SB 589 West Virginia Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Providing pay increases to members of judiciary

SB 589 increases annual salaries for West Virginia judges effective July 1, 2025. Magistrates will earn $75,840, Supreme Court justices $157,600, circuit court judges $146,600, and family court judges $111,950. The bill also suspends court contributions to the judicial retirement system until specific conditions are met and adjusts survivor benefit calculations for judges' families. These changes directly affect current judges across all state court levels.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 25, 2025 Last action Mar 24, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Committee Substitute → Committee Substitute for the Committee Substitute · 6 edits

MODERATE

This bill updates judicial salaries and retirement benefits for West Virginia judges, including justices of the Supreme Court, circuit judges, and family court judges. It also modifies the judicial retirement system contribution requirements and adjusts survivor benefit calculations.

Scope change

The bill applies to judges of the Supreme Court of Appeals, circuit courts, family courts, and the Intermediate Court of Appeals, with specific changes to salary amounts and retirement contribution rules.

FISCAL

Supreme Court justice salaries increased to $157,600 effective July 1, 2025 (previously $167,552), and circuit judge salaries increased to $146,600 effective July 1, 2025 (previously $155,232).

Family court judge salaries increased to $111,950 effective July 1, 2025 (previously $125,416).

Intermediate Court of Appeals judge salaries increased to $150,500 effective July 1, 2025 (previously $159,600).

REQUIREMENT

Judicial retirement system contribution suspension language changed from 'suspended until certain condition met' to 'placed on a contribution holiday' with the same funding threshold of 150% overfunded status or July 1, 2029.

ELIGIBILITY

Surviving spouse annuity benefits for judges appointed after July 1, 2005 changed from 40-50% to a fixed 40% of final average salary.

TIMELINE

Report date for the bill changed from March 4, 2025 (Judiciary Committee) to March 24, 2025 (Finance Committee).

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 24, 2025

Committee

Rereferred to Finance

upper

Mar 24, 2025

Upper · Passed

Committee substitute for committee substitute reported

upper

Mar 18, 2025

Committee

Referred to Pensions

upper

Mar 4, 2025

Committee

To Finance

upper

Mar 4, 2025

Upper · Passed

Committee substitute reported, but first to Finance

upper

Feb 25, 2025

Committee

To Judiciary

upper

Feb 25, 2025

Introduced

Introduced in Senate

upper

Feb 25, 2025

Committee

To Judiciary then Finance

upper

1 primary · 4 co-sponsors