicial Compensation Commission.), As Passed 2nd House |
The bill would add Chapter 35 to the Government Code, relating to the creation of the Judicial Compensation Commission. The bill would create the Judicial Compensation Commission, which would consist of nine members appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate.
The bill would specify the qualifications for and grounds for removal from office. The members would not receive compensation for their service, but they would be eligible to be reimbursed for actual and reasonable expenses under the reimbursement procedures of the Office of Court Administration. The Office of Court Administration would provide the administrative support for the commission.
The bill would require the commission to report, before each legislative session, on the proper salaries to be paid by the state for all justices and judges of the Supreme Court, the Court of Criminal Appeals, the courts of appeals, and the district courts. The bill would specify some of the factors the commission would consider in making its recommendations.
According to the Office of Court Administration, assuming 9 commission members meet one time per year every fiscal year, and assuming that average travel expenses per member are $350 per meeting, the annual cost of the bill would be $3,150 per meeting of the commission. To the extent members meet one time per year, the fiscal implication to the State is not anticipated to be significant.
The bill would take effect September 1, 2007.
| Source Agencies: | 212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts
|
| LBB Staff: | JOB, SD, MN, ZS, TB
|