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. The new salary structure will set magistrates' salaries at $75,840, justices of the Supreme Court of Appeals at $157,600, circuit judges at $146,600, and family court judges at $111,950. Additionally, it introduces an actuarially reduced pension benefit for judges under specific circumstances, enhances the surviving spouse plan benefit, and removes distinctions in retirement benefit calculations among different judges. The bill also 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 occurs first.

Moreover, the bill modifies existing provisions related to annuity benefits for judges and their families, increasing the annuity from forty percent to fifty percent of the judge's salary at the time of death or retirement. It stipulates that dependent children of judges who have served for five years or more will receive an annuity of twenty percent of the judge's salary, capped at forty percent for all children combined. The bill also limits any increases in benefits for retirees or beneficiaries to one percent based on accrued actuarial liability, extending the termination date for these provisions to July 1, 2029. Additionally, it sets the annual salary for judges of the Intermediate Court of Appeals at $142,500, with a planned increase to $150,500 starting July 1, 2025.

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