HARRISBURG -- The state House gave final approval today to a measure disconnecting automatic salary increases for state judges from any future salary increases that federal judges get.

The bill now goes to Gov. Ed Rendell for signature. House Bill 10 unties the connection between state judge salaries and federal judge salaries that was contained in the infamous July 2005 pay raise measure. The Legislature later repealed its own salary increases, but the state Supreme Court, last year, upheld the part of the law that gives state judges a raise. They also upheld the section that says any increase in federal judicial salaries would also mean a pay hike for state judges, but that tie-in has now been undone.

Also today, the House approved House Bill 289, which would advance the 2008 presidential primary in Pennsylvania from April 22 to Feb. 12, in order to give Pennsylvanians more of a voice in choosing the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates. Many other states are holding their primaries in January or February.

However, the bill now goes to the Senate, where there are no plans to act on it before the summer recess. If the bill doesn't come up for action until October or November, it's dead, admitted Rep. Harry Readshaw, D-Carrick, its sponsor. That's because there wouldn't be enough time to allow for 90 days for petition signatures in order to get names on the Feb. 12 ballot and give counties enough time to make preparations for the earlier primary.

More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.