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Bill

HSB 180

A bill for an act relating to judicial officer salaries, and including effective date provisions.

2025-2026 Regular Session

Shifts judicial pay to a formula tied to federal district judge salaries, phasing state judges from 71% to 75%, with the Supreme Court able to cut salaries when funds are tight.

Subcommittee recommends passage.
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Bill Summary · HSB 180

Summary of HSB 180 — Judicial Officer Salaries

Overview

HSB 180 proposes a new, formula-driven framework for setting the salaries of judicial officers, replacing the current practice of establishing salaries through annual appropriations bills. The bill creates a phased salary schedule tied to a percentage of the federal district judge salary, with a cap-and-flexibility provision for the Supreme Court and specific conforming changes to related code sections. It also includes a cascading effect on county attorney salaries in certain counties and sets an effective date of June 20, 2025.

Key Provisions

  • New salary formula: Judicial officer salaries would be calculated from a baseline as a percentage of the salary of a federal district judge, rather than being set in annual appropriations.
  • Phase-in for state district judges: State district judge salaries would increase over four fiscal years from 71% to 75% of a federal district judge’s salary.
  • Salary scale for other judicial officers (based on state district judge salary):
    • Chief Justice, Supreme Court: 124%
    • Other justices, Supreme Court: 119%
    • Chief Judge, Court of Appeals: 111%
    • Judges of Court of Appeals (excluding chief judge): 107%
    • Chief Judge, Judicial District: 104%
    • District Associate Judge / Associate Juvenile Judge / Associate Probate Judge: 89%
    • Magistrate: 27% (subject to Code section 602.6402 for additional magistrates)
    • Senior Judge: 6%
  • Judicial branch funding flexibility: The Supreme Court may set lower salaries in a given year if funding is insufficient or for other good causes.
  • Conforming changes: The bill makes conforming changes to Code sections 602.9104 and 602.9204.
  • County attorneys in small counties: By operation of law, the bill affects the salaries of county attorneys in counties with populations of 200,000 or less (Code § 331.752(5)).
  • Effective date: June 20, 2025.

Who Would Be Affected

  • Judicial officers: All state district judges, justices of the Supreme Court, judges of the Court of Appeals, chief judges of judicial districts, magistrates, and senior judges.
  • Related personnel: County attorneys in counties with populations of 200,000 or less.
  • Administrative bodies: The Supreme Court would gain primary authority to adjust salaries downward in response to fiscal constraints or other good causes.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Introduced: February 13, 2025
  • Status: Subcommittee recommends passage
  • Legislative actions to date:
    • Subcommittee meeting: February 20, 2025
    • Subcommittee action: Passage recommended (02/20/2025)
  • Committee assignments: Referred to Judiciary; Subcommittee composition: Lohse, Holt, and Olson
  • Effective date: June 20, 2025

Potential Impacts and Considerations

  • A shift to a percentage-based, formulaic salary structure may provide more predictable budgeting for the judicial branch and could reduce annual legislative tinkering with salaries.
  • The four-year phase-in from 71% to 75% of the federal district judge salary represents a significant uplift for state district judges and could affect compensation comparisons with other states.
  • The Supreme Court’s authority to reduce salaries in years of limited funds introduces fiscal flexibility but may raise concerns about salary stability for judicial officers.
  • The automatic effect on smaller counties’ county attorney salaries may broaden the bill’s reach beyond the judiciary into county-level legal staffing and budgeting.

Note: The summary reflects the introduced text and the version provided, including the subcommittee and committee actions up to the latest status.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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