85R29794 RMA-D
 
  By: Hunter H.C.R. No. 142
 
 
 
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 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.