Case Information
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.;-- -.’ OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN _-
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Honorabla A. L. Blakeraon, Pega 3 in 194l, by 8. 9. 524, Aotr Prior to ita amendment
of the R4gular 3eseion oi the 47th L4&31atwe, Artfole 3899, v. ,A. a. 8.) while authorlzlny the payment of praslw~on Of?ialal bonda of a4rtd.n ofrloors and their deputlss, to wit 1 Sheriffa, oamtp judger, oouutp attorneya, aaseowro and aollaotors of taxes, oounty alarks and dlatrlot alerks, did not euthoriae aueh peymeats ia behal? of wounty treas- urero, aauntyaudltore, oounty 4omnl8alonors, aoanty.sahool oupsrlntandenta, and oaunty hide and animal lnapeotoro. !l%q. oaptloo of said R. B, 524 reads a8 follows~
-An Aot amending Artlola 3899, Revised Clvll Statutes or Twas, 1925, a0 anendad by Chapter 3l.l. Aeto of Forty-fourth te&&atum Resgu- lar Pesslon and Chapter t&5, A&a Oi tha !&IOOB~ Callad %safoa, Forty-fourth Logi.slature, and by Chapter 498, AM.8 or the EWtp-ilfth I.e@.aleturs, to proviCe #et preabma ok offlclal bonda for the oounty treasurers, oamty auditors, county road oomml~si~ne~a, oounty aohool ruperinterd~enta, hide and animal Inspectors and their depi;tlsa, shall%a~pe~d from aonr$: funds; end dealsring an dme!rgaBoy.;
Eeatloa 3 or aald 8. B. 5% also provideo: "'Ph. faot that tha provlolona of t&la Aot axe naaeorary to r4nmdy a 4lsorlminstlon against 4tWtaiA OCXAty OrfiOitIlS iA the mIdtar Or pSpk0Bt of aostr on prcmi~58 on bond8 for thenmelvet aul ior their deput:os oreater an~amar66noy and aA imperative pub110 ~nabasalty'that the oonstItuf$onal rule roquirlng billa to be read on thrro~aweral day8 la edah Rours tie 8unpanUad, an8 B0id rule is hereby wspendod, wd that this Ao$ shell Bake et- r40t and ba iA for00 I ha passa~o, rr0n end aftu it is aa eAaoted.* It will ba not& that Y.~otion (b) Arti410 3899, V.A.C.S., as arab~ded, aupre,, Mea term “oulnty road instead or ,the *oounty oomti8slo1u)rs~. ooamlsalonero~ inma to r0rter to oaoatg eoEvrlsslon4rsO old th4 Le&alature *4 &ono?ablo A. S. ~ickareon, Page 4
'?!e fhlnk so. Our reasoning on this 8wre la aa iollom~~
The mOOunty road oqml*sionera* ia aa&iguoua ad theroiora aubjeot to aowrtruation in order to aeosrtrk Leglalatlr~ Intent; There i a no oouatr otfloer known 88 ia true that Artiole 6737, *oountg road oommiaafonern. It V.A.O.S. author1208 the, oomalsalonara~ court to employ road oomm$eaianera nob ho exceed four tar ro8Q dlatrleta or pavofn&~ by the ooumlaalonara* oourt, aad ruoh road ‘oaasrluimera datiaed are msro2y road dlatriob or pmoinot employee8 who are required under Artlola 6738, V.A.C.S. to obey all orders a? the MQ- Artlolm &737, V.A.C.S., miaaloaera! Court. requires suoh BE+ plopesa (reed oommlaalonera) to ueoute a $1000.00 bond pryuble to the aounty Judga and hir auooeaaora in office but doer not require auah road oommiaalonera take any oath. Suoh OR- to ployoaa (road oomulsslonera) hate no deflnlta tsrmand are olearly not rloera that In ooun 88 harf ng a popula Artiole 6?~i!~ ‘Z;iA&%6 tl ffi::bfi::t?a or mnre the m++mbera of tho oaumlaaionera~ 6ourt *ahall be ex-ofriolo road eommisrlonera of thelz reapsotlte prwlnota*.
