SB23 Alabama 2023 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Greg AlbrittonSenator

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2023

Title

To amend Section 12-17-81 of the Code of Alabama 1975, to further provide for the salary of all circuit clerks in the Unified Judicial System based on the pay plan adopted by the personnel system of the Unified Judicial System.

Summary

SB23 updates circuit clerks' salaries to align with a new Unified Judicial System pay plan, with new hires starting at a higher grade in 2025 and existing clerks moving to that grade plus automatic annual increases.

What This Bill Does

The bill amends the salary rules for circuit clerks to set starting pay for new appointees in January 2025 at step one of pay grade 86. Clerks who were serving before that date and are at pay grade 84 move to the corresponding step in grade 86. After 2025, state salaries for all circuit clerks increase by one pay step each anniversary date until the maximum is reached. The bill preserves local supplements and does not authorize any changes to them; it also preserves prior local supplements and the FY1999-related limits. It contains transitional provisions that continue the existing detailed salary schedules for clerks with different years of service, but with the new 2025 starting framework for new appointees.

Who It Affects

• All circuit clerks in the Unified Judicial System, including the Deputy Circuit Clerk of the Bessemer Division in the Tenth Judicial Circuit, with changes to starting pay for new appointees after January 2025 and a conversion for current clerks to the new grade.
• Local entities that provide local supplements to circuit or district clerks, which are not to be diminished or increased by this act.

Key Provisions

• Amends Section 12-17-81 to base circuit clerk salaries on the Unified Judicial System pay plan.
• Beginning January 2025, new circuit clerks (appointed or elected on/after that date) have starting state salaries fixed at step one of pay grade 86; current clerks at pay grade 84 move to the corresponding step in grade 86.
• After the 2025 term, state salaries for circuit clerks increase annually by one pay step until the maximum step is reached.
• Transitional provisions replicate the prior 1999 salary framework for clerks already serving, with specific formulas for 0-6 years, 6-12 years, and more than 12 years of service, including defined dollar amounts and step-based increases in subsequent years.
• Local supplements to salaries are preserved and are not diminished or increased by this act.
• The act does not apply to increases enacted for FY1999 and includes a date of effectiveness beginning with the January 2025 term.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Circuit Clerks, salary based on pay plan of Unified Judicial System