Sec. 74.061. COMPENSATION WHILE ASSIGNED. (a) The salary, compensation, and expenses of a judge or justice while assigned under this chapter shall be paid in accordance with this chapter and other law of this state.

(b) While serving in a county outside the judge's judicial district or county, an assigned judge is entitled to receive, in addition to the assigned judge's necessary expenses, additional compensation from the county to which the assigned judge is assigned in an amount not to exceed the difference between the compensation of the assigned judge from all sources, exclusive of the per diem provided by Subsection (f), and the compensation received from all sources by the judge of the court to which the assigned judge is assigned. If the judge of the court to which the assigned judge is assigned is paid an annual salary from the state in accordance with Section 659.012(b), the amount by which that annual salary exceeds the amount of the state base salary as set by the General Appropriations Act for the judge's position in accordance with Section 659.012(a) is not included in the compensation of the judge for purposes of determining the compensation of the assigned judge under this subsection. The county shall pay the compensation provided by this subsection on approval of the presiding judge of the administrative region in which the court to which the assigned judge is assigned is located.

(c) The salary of a retired judge or justice while assigned under this chapter shall be paid out of money appropriated from the general revenue fund for that purpose in an amount equal to the compensation received from state and county sources of the judge of the court to which he is assigned. The salary of a retired judge or justice while assigned shall be determined pro rata for the period of time that the judge or justice actually sits as the assigned judge. The salary of a retired statutory county court judge assigned under this chapter to serve in a district court shall be paid by the state in the same manner as the salary of a retired district judge assigned under this chapter to serve in a district court is paid by the state.

(d) For services actually performed while assigned under this chapter, a retired or former judge or justice shall receive from county funds and money appropriated by the legislature the same amount of salary, compensation, and expenses that the regular judge is entitled to receive from the county and from the state for those services. The presiding judge of the administrative region shall certify to the county and the state the services rendered under this chapter by a retired or former judge or justice and the share to be paid by the state. The amount certified by the presiding judge as the state's share shall be paid from an item in the Judicial Section--Comptroller's Department of the General Appropriations Act for the payment of salaries of district and criminal district judges.

(e) When a district, statutory probate, constitutional county, or statutory county court judge is assigned under this chapter to a court outside his own district or county, the judge, in addition to all other compensation authorized by law, is entitled to receive his actual expenses in going to and returning from his assignment and his actual living expenses while in the performance of his duties under the assignment. The county in which the duties are performed shall pay the expenses out of the general fund of the county on accounts certified and approved by the presiding judge of the administrative region for that county.

(f) When a district, statutory probate, constitutional county, or statutory county court judge is assigned under this chapter to a court outside his own district or county, the judge, in addition to all other compensation and expenses authorized by law, is entitled to receive a per diem of $25 for each day or fraction of a day that the judge spends outside his district or county in the performance of his duties under the assignment. The state shall pay the per diem in the same manner that it pays the judge's salary on certificates of approval by the chief justice or the presiding judge of the administrative region in which the judge resides.

(g) An active judge or justice of the supreme court, the court of criminal appeals, or a court of appeals assigned under this subchapter is not entitled to receive any additional compensation for serving as a visiting judge. A court of appeals justice assigned to a court outside his own court of appeals district, a justice of the supreme court, or a judge of the court of criminal appeals is entitled to receive actual expenses in going to and returning from assignment and actual living expenses while in the performance of duties under the assignment. The county in which the duties are performed shall pay the expenses out of the county's general fund on accounts certified and approved by the presiding judge of the administrative region for that county.

(h) Notwithstanding Subsection (c), the salary from the state of a retired judge or justice assigned to a district court is determined pro rata based on the sum of the regular judge's salary from the county plus the amount of the state base salary paid to a district judge as set by the General Appropriations Act in accordance with Section 659.012(a).

(i) Notwithstanding Subsection (d), the salary from the state of a former judge or justice assigned to a district court is determined pro rata based on the amount of the state base salary paid to a district judge as set by the General Appropriations Act in accordance with Section 659.012(a).

(j) A judge or justice who sits as an assigned judge for half a day or less shall be compensated in an amount that is equal to one-half of the amount to which a judge or justice is entitled for sitting as an assigned judge for a full day under this section.

(k) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a former, retired, or active judge is not entitled to compensation paid by the state when the judge sits as an assigned judge for a statutory county court.

(l) A judge of a district, statutory probate, constitutional county, or statutory county court who is assigned under this chapter to a court in a county other than the county in which the judge serves is not an employee of the other county.

(m) A former or retired judge or an active judge or justice of the supreme court, the court of criminal appeals, or a court of appeals who is assigned under this chapter is not an employee of the county in which the assigned court is located.

Renumbered from Sec. 74.037 and amended by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 674, Sec. 2.08, eff. Sept. 1, 1987. Amended by Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 82, Sec. 3, eff. Aug. 28, 1989; Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 646, Sec. 11, eff. Aug. 28, 1989; Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 726, Sec. 3, eff. Sept. 1, 1989; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 785, Sec. 6, eff. June 16, 1991; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 298, Sec. 6, eff. Sept. 1, 1995; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1166, Sec. 4, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1305, Sec. 3, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 299, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1184, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2001; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 315, Sec. 13, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.

Amended by:

Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1364 (H.B. 3135), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2007.

Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 606 (S.B. 891), Sec. 14.02, eff. September 1, 2019.

Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1121 (H.B. 2384), Sec. 15, eff. September 1, 2019.