Committee advances $17,000 flat raise for judges in H322 amid concerns it won’t fully close pay gap

Representative Bruce Scogg, District 10, presented House Bill H322 to the House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee and urged support for a flat $17,000 raise to every judicial salary. The committee voted to send H322 to the House floor with a due-pass recommendation; the motion carried.

The bill matters because the judiciary is reporting fewer applicants and active judges leaving the bench for private practice, which officials say harms the court system’s capacity. "Five years ago the average number of applicants we would receive for an open district judge position was 11. Today, we are only receiving an average of 4.6 applicants for those positions," Jason Spillman, legal counsel for the Administrative Office of the Courts at the Idaho Supreme Court, told the committee. Spillman said nine judges retired in the last fiscal year and four of those returned to private work.

Spillman told the committee the court had proposed a $45,000 increase per judicial position to match market rates, but that H322’s $17,000 increase is a positive step. "House Bill 322 sets an increase at $17,000 which is obviously short of the market based target that the court identified. We appreciate and support this bill as a positive step forward," he said, while also warning some public-sector attorneys—deputy attorneys general and deputy prosecutors—would still earn more than district judges after the bill’s increase.

Committee members who spoke supported the bill as a necessary step to improve recruitment and retention. Representative Handy, who moved the committee to send H322 to the floor with a due-pass recommendation, said losing sitting judges for financial reasons "is a real hit to our judicial system." Representative Schurz called the proposal "a step in the right direction" to attract qualified applicants. Representative Ehart said the shortage of applicants is already delaying timely hearings and that more action may be needed in future sessions.

Spillman and other court proponents indicated they expect to return next year with additional requests if the market gap remains. "We fully expect that we will be returning next year with additional evidence and an additional request for another significant increase," Spillman told the committee.

Action: The committee approved a motion to send H322 to the House floor with a due-pass recommendation. The motion was made from the floor by Representative Handy; the committee chair announced the motion carried. No roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.

Next steps: H322 goes to the House floor for further consideration.