ENGROSSED
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
H. B. 2455
(By Delegates Beane, Staton, Amores and Facemyer)
(Originating in the Committee on Finance)
[April 2, 1997]
A BILL to amend and reenact section three, article four, chapter
forty-eight-a of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine
hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to increasing the
annual salary of the secretary-clerk, effective the first day
of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-seven.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section three, article four, chapter forty-eight-a of the
code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as
amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 4. PROCEEDINGS BEFORE A MASTER.
§48A-4-3. Compensation and expenses of family law masters and
their staffs.
(a) Prior to the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred
ninety-four, a family law master shall receive as full compensation for his or her services an annual salary of thirty-five thousand
dollars.
(b) After the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred
ninety-four, a full-time family law master shall receive as full
compensation for his or her services an annual salary of fifty
thousand dollars and a part-time family law master shall receive as
full compensation for his or her services an annual salary of
thirty-seven thousand five hundred dollars.
(c) The secretary-clerk of the family law master shall be
appointed by the family law master and serve at his or her will and
pleasure and shall receive an annual salary of seventeen thousand
five hundred dollars: Provided, That beginning the first day of
July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-seven, the secretary-clerk
of the family law master appointed by the family law master
shall
receive an annual salary of twenty-two thousand five hundred three hundred eight
dollars
: Provided, however, That subsequent to the first day
of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-three, the
secretary-clerk may receive such percentage or proportional salary
increases as may be provided for by general law for other public
employees and shall receive the annual incremental salary increase
as provided for in article five, chapter five of this code.
(d) A temporary or special family law master shall be
compensated by the supreme court of appeals at an hourly rate not
to exceed the hourly rate paid to panel attorneys for performing
work in court pursuant to the provisions of section thirteen-a, article twenty-one, chapter twenty-nine of this code.
(e) Disbursement of salaries for family law masters and
members of their staffs shall be made by or pursuant to the order
of the director of the administrative office of the supreme court
of appeals.
(f) Family law masters, members of their staffs and temporary
family law masters shall be allowed their actual and necessary
expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. Such
expenses and compensation shall be determined and paid by the
director of the administrative office of the supreme court of
appeals under such guidelines as he or she may prescribe as
approved by the supreme court of appeals.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to increase the salary of
the secretary-clerk of a Family Law Master from $18,808.00 per year
to $22,500.00 per year. The total annual cost to the State for
this is $117,320.00 per year on a state-wide basis. Currently the
annual salary of a judge's secretary is $24,204 and the annual
salary for a Prosecuting Attorney secretary is $23,300.00.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.