HB2529

Regular Session

Relating to the annual state salary supplement for certain county judges.

LowStandard timeline

Low Cost

Effective:2025-06-20

Enforcing Agencies

Comptroller of Public Accounts (Judiciary Section)

Compliance Analysis

Key implementation requirements and action items for compliance with this legislation

Implementation Timeline

Effective Date: June 20, 2025 (Note: While the bill text lists September 1, the legislative vote count triggered immediate effect. You must operate on the June date to avoid wage theft liability).
Compliance Deadline: The first full pay period beginning on or after June 20, 2025.
Agency Rulemaking: The Comptroller of Public Accounts (Judiciary Section) will likely issue administrative guidance on verifying "years of service," but businesses cannot wait for this guidance to update payroll logic.

Immediate Action Plan

1. Audit Tenure Immediately: Identify all Constitutional County Judges with 4+ or 8+ years of service.
2. Update Payroll Logic: Reprogram ERP/Payroll systems to switch the calculation base from "District Judge Base Salary" to "District Judge Salary including Longevity."
3. Adopt Early Effective Date: Set the system switch-over for June 20, 2025. Do not wait for September.
4. Verify Funding: Contact the County Treasurer to ensure the specific line item for "State Salary Supplement" has sufficient buffer to cover the increase for the remainder of the fiscal year.

Operational Changes Required

Contracts

Payroll Service Level Agreements (SLAs): Third-party payroll vendors serving Texas counties must review SLAs. Failure to update the calculation logic constitutes a failure to apply statutory compensation formulas, potentially breaching "compliance with applicable law" clauses.
Interlocal Agreements: Counties sharing judicial funding must amend budget agreements to account for the increased supplement costs for tenured judges.

Hiring/Training

Payroll Staff Training: HR and Payroll staff must be trained to stop using the static "18% of Base District Judge Salary" formula. They must now apply a dynamic formula: 18% of (Base Salary + Longevity Pay).
No New Certifications: No new personnel certifications are required.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

Tenure Audits: You must create a verified record of "years of service" for every sitting Constitutional County Judge. This data point is now a required input for payroll calculation.
Eligibility Affidavits: Continue filing the affidavit certifying the judge performs judicial functions for at least 18% of their workload, but attach the service verification to justify the specific dollar amount requested from the Comptroller.

Fees & Costs

Budget Impact: The state anticipates an annual cost increase of $885,000.
County Liability: If state appropriations lag behind the statutory entitlement, counties must be prepared to bridge the funding gap for the increased salary supplement to avoid underpayment claims.

Strategic Ambiguities & Considerations

Definition of "Service": The statute uses "comparable years of service." It is unclear if this includes prior service in other judicial roles (e.g., Justice of the Peace). Guidance: Until the Comptroller rules otherwise, interpret this strictly as "years of service in the office of Constitutional County Judge" to avoid overpayment and subsequent clawbacks.
Appropriation Gaps: The Fiscal Note indicates a negative impact on General Revenue. If the Legislature fails to appropriate the specific increase, the law still entitles the judge to the funds. Counties must monitor Comptroller disbursements closely to detect shortfalls immediately.

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Legislative Timeline

This bill's path through the Texas Legislature

TopicsCounty Government County Government--employees/officers Courts Courts--judges Salaries & Expenses

Official Analysis

View HRO Analysis View All Bill Documents

BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2529

By: Dean

Intergovernmental Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The 86th Legislature passed H.B. 2384, which provided an increase in the compensation for members of the judiciary. However, county judges were not included in the legislation. H.B. 2529 seeks to address this omission and allow certain county judges to receive the same longevity supplemental pay paid to a district judge with comparable years of service as the county judge.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 2529 amends the Government Code to change the amount of the annual salary supplement from the state to which a county judge is entitled if at least 18 percent of the functions that the judge performs are judicial functions or if at least 18 percent of the total hours that the judge works are in the performance of judicial functions. Specifically, the bill changes that amount from an amount equal to 18 percent of the state base salary paid to a district judge as set by the General Appropriations Act to an amount equal to 18 percent of the annual salary paid to a district judge with comparable years of service as the county judge as set by the act.

H.B. 2529 applies only to a salary payment for a pay period beginning on or after the bill's effective date. A salary payment for a pay period beginning before the bill's effective date is governed by the law in effect on the date the pay period began, and that law is continued in effect for that purpose.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2025.

