JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – More than 100 judges could soon receive pay raises exceeding $10,000 under legislation now awaiting the governor’s signature.

In all, 128 judges would receive raises ranging from $11,404 to $13,877.

“We’re doing that for judges to retain good judges, to attract better lawyers to the bench to serve as judges,” said Rep. Robert Johnson, who voted in favor of the pay raise.

Proposed raises by position

Circuit and chancery court judges would receive a pay raise of $13,063, bringing their new salary to $171,063.

Presiding justices of the Supreme Court would receive a pay raise of $13,877, bringing their new salary to $190,614.

Associate justices of the Supreme Court would receive a pay raise of $13,825, bringing their new salary to $187,625.

The chief justice of the Supreme Court would receive a pay raise of $12,680, bringing the new salary to $194,171.

The chief judge of the Court of Appeals would receive a pay raise of $13,275, bringing the new salary to $182,624.

Associate judges of the Court of Appeals would receive a pay raise of $11,404, bringing their new salary to $179,871.

“We want the best people in those jobs. To attract them, you got to pay them,” Johnson said.

Teacher pay comparison

While Johnson supported the judicial pay raises, he said teachers should have also received a significant pay increase.

Lawmakers approved giving teachers and assistant teachers a $2,000 raise.

Special education teachers would get an additional $2,000, for a total raise of $4,000.

Mississippi ranks last in the country when it comes to teacher pay.

According to the National Education Association, the average teacher salary in Mississippi is $53,704.

Johnson said state leaders should find funding to give educators a thriving wage, the same way they did for judges.

“We ought to have that same philosophy, and I have that same philosophy, and I think most people do with teachers, we need to do the same thing,” Johnson said. “Now, arguably, a teacher pay raise I’m talking about would be 10 to 20 times larger because there are more teachers than there are judges. But the philosophy is the same. If you want to attract the best people, you’ve got to pay the best people.”

The bill now heads to the governor’s desk. If signed into law, the new raises would take effect July 1.

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• Mitigation grants could soon be available for Mississippi homeowners looking to fortify their roofs. The grants are not to exceed $10,000 and awards will be made through a lottery.

The Legislature has sent a bill to the governor that establishes the “Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program” to aid homeowners across the state in retrofitting insurable property to resist loss due to hurricane, tornado, hail, or other catastrophic windstorm events.

Both the state Senate and House unanimously passed the conference report creating the mitigation program on Wednesday.

The program outlined in SB 2409 will be administered by the Mississippi Insurance Department. It will provide grants to retrofit dwellings to resist loss from windstorms. The retrofits must meet or exceed the FORTIFIED roof standard of the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS).

While the program is being established for homeowners in all areas of the state, the Coast delegation was a driving force behind the measure authored by State Senator Walter Michel (R), chairman of the Senate Insurance Committee.

Jackson County State Senator Jeremy England (R) celebrated the legislation late Tuesday after it cleared his chamber, saying the goal of the bill is to lower insurance costs not only on the Coast, but for all of Mississippi.

“Today, we sent a bill to the Governor setting up a program that will allow incentives to homeowners to fortify to new requirements to ‘mitigate’ damage from wind storms (like stronger roofing and water protection),” England shared on social media. “Once enough homes on our coast and in our state take advantage of this program, we will see insurance rates start to drop.”

England added that the program is one “we all should be very proud of, and that we all should take advantage of.”

State Senator Scott DeLano (R) played a key role in getting the program through the Legislature. His Coast colleague England said DeLano “led the way” as he planned meetings with engineers and specialists in preparation for the legislation and setting up the grant program.

Eligible dwellings to be considered for a retrofit grant from the Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program must be a single-family residence, not a condominium or manufactured home. The dwelling must be the applicant’s primary residence and it must be insured for windstorm loss, and if necessary, flood loss. In addition, the dwelling must be in “good repair” and has not previously been retrofitted to meet the IBHS FORTIFIED roof standard. An inspection will be performed to verify the application and condition of the dwelling.

Grants are not to exceed $10,000 per recipient and awards will be made “through a lottery or other allocation mechanism established by the Mississippi Department of Insurance for eligibility requirements by source of funds and subject to the availability of funds.”

The state Insurance Department is allowed to contract out the implementation and management of the program at a cost of no more than 5% of annual deposits into the Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program Fund. An annual report on the program is to be submitted by the department to the governor and the Legislature each December 1.

Lawmakers also established an advisory council to meet three times a year “for the purpose of advising the Mississippi Department of Insurance in performance, efficiency, and operations of the Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program.” The advisory council will consist of three state senators, three members of the state House of Representatives, and the Executive Director of the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriters Association.

“Lower insurance rates for homeowners are right around the corner,” Senator England said. “This is going to be one of the unheralded wins of the 2026 legislative session.”