Senate Bill No. 181
(By Senators Yoder, Chafin, Unger, Barnes and Plymale)
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[Introduced February 14, 2005; referred to the Committee
on the Judiciary; and then to the Committee on Finance.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact §51-2-13 of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, relating to providing that salaries of state
circuit judges shall be seventy percent of the salaries of
federal district court judges; and that circuit court judges'
salaries shall, in the future, be adjusted simultaneously to
reflect a sum equal to seventy percent of any future
adjustments to federal district court judges' salaries.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §51-2-13 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2. CIRCUIT COURTS; CIRCUIT JUDGES.
§51-2-13. Salaries of judges of circuit courts.
The salaries of the judges of the various circuit courts shall
be paid solely out of the State Treasury. No county, county
commission, board of commissioners or other political subdivision
shall supplement or add to such salaries.
The annual salary of all circuit judges shall be sixty-five thousand dollars per year: Provided, That beginning the first day
of January, one thousand nine hundred ninety-five, the annual
salary of all circuit judges shall be eighty thousand dollars per
year: Provided, however, That beginning the first day of July, one
thousand nine hundred ninety-nine, the annual salary of all circuit
judges shall be ninety thousand dollars per year: Provided,
further, That beginning the first day of July, two thousand five,
the annual salary of all circuit judges shall be a sum equal to
seventy percent of the salary of federal district court judges and
whenever the salaries of federal district court judges are adjusted
thereafter, the salaries paid to circuit court judges shall
simultaneously adjust to reflect a sum equal to seventy percent of
the salary of the adjusted salaries of federal district court
judges.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide salaries of
State circuit court judges are 70% of the salaries paid to federal
district court judges and that circuit court judges' salaries will
be adjusted simultaneously with any future adjustments to federal
district court judges' salaries to reflect a sum equal to seventy
percent of federal district court judges' salaries.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.