HB3495 amends the Clerks of Courts Act to create a new state-funded stipend for circuit court clerks. In addition to compensation paid by county boards, each clerk of the circuit court would receive $35,000 annually from the State to account for additional duties imposed by Public Act 101-652. The bill also requires that this stipend be adjusted each year to reflect the annual cost-of-living adjustment used for Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits.
The measure is narrowly focused on clerk compensation and does not change the underlying county salary structure already set out in the statute. Instead, it adds a separate state award on top of existing county-paid compensation and prior state awards tied to other statutory duties. The bill would apply statewide to clerks of the circuit court and would increase ongoing state expenditures, with the amount rising over time as the COLA is applied.
Impact
HB3495 would amend Section 27.3 of the Clerks of Courts Act to add a new recurring state stipend of $35,000 per year for each clerk of the circuit court, indexed annually to the Social Security/SSI cost-of-living adjustment. This would increase state obligations to fund circuit court clerk offices and would supplement, rather than replace, county board compensation. The bill affects circuit court clerks directly and indirectly impacts county and state budgeting, but it does not alter court jurisdiction, clerk duties themselves, or the existing county salary minimums in the statute.
Sentiment
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no documented debate or formal vote history to gauge support or opposition. Based on the bill text and caption, the measure appears to be a compensation-focused proposal intended to address workload associated with new judicial duties, which suggests a practical administrative rationale rather than a policy dispute. The available record does not show whether the bill was controversial or broadly supported.
Contention
The main point of potential contention is fiscal: the bill would require the State to pay an additional $35,000 annually to each circuit court clerk, with future increases tied to COLA, which could draw concern over ongoing state costs. Another possible issue is the allocation of responsibility between the State and counties, since clerks are currently compensated by county boards and this bill shifts part of the burden to the State. Supporters would likely emphasize that the stipend compensates clerks for added duties created by Public Act 101-652, while critics may question whether the amount is justified or whether the state should fund these responsibilities directly.