It 18 also pertlfwnt to oonaider the 1 alatire history of Article 3899, arotlon (b), V.A.C.S. Pr or bo it8 T amendment in 1941 the artlole, while euthorlzi bond premiums on the cffloisl bond8 of nearly a
orrloera did not suthoriae t&e payment bond premiuma for oounty breammar, huntp auditor, o~ounty eommlaafonera, snb~oamby hi80 and anlmsl oounty aohaol ap~rinteudent, To OUTI this altu&%on the Legislature mended the inapeotor. Aot in 19Q, as quoted above.’ Thb awrgen6y olauae, quoted above, saga amng other thlnga that ‘“the proviaiona d this Aot am neosaaary ta ramd.y a Clsori?Umtlon against Oertah Clearly this would not a)plp to m~wre 00kmy 0rrf0ia8.n emplaper auoh a5 a prsolnot or dlatriot road oimilaaloner. Jomm oouatp oomulsaionara are also ,as-afrloto road oomdasfonera (in oountloa 40,000 or over) am3 all ooantf o~rmalaaionera look after the, county mada under rarlous oonabitutlonal atatu- tory prod alona. Indeed monz people i)opularlg refer 00 tb It l ema oouuty oommlaaionera as ooun%y ?oad ~ol~aiaaloaern.
olesr to us t&t the Leglalatun undoubtedly intended to refer
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Eoaorablo A. S. Eieker8on, Page 5
to oaunby eommlaslonera when it uarb t&a born aoouatg mad oomulaalonaraw lu the amandad AoS abore quoted. To hold otherwlaa would make the Woauntp rc%d omnlaaloneraw maanlngl*aa would dlsorlninata agalnat ocunty aonm1881ouerb- aever lnbaadod by the l&alaturo aa eridenoed a dlaorlnlnabloa by tha ahova quota6 aaarganoy alaaao.
In oompllanoa with your xa uaat m are l noloaiug
herowith l ‘oopp of oplnlou 80. O-505 s of thin deparfananb, mhlah holda that bond promlums on offloial bond8 of oer- bala named oouaty Oftlo In oOwtle8
Oiflo~rr~ Salary Law l hould bo paid from ho Off oera’ Sal- rrativ uaaer *lAa arg hnd o? the oounty.
Honbgcmery Oouaby, Tama, baa a population in l b
ooaa 02 20,000 lnhabitanta aaoordln& to the 19lp ?adrral Coa- nun. Obder tha provi slona of Saotlon 13 of Artlole 39 120, V. A. 0. S.s the following named oouut y offloera, to wit: aharlfi, aaseaaor and oollaotor of tares, runty judge lnoludlhg orlmlnal dlatriot attorney a04 oouaty attorney, oounty attorney8 who perform the duties of dletrlot attcm oouuty o&ark, treaaurar and hlda and naya, dlsbrlob olerk, aalmal inapeotor, of oouhblor 9,uvlng a population in eseeaa of 20,000 lahabltanba aooordln(l to thr Last pmoedin@ FM- are1 oanaua, mat ba ocmpaaaatod oa a salary baa18 aud bo paid rraa th? ?filoera* Salary yu&.
The ooanty oommlaalouera of Ilonbgowry Counby, Tua a, reo olve th eir l alarlea under the prorIalona 02 Artl- oloa 2350 and 2350(l), V. A. 0. S., aooordlng to the tar Sooh 8alarlar may be paid aa- taluatloha of the oounty.
018 2350.
Tbero ia no atatutory twthorlslly povlalon payatenb af bond pramiuma on Orflol8l boa68 oooaby OOm8&8- rioner o In l alary oounbl~r oub o? blw road and brldga fund or ou2 of any other rund than tha Of?io6ra' SalOr Fund. *6 Xonorable A. 2L Elokerson, Page
It la our oplnlon that S~otlon (b) Of Artlole 3899, V. A. C. S., aa amended, Aots 47th L%iOlatUrO, 19W, la ;Ye anawer your queatlon in the val ,id aab oonstitutlonal.
negative.
Tour8 tory truly ATTCRNEYGRRXRAL OFTXXAS Wm. f. hMln(l Aaaletant wn:mp
ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS