The bill proposes significant amendments to the Code of West Virginia, primarily focusing on increasing the annual salaries of various judges, effective July 1, 2025. Under the new salary structure, magistrates will earn $75,840, justices of the Supreme Court of Appeals will receive $157,600, circuit court judges will be compensated with $146,600, and family court judges will see their salaries rise to $111,950. Additionally, the bill introduces an actuarially reduced pension benefit for judges under specific circumstances, enhances the surviving spouse plan benefit by increasing the annuity from 40 percent to 50 percent of the judge's salary, and removes distinctions in retirement benefit calculations among different judges.

Moreover, the bill suspends court contributions to the judicial retirement system until the pension fund's overfunded status drops below 150 percent or until July 1, 2029, whichever comes first. It establishes eligibility criteria for judges over 65 to receive retirement benefits and modifies annuity benefits for dependent children of judges, ensuring they receive 20 percent of the judge's salary, capped at 40 percent for all children combined. The legislation also extends certain benefit limitations until July 1, 2029, and sets the salary for judges of the Intermediate Court of Appeals at $150,500 starting July 1, 2025, with their compensation included in the Supreme Court of Appeals' budget.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 50-1-3, 51-1-10a, 51-2-13, 51-2A-6, 51-11-11
Committee Substitute: 50-1-3, 51-1-10a, 51-2-13, 51-2A-6, 51-9-4, 51-9-6a, 51-9-6b, 51-9-6c, 51-11-11, 51-9-6d
Committee Substitute for the Committee Substitute: 50-1-3, 51-1-10a, 51-2-13, 51-2A-6, 51-9-4, 51-9-6a, 51-9-6b, 51-9-6c, 51-11-11, 51-9-6d