The bill, H.B. No. 2322, amends Section 659.012 of the Government Code to establish the annual base salary for district judges and justices of the court of appeals in Texas. It specifies that a district judge is entitled to a minimum annual base salary of $140,000, with provisions that the combined salary from all state and county sources cannot exceed a certain threshold. The bill introduces new subsections (b-2) and (b-3), which outline how the annual base salary for district judges will be adjusted based on the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. Specifically, the salary for each year of a state fiscal biennium will be calculated based on the previous biennium's salary, adjusted for inflation, with a stipulation that if the inflation rate is zero or negative, the adjustment will be considered as zero.

The changes in the law will take effect on September 1, 2025, and will apply to the state fiscal biennium beginning September 1, 2027. The bill aims to ensure that the salaries of district judges and justices remain competitive and reflective of economic conditions, thereby enhancing the judicial system's ability to attract and retain qualified judges.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Government Code 659.012 (Government Code 659)
House Committee Report: Government Code 659.012 (Government Code 659)