Lawmakers Approve Judicial Pay Raises in Last-Minute Vote

On the last day of the legislative session, the Texas House approved a revised version of a bill to raise judicial pay just before adjourning for the year.

Lawmakers spent the weekend negotiating last-minute details of the proposal, Senate Bill 293, after the Senate last week killed a version of the pay increase that would have kept judicial salaries separate from pensions for lawmakers.

Negotiations between Plano Republican Rep. Jeff Leach, who is the chair of the House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the president of the Senate, appeared to have stalled on Friday, according to the Quorum Report. Progress over the weekend was imperiled by a looming deadline, and legislative leaders convened a conference committee on the bill late on Sunday without a guarantee that they would be able to resolve those differences.

The conference committee substitute would increase judicial pay by 25% to $175,000 per year, and would tie judicial pay and pensions for lawmakers for the next five years, Plano Republican Rep. Jeff Leach explained on the House floor on Monday. Starting in 2030, the Texas Ethics Commission would adjust lawmaker pensions every five years going forward.

A staffer reported at 2:45 p.m. on Monday that the Senate had unanimously approved the conference committee version of the bill earlier on Monday.

The lower chamber considered the topic after approving numerous resolutions recognizing lawmakers, staffers and administrators for their work during the session.

The final vote was 114-26.