Austin, Texas—Efforts to secure overdue pay raises for Texas judges have stalled amid contentious debates in the legislature. As the session nears its conclusion, lawmakers find themselves in disputes over proposed changes to their retirement plans, complicating the approval of pay increases aimed at addressing a decade-long stagnation in judicial salaries.
Senate Bill 293 proposes a 25% increase in judicial salaries, raising the base pay from $140,000 to $175,000. This proposal has garnered broad support across both legislative chambers and various political parties, labeled as essential for maintaining the integrity of Texas’s judicial system. However, a last-minute amendment from the House proposing to cap pension benefits has created friction with the Senate, which seeks to tie pension increases to judicial pay raises.
Key talks took place over the weekend, but no agreement was reached before the midnight deadline, diminishing the likelihood of passing the pay raises ahead of the session’s end on Monday. While state legislators receive a meager annual salary of $7,200 for their part-time work, those who serve longer terms are entitled to pensions based on the higher salary of district judges, which can lead to substantial retirement benefits.
The House’s amendment intends to keep pension payouts aligned with the current judicial salary, rather than allowing for increases alongside judicial pay. Rep. Jeff Leach, a Republican from Plano and sponsor of the bill, expressed concern over this approach, stating it was not the right method to address legislative retirement adjustments.
The Senate challenged this amendment. On Friday night, Sen. José Menéndez, a Democrat from San Antonio, called for its removal, arguing it was not pertinent to the bill. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick supported Menéndez’s challenge, a rare procedural decision in the Senate, highlighting the escalating tension between the chambers.
When the House reconvened Saturday, it became clear that members were unwilling to back down. House Speaker Dustin Burrows asserted that withdrawing just one amendment was not permissible within House rules. This conflict raised questions about how to resolve such disputes, typically handled through a conference committee that facilitates negotiations between the chambers.
Sen. Sarah Eckhardt of Austin noted that the Senate felt misled by Leach and bill author Sen. Joan Huffman regarding the retirement plan’s amendments, emphasizing the need to reach a consensus. Lawmakers often plan their legislative careers around pension timelines, leading to concerns that decoupling judicial pay from pension benefits could undermine future arguments for pension reform.
Judges who have long been underpaid in Texas are particularly anxious about the stalled pay raises. Even with the proposed increase, judges would still earn less than their counterparts in many other states and would fall well behind private sector salaries for newly graduated law students, as pointed out by Leach.
While alternative pathways for judicial pay increases remain, options are limited. A successful resolution would require either the Senate to accept the House’s version or for both chambers to suspend standard legislative rules, which demands significant support in votes.
Judges have urged legislators to fix the impasse, with some expressing that their continued service was contingent upon promised salary increases. Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court Jimmy Blacklock sent a letter to lawmakers urging a compromise to avoid ending the session without any increase in judicial compensation. He warned that a failure to resolve the issue would harm the justice system and the countless Texans who rely on it daily.
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