BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1985

By: Vasut

Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Current law provides for certain enhancements to state judge and justice salaries if the judge or justice has accrued a certain number of years of service as a judge of a statutory county court, multicounty statutory county court, or statutory probate court. However, service as an associate judge of a district court is not counted toward those salary enhancements, even though associate judges of district courts have extensive judicial responsibilities and must, like statutory county court judges, be lawyers. H.B. 1985 seeks to provide for prior service as a district court judge or full-time associate judge of a district court to be used in calculating the base salary for certain judges and justices.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 1985 amends the Government Code to authorize prior service as a district court judge or a full-time associate judge of a district court to be used in the calculation of a judge's or justice's annual base state salary.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2023.