The Georgia General Assembly has taken steps towards giving Georgia judges a pay raise.  Supporters of the legislation say that the bill is needed to address disparity in judge’s salaries across the state’s 159 counties.

Last week, the Georgia House passed a bill that would standardize pay for superior court judges.  The bill passed the House 154-13.

Currently, in the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit, judges have a salary of $139,790.28.  The judges also have a travel allowance of just over $7,000 in addition to their regular salary.

The proposed legislation would cost taxpayers $21 million, but the increases might be phased in over a period of years.

The bill is now headed to the Georgia Senate for consideration.