Bill > HB1964

This bill, effective September 1, 2030, will reclassify Tennessee counties into five population-based categories instead of the current seven, which will be used to determine the salaries of general sessions and juvenile judges. It also revises the minimum salary requirements for these judges and establishes a new county litigation tax, ranging from $1 to $5 per case depending on the county's class, to help cover the judges' salaries. This tax will be applied to all civil, criminal, juvenile, and traffic cases initiated in general sessions or juvenile courts. Additionally, the bill clarifies that judges in higher-class counties (Class 1-3) will be full-time and prohibited from practicing law, while those in lower-class counties (Class 4-5) can be part-time, with exceptions for specific counties and resolutions by county legislative bodies. The bill also outlines how judges' salaries will be adjusted based on population changes and ensures that salaries will not decrease if a county's classification drops, but will increase if it moves to a higher classification.