1976, March, Pg. 402. LEGISLATIVE ACTION REPORT.

• Author: by Gordon G. Gauss

5 Colo.Law. 402

Colorado Lawyer

1976.

1976, March, Pg. 402.

LEGISLATIVE ACTION REPORT

402LEGISLATIVE ACTION REPORTby Gordon G. GaussCBA public relations and legislative counselIncreased Judicial Pensions and State Compensation Proposed

A new concept of pensions for judges was placed before the Colorado General Assembly this year in Senate Bill 64, espoused by the Judicial Department and introduced by 12 legislators, half of them lawyers.

It provides that a judge who is retiring may promise to perform any judicial duties assigned to him by the chief justice for up to 60 days a year without receiving extra compensation. In return, the judge's pension is increased by 20 percent of his salary. The judge receives the increase for life unless he refuses to accept assignments from the chief justice. If he is not called upon to serve, he still will receive the added payments.

Only judges who are lawyers can qualify under the bill as written. One of its requirements is that a judge must be eligible to sit in county courts of Class A or B counties. These are the larger counties in the state required by law to have full-time lawyer judges.

The bill provides that the judges' retirement fund shall be reimbursed for the extra pension payments by annual appropriation from the state general fund.

Judges who cannot qualify for the extra pension allocation, or who do not wish to qualify, will continue to receive pensions on the same basis as at present.

Judicial Support Enthusiastic

Chief Justice Edward E. Pringle is enthusiastic about the bill. He sees it as a way of augmenting judicial manpower without adding new judgeships.

Senate sponsors of the bill are Ralph A. Cole, R-Littleton; Richard H. Plock, Jr., R-Denver; Fred Anderson, R-Loveland; Ray Kogovsek, D-Pueblo; and Harold McCormick, R-Canon City. House sponsors are Gerald H. Kopel, D-Denver; Betty Ann Dittemore, R-Englewood; David Gaon, D-Denver; Charles Howe, D-Boulder; Bob Leon Kirscht, D-Pueblo; Morgan Smith, D-Brighton; and Ronald H. Strahle, R-Fort Collins.

Cole and Kopel are the chairmen of the Senate and House judiciary committees, respectively. Plock is the majority leader of the Senate and Kogovsek is the minority leader. Anderson is the Senate president. McCormick is chairman of the GOP caucus. Kirscht is majority leader of the House and Strahle is minority...