Case Information
*1 i,?-i 1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable L. Y. V8nce
C0u.nt.y AttOl’My
Tit&r CoulU,J
nt. Plearant, Texao
Dear sir1 conaldered .
and crrafull~
follover
aud vrter bill. m an eleaLlve Office, he city Camlrrlon.
e Art. 38orl of the hlr ho1dingthlr poet- other etatute, la p htr from bold- ot Jutstlce of QUJ ticle 16, section rr0 of the COML~L~L~~ part, l o i01 10Vr r T e xas reada,
*no person l hell hold or exeralee, 8t the 8-e time, mre aihu~ one alvll otfice of eaolument, exaept t&t of Jwtlce of the ze, cyuaty cd88loner, lotrry Public
. . .
Honorable L. W. Vance - Page [2]
Under the expre88 lenguage of thl8 aonsLitu-
clonal provision, a person msy hold and exerclae tho office of Ju8tice of the Peace and at the 8eme time anoLher clvll offlce of emolument. O-1 v. Tovnaend, '77 Tex. 64, 14 S.N. 355; Luero v. State, 63 8. Y. (2) 699,
We can aonaelre of no ba818 upon which it may be maid tmt the office of Ju8tlce of the Peace 18 ln- compatible with tb8 office or pooltlon, a8 the cane say be, of City Tu Collector. In thl8 aonnectlon 800 Opinion a copy of whlah 18 onclosed no. 0-2184 0r tbi8 Dopartmont, herewith, wbiah bold8 that the office of Jurtlce of the Peace end City Rearetary of the City of Nule8hoe are not lncompetlble. Al80, 800 Opinion lo. O-2055 of thlr Depart- ment, a copy of vhiah 18 enalo8ed &rovlth, vhlah hold8 that Lhore 18 no lncompatlblllt~ in the office8 of Justice of the Peace and racorder of a corporation court.
Artlole 3608, Vomon’m Ilnnotated Penal Code,
18 a part of R.B. vhich va8 onacted by the &let Legin- lature texa8, Regular Re88lon. 1929, vhlch arid Rouse Bill road8 a8 follov8r
"PRoHIBITINff CNRTAIN OFPICHRS ?RoX AMINO AB COLLEcTIN(I AQEms.
"LB. lo. 63 Chwtor 227 "M aat to prolllbit Ju8tice8 of the Poaao, rherlffr, aon8trblee and other paace officer8 from taking aolleatlon ury al&l= for debt exaept br proaua of lav pre8crlbLng tho dutle8 of
8uoh offloora ti preroribing a panalty; pro- vldlng for contlnguacy ln ca8e any 8octlon 18 doalared unoon8tltutlonal doom not affect remdador of 8ald Aat; and declaring an emer- g-y.
"BH fTlUIACTED~THELBDISLATURE OFTBB STATEOF TBXABr 1. Any Jurtlao of the Peace, "8ectlon 8herifr, con8table othmr poaao officer in thl8 State, vho ah811 reaolvo for aolleatlon or undertake the aollactlon of w alaim for debt other8 except under and by v&rtue of tho proaermeo of lav pre8criblng the duties of uch offlaer8 or vho rhell receive aomponaatlon therefor exaept *3 Honorable L. U. Vance - page j
as premcrlbed by lav, shall be guilty of a ala- demeanor and upon convlctlon thereof shell be punished by a fine of not 1088 th8n Tvo Hundred nor more than Five Hundred DollarI, and Dollars in addition to much fine may be removed from office.
Provided, hovever, that nochlng herein abali be construed to prohibit my JUStice of the Peace vho 18 authorlmed by lav to act for others in the collection of debts fma undmrtaklng SUCh collections vhom th8 amount 18 beyond the jUrl8dlCtlOn of Lhe JUStice Court. 18VS 8d wt.8 Of 18VS "Sea. 2. All
in aonfllct herevlth am hereby repealod. *Sec. 28. If any meatlon part of this Act 18 held t0 be UIXCOUStitUtlOti it Shall not effect the validity of thm reuulning portion this Act.
%ec. 3. The fact tiut there is nov no lav prohibiting peace officers from aatlng am COll.eOtiOZi 4CUkC108 &Ud Using thir OffiCid pO81- tiOA8 t0 OXtOrt ney On WljUSt daSnd8 and the crovded aondltlolr tha~caleadar cr8at.o an public nmCe88ity that the COnStlLUtiOnd iBpOmtlV0 Rule mqulrlng that bills bo read on three several days be 8nd the same is hereby suspended, and that this Aat take effect frop and after its pa88age and it 18 SO onactod.
I . . .
"~~provod march 19, 1929.
'ltffectlve $30 days after 8djournMnt.a AS 8h0VX1 above, the title to the Blll 1s: 'PROMBITIUO CERTAIB OPFICERS FRON ACTIIO AS COLUCTSNO AOXNTS."
The c8ptlon states anong other tbingsr "An Act to prohlblt JUSticOS Of the Peace, SheriffI, COn8t8ble8 and Other pO8Ce OfflCOrS fmm tekm for collection eny claim for debt, except by the uroaemm of lav Dremcribinn the dUtiO8 of suah Offi&rS, etc." (Uixdoracorl~ ours)
Honorable L. W. Vance - Page 4
Section thm emergmncy clause of &he ACL, clearly hovm the intent of th8 Leglmlature and the evils which the Legirlature v88 lntendlng to curb, tovit, the lmpmper use of jwtlaem of the peace and peace offLcor8 Of thO6ir Official pOSitiOn in 8CtiIIg as COlleCtiOn agen- Cl08 t0 OXtOrt mm07 on Un&ASt demndm. it 18 the IOU m FO8pOl3tfldl~ tiVi8Od th8t
opini0nofthi8 departaentr 1. The Jurtiae of the Peace can lawfully hold t& offlae or pomltlon (vhichever it YJ be, a vhlah ve am ROt given 8UffiCiUht qu88tion fact8 in your letter to deolde uad one vbich ve also deem unne- cessary to deoide purp08e8 tihlm opinion) of City Tu Colleator of Talco.
2. Xavlng deolded that the Justice may also lawfully bold the office or,pomltlon of City Tu Collector Of Talao, it 18 Our fUPthOr OpiniOn thBt hi8 8C.U in colleatlng taxes srrd Vater bills the City of Talc0 vould not be ooatrary to the 8pirit and p&WpoSe of the Of E. B. 0, mupm, and vould IlOt be 8alUt.q p~OVi8i0~ in rlolatlon of Article ma, VerItOIa’S Annotated Texas Penalcode.
YOUPI VOFy t.l’lllJ OERERAL OF TEXAS -.-2n ATTORHBY By I WiJ.Flnninp v’ ASSiStUXt