By: Hinojosa S.C.R. No. 57                 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION   WHEREAS, Judicial salaries in Texas are consistently lower   than those of other states with similar populations, and the state   judiciary has received only two pay raises since 2000; and          WHEREAS, The Judicial Compensation Commission was created in   2007 to recommend appropriate salaries for judges of the Texas   Supreme Court, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the courts of   appeals, and the district courts; since its inception, the JCC has   issued a report during each state legislative session; the only   upgrade in compensation came after the commission's 2012   endorsement of a 21.5 percent raise in judicial salaries; the   legislature voted to increase wages by 12 percent; and          WHEREAS, The Texas judiciary plays a fundamental role in   upholding the rule of law and safeguarding the rights and   protections guaranteed to citizens by the state and federal   constitutions, and competitive wages help to attract and retain the   most qualified and capable judges for courts across the Lone Star   State; now, therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas   hereby request the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house   of representatives to create a joint interim committee to study   state judicial salaries; and, be it further          RESOLVED, That the study include the creation of a formula to   calculate state judicial salaries, examining the salaries of the   highest appellate courts of the nine most populous states other   than Texas, the salaries of judges on the United States Courts of   Appeals, and the average starting base salaries of first-year   associate attorneys at the five largest law firms in Texas; and, be   it further          RESOLVED, That the committee's proceedings and operations be   governed by such general rules and policies for joint interim   committees as the 85th Legislature may adopt.