Allowing Supreme Court of Appeals discretion to create uniform pay scales for all levels of judicial support staff

SB 703 would allow West Virginia's Supreme Court of Appeals to establish uniform pay scales for magistrate court clerks, assistants, and deputy clerks instead of relying on fixed statutory salaries. Currently, these positions have set annual salaries ($54,596 for clerks, $49,232 for assistants as of 2023), but the bill would transfer authority to the Administrative Director of the Supreme Court to create standardized pay structures. The change would let these judicial support staff receive general state employee salary increases (e.g., percentage-based raises) after July 1, 2023, rather than requiring separate legislative action. This bill directly affects all magistrate court support staff across West Virginia’s counties. It focuses on streamlining compensation processes without altering their duties or current job classifications.