The bill stipulates that a county judge and justices of the peace can have their pay withheld until a budget for the current year is approved, if one is not in place by January 1. It also mandates that the previous year's approved budget be implemented to ensure employee pay and other expenses are covered.

A Senate bill to enact the 2024 budget for Jefferson County while the Quorum Court there remains at a standstill over finalizing a 2025 budget is expected to work its way to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders by next week,

Lawmakers planned to file a bill Monday (Feb. 3) that would require cities and counties to revert to the previous year’s budget if they haven’t written one by a