Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS CL AUSTIN , -.-
Eonorable John Et. Shook
CH.m.lnal DlstrIot Attorney
Bexar County
&n An~oQlo; Tex68
OplAloa 80. 0 -7535 Ret ConflIetlng rovIaio33 of House Bill 8 9 f and Senate Bill 246, Acta 49th Legls- IatuFe, as applied to Bexar County
In your recent letter to this dsparkmut, you made the followi~ request:
"Xour o lnioa ia requested whether or not ustleoa of he e pace and oonatableo of this ounty are eatlt ed to a maximrpl salary Forty-five Hundred ($45ioo.O0) Dollar8 per year under House BIXL 241 or Xouse BOIL 849, sad vhether or not suuh pro~lal~nns are in lrreoon- allable oonfllot with the proHsIons of S. B.
246.'
8Inoe lkuse Bill 241, Seotlon (d) read8 the m?ae 823 Rouse Bill Section (h), Ye shall ooneider only the latter vhlch Is the later.aot, In connection with Eeuste Bill 246, f5eotiou 6.
We quote the two bills f'or reference: 849, Sea. (h): "All Juatloee of the Peaoe and Constables of mloh oountles YbO are compens6ted on 8 fee basis 88 provided by law still be entitled to retain annual feee not to exceed Forty-five Sundmd Dollar8 ($4500) eaah. All Juatioos of the P~aoe and Conatxblea of such oountiea vho *2 EIoaombla John It. Shook - Pqe P
are oomp%naated on a ealary baela as pmrlded law rhall reoeloe an mrmal salary OS aot to e%aeeU Forty-five Kumimd Dollam $4500) cmrpisaloners eaoh rush salary to be flxed by tba Cc&. ?rorided,trove~r, O(P- t~t~ltetr~nd alrslons whether ourrent or d8llnqu%nt WNoh are oolleoted b the lacu&ent durlng hi8 t%nure OS oifloe 8ha d be applied tint to the payment of Nr deputies, authortied expenses of his offioe Mu to mke qp tho M%lmn 0aspeRaatloa prorldod for in tNe mbseotloa. No suoh offleer rhll be entitled to reoelvo for an7 purpose any fsss or ocemlsrioa that are oollected d%er he ceases to hold suah office.*
Senate Bill 246, Sea.
'All Juatlcas of the Peace and Constables of euoh oouutlee vho are ooprp%nsst%d on a See basis
&all be eatitlti to retain of Forty-seven Badred each; provided, however, that all fees and oomlaslons, whether ourrent or dalinqumt, whloh (LLYI oolleoted by the lnom- bent &wi~ his temare of offieo shall be &pplied first to the psp8at Of US deputies, aQthoriMd expanses of Nr orfloe aad to make up the maxi- nnoompensatlonprov&d for in t&is 6eotlon.
No suah offlaera 8bsl.l be entItled to zweiro for tmy purpose any fees or -otiesloas that am oollected arftir he a%8888 to hold such office."
our Opinion No. 0-6728, approved Jul g3~L~~, held thatbenateBill246 repealsEou8e BUl the tuo sots am fn lrreconoll&le aontllot.
House Bill 849 applies to oountler ha&i&g a popu- lation et 225,QOO lnhsbitaatr or me6 aud leers thatr 500,000 inhabitants sooomllng to the i&at preoedlug Federal a0asu.a . Senate Bill 246 8ppli06 to oountlee having a population of not less than 3C0,000x,, nor Bore than 500,000, kOO0rditi.g t0 the l8St pXW0diD.g yS#derIIl OQI18US.
Sinoe the population of Bexsr County auoordlng to the laet prooodlng Federal emam, vas 338,176 in.habl- tints, the provlslons of Senate Bill 246 vould a ly knd vould prevail ov%r any provisions IQ Row.se Bill i&J ;rhlch am in Irr%ooncllable oonillct.
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Hotmrablo John A. t&took - Pago
8eknat.e Bill 246 clemly predlcatem ltefgr~~mL&one 'on thooe "vho are oonponeated on a fee baelr*. uot be ooualateat with thlr open1 PO to 8ap the follovlllg phmee, *annuel feer aa3 or sa15rym, meant any- thlag but aompaasatlon or rfmuneratlon resulting from fees. 849 refere tc precloot oS?loere aomwen- mted on either a St30 basis or i salary barir. 'fhel"BfO~, it 10 OUl' OpiAiOA that iUSOfPr 88
justloos of the pea50 md oonstmblea who are 5OiupenSated on a foe bsels lo comtlaa vlth a populatlou of not less tbtbn %T,ti&OTnor &tore than 500,000, ev%ndlng to the laet p?ecedlug Federal oaneue, the tvo aote are in l~reconallsble aonfllct and the maxlms~ componsatlon of imch officere km governed by the provlsloas of Benate Bill 246. In OOwtltieS h8Viqj W$R<iOU Of 225,000 int??bi-
bats or aore, mad lass than 500,000 it&nbitmta, aooordlng to the laetprecedlng Pederal aenm38,the m4&5m1 ca4a~tm8- tloa of justices of the peace and constabl~r vho are COUP saaeated OA a &is, are govemed the provisions of Howe Bill