The bill amends the Code of West Virginia to implement salary increases and revise retirement benefits for judges, including justices of the Supreme Court of Appeals, circuit court judges, family court judges, and judges of the Intermediate Court of Appeals. It sets a timeline for salary increases, with justices' salaries rising to $154,600 by July 1, 2025, and $159,600 by July 1, 2026. Circuit judges will see their salaries increase to $143,600 and $148,600, while family court judges' salaries will rise to $113,950 and $118,950, respectively. The bill also mandates judges' contributions to the judicial retirement system, with the employer's contribution suspended until specific conditions are met, and nullifies any prior practices that allowed discontinuation of required contributions before retirement.

Additionally, the legislation clarifies eligibility criteria for retirement benefits, requiring a minimum of twelve years of service for judges, with a higher threshold of fourteen years for those appointed or elected after July 1, 2005. It establishes that judges who have served at least eight years after age 65 are entitled to retirement benefits equal to 75% of their annual salary. The bill also introduces annuity benefits for the surviving spouses and dependent children of judges, with specific percentages of the judge's salary allocated to them, and includes provisions for adjusting these benefits in line with salary changes. Certain sections related to benefit limitations and retirement calculations are repealed to streamline the legal framework governing judicial compensation and benefits.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 50-1-3, 51-1-10a, 51-2-13, 51-2A-6, 51-11-11
Committee Substitute: 50-1-3, 51-2-13, 51-2A-6
Engrossed Committee Substitute: 50-1-3, 51-2-13, 51-2A-6
Enrolled Committee Substitute: 51-1-10a, 51-2A-6, 51-9-4, 51-11-11