Texas lawmakers passed the first raise for state judges in more than 10 years in the last hours of the 89th Legislature Monday — after a dispute over the bill's effect on legislators' pensions nearly killed the measure.
In a 114-26 vote, the Texas House passed Senate Bill 293 from Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, which raises the base pay for Texas state judges from $140,000 to $175,000. That salary hadn't changed or been adjusted for inflation since the Legislature last approved a base pay increase in 2013.
Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock, who advocated throughout this legislative session for judicial pay raises, applauded the bill's passage in a statement Monday.
"Late in the session, the fate of the bill was unexpectedly threatened," the statement reads. "At many times, its prospects looked grim. Yet in the last few days and nights of the session, Chairman Jeff Leach and Chairwoman Joan Huffman worked around the clock—along with many other dedicated legislators—demonstrating an unwavering commitment to achieve a compromise to secure the bill’s passage."
The measure nearly failed amid a dispute between both chambers over language in the bill that sought to untie judicial pay from state lawmaker's pensions. Until now, pensions for eligible state lawmakers were based on judges' six-figure salaries instead of lawmakers’ $7,200 per year part-time compensation.
After the House added language to the bill that would still base lawmaker pensions on the $140,000 salary, the Senate disagreed and removed what Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called the “non-germane” pension language from the bill, stalling it. It culminated in an argument between Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, the bill's House sponsor, and Patrick on X.
In a compromise after a conference committee involving chairs Huffman and Leach, if Gov. Greg Abbott signs SB 293 into law, lawmaker pensions will increase with judicial pay now but will be unlinked from judge salaries as of September, Leach said. The Texas Ethics Commission can change that starting in 2030.
"I believe the results in front of you now for your consideration is a landmark historic legislative package that delivers long overdue well-deserved pay raises for Texas judges," Leach said. "This is an essential step to maintaining a strong and qualified judiciary here in the state of Texas."
SB 293 raises the base pay for judges by 25%. The Texas Judicial Compensation Commission, which the Legislature charged with evaluating judicial pay, recommended a 30% increase in a report last year.
Texas ranked second-to-last in the country last year for judicial pay, according to the commission's report. Blacklock called the ranking an “embarrassment” in a letter to lawmakers Saturday amid pension arguments.
The bill also includes judicial accountability measures Huffman pushed for, including classifying violations of state bail-setting rules and missing case clearance rate requirements as misconduct under the state Constitution.
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