NJ lawmakers want to give raises to judges, Cabinet officials and others

A bipartisan group of state lawmakers has introduced a bill to give salary hikes to judges, Cabinet officers, county prosecutors and other officials, some of whom have not received a raise in 16 years.

The measure that cleared the Senate budget committee Monday is a pared-down version of a bill that floundered in 2016 because it contained other provisions to let former Gov. Chris Christie cash in on a book-publishing deal while in office.

In exchange for the salary hikes, Christie had also wanted a separate piece of legislation — the so-called “newspaper revenge” bill — ending the requirement that legal notices be printed in newspapers. The measures sparked a public backlash after coverage by The Record and NorthJersey.com, and they were killed by rank-and-file members from both parties.

The new bill is stripped of the book-deal language and does not appear linked to other legislation. Proponents say the raises are long overdue and will help attract and retain qualified individuals for some of the state’s most crucial positions.

Under the measure, S-1229, members of the governor’s Cabinet would see their pay rise $34,000 to $175,000 — their first increase since 2002.

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State judges, justices and county prosecutors, meanwhile, would get an $8,000 raise this year and each of the next two years, with subsequent increases tied to the rate of inflation. County prosecutors and Superior Court judges have made $165,000 a year since 2009.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner is the highest-paid justice under the law, currently making $192,795 a year.

The bill would also benefit a few other officials, such as county clerks and sheriffs, because their salaries are linked by law to those of Superior Court judges. In addition, the bill would set the maximum salary of the executive director of each of the Senate and Assembly majority and minority offices at $175,000.

Unlike the measure considered in 2016, which could have cost state and county governments more than $10 million a year, the newer version does not enhance the annual allowance provided to each lawmaker for his or her staff. The non-partisan Office of Legislative Services is yet to publish a cost estimate for the latest bill.

The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee approved the measure by a 9-3 vote Monday. One of the lawmakers opposed was Sen. Declan O’Scanlon, R-Monmouth, who said any discussion of salary increases should take into account both high- and low-wage earners and be part of a larger conversation about the state budget.

“We have people all across the spectrum who haven’t had salary increases in many years,” he said. “By just increasing the salaries of the people perhaps closest to us at the top of the scale, I think that takes the pressure off us to deal with our overarching budget issues.”

Email: pugliese@northjersey.com