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2018 SESSION
18102318DBe it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That § 16.1-69.33 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 16.1-69.33. Committee on District Courts.
There is hereby established a Committee on District Courts (the Committee) to be composed
of the Majority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Delegates,
the chairmen
Chairmen of the House and Senate
Committees for Courts of Justice
Committees or their designees who shall be members of the House or Senate Committee for
Courts of Justice committees, two members of each of the Committees for Courts
of Justice of each house, to be appointed by the chairman of their Committee, one member of the House Committee for Courts of
Justice to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates in accordance
with the principles of proportional representation contained in the Rules of
the House of Delegates, one member of the Senate Committee for Courts of
Justice to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules,
the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia who shall be chair of the
Committee, one judge of a circuit court, two general district court judges, and two juvenile and domestic
relations district court judges. The judicial members of the Committee on District Courts shall be
made to give representation insofar as feasible to various geographic areas of
the Commonwealth. The judicial members of the Committee on
District Courts shall be appointed by,
and serve at the pleasure of the Chief Justice.
The Committee shall meet at such times and places as it may
from time to time designate for the purposes of authorizing the appointment of
substitute judges pursuant to § 16.1-69.14, authorizing the establishment of
clerks' offices in counties or cities as may be requisite,
and establishing when such offices shall be open for business, authorizing the
appointment of personnel for the district courts pursuant to Article 4 (§
16.1-69.37 et seq.) of this chapter
and establishing procedures for administrative review of appeals from personnel
actions for district court personnel and magistrates, fixing salary
classification schedules of court personnel pursuant to Article 5 (§ 16.1-69.44
et seq.) of this chapter, and establishing vacation and
sick leave for district court judges, district court personnel, and magistrates, and for such other duties or
matters as are now, or
may hereafter be conferred upon the Committee by law. The Committee may also
adopt an official seal and authorize its use by district court clerks and
deputy clerks of the district courts. Such salary classification schedules,
vacation, and sick leave policies shall
be uniform throughout the Commonwealth.
The Committee on District Courts
shall have sole authority and discretion in adjusting salary classification
schedules for district court personnel. The Committee shall fix such salaries
for the several district court personnel at least annually at such time as it
deems it proper and as soon as practicable thereafter certify to the
Comptroller and the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court a detailed statement
of the salaries fixed by them for the several district courts and the effective
date of any salary adjustments.
The Committee on District Courts
shall appoint (i) a Clerk's Advisory Committee composed of two clerks from the
general district courts and two clerks from the juvenile and domestic relations
district courts; such appointments shall be made after giving due consideration
to former clerks of county and municipal courts not of record; and
(ii) a Magistrate's Advisory Committee composed of two magistrates; such. Such
advisory committees are to make recommendations to the Committee regarding
administrative functions of the district courts.
For the performance of their duties, the Committee shall be
reimbursed out of the money appropriated for the adjudication of cases in the
district trial courts for their actual expenses incurred in the performance of
their duties and, in
addition, per diem compensation allowed for members of the General Assembly for
each day spent in performing such duties;, provided, however, that no
additional compensation shall be paid to members of the judiciary serving on
the Committee.
In the event of the establishment of personal liability of a
district court judge or magistrate for the loss of property or money from a
district court or magistrate's office by reason of robbery or burglary, the
Committee on District Courts shall have
the authority, after appropriate investigation and upon its determination that
the individual judge or magistrate was not negligent in the performance of his
duties, to reimburse such judge or magistrate to the extent of his personal
liability on a warrant of the Comptroller issued as provided by law. However,
such reimbursement shall not exceed $1,000 per claim. This paragraph shall
apply to all claims arising on and after July 1, 1976.