Legislative Research Commission · RFI 010 2600000015

A defensible compensation study for Kentucky’s Judicial Branch.

House Bill 503 directs the LRC to bring in an external consultant to evaluate what Kentucky pays the people who run its courts — from circuit clerks to the Chief Justice. This is that study, delivered by a Kentucky team built for it.

SBA 8(a) compensation & classification prime Kentucky-based SDVOSB subcontractor Mandated by HB 503 (2026)
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The requirement at a glance

Statewide, elected and non-elected, all 120 counties.

~3,700
Judicial-branch personnel
412
Elected justices, judges & clerks
120
Counties covered
  • ✔  Five study objectives — philosophy, internal equity, market analysis, pay administration, cost
  • ✔  Phased for the 2028 Regular Session
  • ✔  Draft report Jun 1, 2027 · final Jun 30, 2027
Why this study, why now

Kentucky pays its judges near the bottom of the country. The General Assembly asked for the evidence to fix it.

During the 2026 Regular Session the General Assembly passed House Bill 503, requiring the Legislative Research Commission to contract an external consultant for a comprehensive salary and compensation study of the Judicial Branch — its elected officials and its career workforce alike.

The study has to do three honest things at once: set a stated compensation philosophy for where the Judicial Branch wants to sit in the market, test internal equity across every position, and benchmark market competitiveness against real public- and private-sector data — then translate the findings into pay ranges and a budget the Interim Joint Committee on Appropriations & Revenue can act on.

How we read the requirement →

The team

A compensation practice that does this for a living, with Kentucky roots on the ground.

One firm holds the classification and compensation experience and answers to the Commission. The other keeps the work in-state. The line between them is clean.

House Strategies Group Prime

House Strategies Group, LLC

SBA 8(a) · Compensation & classification practice

The prime and single point of accountability to the Commission. HSG’s specialty is public-sector compensation and classification — the exact five-objective work this study calls for — and the qualifying experience and references are HSG’s own, anchored by a Certified Job Evaluator and Fortune-100 compensation analysts. HSG runs the methodology, benchmarking, job architecture, cost model, and the analytical platform.

Certified Job EvaluatorPublic-sector comp & classPortal-first delivery
Riley McGuire Partners KY Subcontractor

Riley McGuire Partners, LLC

Louisville, Kentucky · Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business

The Kentucky presence. A Louisville-headquartered, veteran-owned firm led by managing partner and Kentucky-barred attorney Neil B. Riley. As subcontractor, RMP provides in-state stakeholder coordination, on-the-ground logistics across the Commonwealth, and veteran-owned participation — keeping the engagement local while HSG leads the analysis.

Kentucky-basedVeteran-owned (SDVOSB)GSA Schedule holder

Meet the team →

What you can explore here

We don’t just describe the method — we show it running.

This portal is the working companion to our written response. Every page is evidence the Commission can click through before award.

01

The study, decoded

HB 503, the five objectives, the elected-vs-career split, and the phased path to the 2028 session.
02

Our approach

How we deliver each objective — philosophy, internal equity, market analysis, pay ranges, and cost.
03

Market analysis, live

An interactive look at Kentucky judicial pay against national benchmarks and regional cost of labor.
04

The team

RMP’s Kentucky program leadership and HSG’s credentialed compensation and classification bench.
05

Plan & deliverables

The phased timeline, monthly reporting, the two report milestones, and our references.
06

Why this team

Kentucky roots, veteran ownership, and a compensation practice that does exactly this — in one bid.
See the work before the award

Open the full response and the live analysis.

No login, no install — the methodology, the market exhibits, and the team, on any device in about a minute.

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