House Authors

Rep. Jay DeanRepublican · Primary Author

Coauthors (2)

Senate Sponsors

Sen. Joan HuffmanRepublican · Primary Sponsor

Cosponsors (1)

Cesar Blanco (D)

Bill Text(with markup)

H.B. No. 2529

View bill text in multiple formats on Texas Legislature website

Fiscal NoteView Original

	AN ACT
	relating to the annual state salary supplement for certain county
	judges.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1. Section 26.006(a), Government Code, is amended
	to read as follows:
	(a) A county judge is entitled to an annual salary
	supplement from the state in an amount equal to 18 percent of the
	annual [~~state base~~] salary paid to a district judge with comparable
	years of service as the county judge as set by the General
	Appropriations Act in accordance with Section 659.012 [~~659.012(a)~~]
	if at least 18 percent of the:
	(1) functions that the judge performs are judicial
	functions; or
	(2) total hours that the judge works are in the
	performance of judicial functions.
	SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
	a salary payment for a pay period beginning on or after the
	effective date of this Act. A salary payment for a pay period
	beginning before the effective date of this Act is governed by the
	law in effect on the date the pay period began, and that law is
	continued in effect for that purpose.
	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.

LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 89TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION


March 30, 2025

TO:	Honorable Cecil Bell, Chair, House Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs

FROM:	Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board

IN RE:	HB2529 by Dean (Relating to the annual state salary supplement for certain county judges.), As Introduced

Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for HB2529, As Introduced: a negative impact of ($1,770,000) through the biennium ending August 31, 2027.

The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.

General Revenue-Related Funds, Five- Year Impact:

Fiscal Year	Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds
2026	($885,000)
2027	($885,000)
2028	($885,000)
2029	($885,000)
2030	($885,000)

All Funds, Five-Year Impact:

Fiscal Year	Probable Savings/(Cost) from General Revenue Fund 1
2026	($885,000)
2027	($885,000)
2028	($885,000)
2029	($885,000)
2030	($885,000)

Fiscal Analysis

The bill would amend the Government Code to increase the county supplement paid to certain constitutional county judges to allow a constitutional county judge entitled to an annual salary supplement from the state to receive the district judge salary enhancements based on years of services as a county judge. The bill would allow the state supplement to increase after four and eight years of service as a constitutional county judge.

Methodology

Under current law, a constitutional county judge is entitled to an annual salary supplement from the state equal to 18.0 percent of the base salary of a district judge (currently set at $140,000) if at least 18.0 percent of the functions that the judge performs, or 18.0 percent of the total hours the judge works, are judicial functions.

According to the Comptroller's Department Judiciary Section, $885,000 each fiscal year would be required for the anticipated salary supplement cost increase for constitutional county judges that would be credited for an additional four and eight years of service under the provisions of the bill.

Local Government Impact

No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:

212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts

LBB Staff:

JMc, SZ, DA, JPa

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about HB2529

What does Texas HB2529 do?

HB2529 alters the compensation formula for Constitutional County Judges, shifting the state salary supplement from a fixed percentage of a base salary to a variable percentage based on tenure. This change requires immediate reconfiguration of payroll systems for Texas counties and third-party public sector administrators to account for longevity tiers (0-4, 4-8, and 8+ years) effective immediately. Implementation Timeline Effective Date: June 20, 2025 (Note: While the bill text lists September 1, the legislative vote count triggered immediate effect.

Who authored HB2529?

HB2529 was authored by Texas Representative Jay Dean during the Regular Session.

When was HB2529 signed into law?

HB2529 was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 20, 2025.

Which agencies enforce HB2529?

HB2529 is enforced by Comptroller of Public Accounts (Judiciary Section).

How urgent is compliance with HB2529?

The compliance urgency for HB2529 is rated as "low". Businesses and organizations should review the requirements and timeline to ensure timely compliance.

What is the cost impact of HB2529?

The cost impact of HB2529 is estimated as "low". This may vary based on industry and implementation requirements.

What topics does HB2529 address?

HB2529 addresses topics including county government, county government--employees/officers, courts, courts--judges and salaries & expenses.

Legislative data provided by LegiScanLast updated: November 25, 2025

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