May 31, 2025      11:24 AM

With sine die approaching, Chair Leach and Lt. Gov. Patrick appear to be at an impasse on a judicial pay increase

"To be clear, the Senate has rejected the House’s judicial pay raise bill because, in our version, we did not give legislators an automatic pension increase,” Leach said. “That was the House’s position, is the House’s position and will remain the House’s position.”

After last night's procedural gymnastics in the Texas Senate, House Judiciary Chairman Jeff Leach and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are at an impasse on raising pay for judges across the state.

In something of a novel approach, Patrick's Senate didn't request a conference with the House after Chair Leach delinked judicial pay and lawmakers' pensions in a Senate bill. Instead, the Senate moved to concur on all House amendments to the bill except the decoupling and sent the House a resolution asking lawmakers in the lower chamber to just retreat from that language.

It's weird. I know.

On social media, Lt. Gov. Patrick argued that if judges don't get a pay increase now, it's the House's fault.

By Scott Braddock

Copyright May 31, 2025, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved