Case Information
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OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable Re@.nald 3raoowll AttorneJr
bfstrict Runtalllo, TIxJI8
Daar Sir:
iolo 336k-3 in (8 Annotatrd Tona Q 43rd Lagielature.
UB pas664 in 1933 and Srw tha read- 1 me evidently intondeil to prOvibe ad- ditioml ooarpeosation for Dletrfot Attorney of this D@&riot 006a6 arlefng in han&ling in OonneOtiOn rith the Penitentiary located In Halker County, so-o- ially Habeas Corput~ C(ISOZI cf which there sr@ a great RMy.
.- Honorable &ginaldBracewoll, 2age 2
".$him Artiub was avldantly intmuled to allow the DiiWriot Attornoy l dbltioual oomponratlon othar than~that by gemsal law.
WArtIola 38362 of Vernon9r Annotated Btatutea provider that Dlatriot Attorneys shall reoeivo an an- nual salary of $4,OGO.OG payable ‘In twelve equal monthly Inatallmnta upon warranta drawn by thr Comptrollar of Publlo Acoount6 upon 3tste Treasury.
*Seotlon Four of sala act is aa followa: *Hothing In thIa act shall ba oonatrucrd to repeal or aifaot any law8 now in exirtanca with rafarenoe to Aaaistant Dis- triot Attornoye, InvortIgatore Btenegrapherr In Judiolal Dlstrlots inoluded In thir sot.' Then is no arentioa as to whether it repeal8 Article 326k-6 above rel'arre to or any other apeclal law. This Artiola~ was afi 'otivs Sqmber 13, lW36. e
vrior to the armotraant or tha above mentioned Article 88802, Dlatrlat Attorneys had been paid under Artlols lOE1 OS Yernoa*a Annotated Co66 at Criminal ProoeQur4 whareln DlatrPot Attorney8 'were ocmpensated upon a par diea baBl8.
*It I8 aj opinion th8t ArtI& S886t above ;rdsrrd to dou not repeal Art1016 Seek-5 above referred to, and that tha Dlatrlot Attorney of the 1Eth Judlolal District la ~ntltled to the atlditloaal ooolapenaation pro- vided in aalci Artlola WSk-6 in addition to #ala- provlQaQ under tha said Article S88tW above roferxea to. St OOOUXI that the Le&.laturs In patming ArtdOle 3&6k-5 ha& in 18Ind the snhanoad work lnambmt upon the Dla- triot Attorney in thI8 Dlatriot with reterenoe to hand- ling Penitef.Marp mattars as shown in aaid aat.
"1 would appreciate an opinion from your departmsnt as to whotheir not the Dlrtrlot Attorney of tha 12th Judlolel Dlatrlot is entitla& to aoapenaatlon as provided In Artlolo 326k-5 In audition to tha salary proride in Artfola 38861 above referred to."
Arti 988k-5, Vernon's Annotated Civil Stetutas, (Senate Bill Ro. 497, Acts of the 44th Leg., Ch. 133, p. 367) reads as followor
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Bonorable RegInaldBraceatsll, Page 3
seotion 1. *The Diatrlct Attorney OS the 12th Judioial Dlatrlot of T-e elm11 rsoeive for the aotual and neoeaaery dla- charge of hia duties in the DIetslot Court of the 12th Judicial Dlstrlot or Teuls, for not to exoeed ritty (50) days eaah yur in addition to the ~xlmm number of daya for whioh he may paid under the of the Rs@ar seealon of tbo 4sra Legislature.
Paysent of aald additional OaPpenaatIon shall be made In tha same manner 88 is pro- vided for payment 0r oompensertion providaa for by the kota of the Regular 3sssIon of the 43rd Leglslertur4.W 2. "Nothlw herein ahell be Sbotlon
oonatmed ae prcrventfng the Dlatrlot At- torney of the 12th Tudlolal Dlatriut of Texas, irGzn receivIt& hlo eatual and neo- weary srpanaea while aervlIlg aa said Dlr- trict Attorney in aaid dlstriOt outside the onunty Of his r8eIdQnc0, (tc now provfd8d by law."
2eotlon 3. The fact thet the Matriot Attorney of the 12th Ju4loIel District of Tsxne has to pro3mate all orlkslnal oaae* orl&InatIog out of the prison syatm of the f,tate of Texae, cnC mSd bualnaoe has crowded the doakot. of the 12th Judlclal District to the extent that lt is impomibls for aald Dla- triot Attorney tc reosfve a Sair we.ge for the servioce perfcme~ for the Estate o? Texas, ant? tha further f8Gt thet the crowd04 ooadi- tiun ot the docket OP said cfxrt, p~nsvsnta the proper dlagstc!: of buslntaao in said oourt In a aatlerachory mmer within the number of days provided law, creates an l margenOy and an imperctlve pub110 necesislty that the oonstltutlonel rule requiring bills to be read on three ssvsnl %ayn In each Bc;les be suspended, end this Act ba enftirced and take affect from and after Its pnf~asge, and it Ic so enactaQ.V
Honorable ReglneMEracewell, F&Se 4
ArCiole atwr, Vernon'e Annotated Clvll. stetuter (House Sill Bio. 87, Ch. 44t, hats of the 44th Leg., find C. 5. f reeds a8 r0im8:
Ssotfon 1. WIrrom end erter January let, 1936, in all Judicial Districtr in thie State the Distriat Attorney in eeoh suoh Distrlot ehell reooive rrom the state (~8 &my ror hla senlcer the eua 0r your Thouoend Dollars ($4 000) per year, whlah raid Four Thoueend Doliere ($4,000) mhell include Five Xun- ared Dollerr (8500) salary per peer now el- lowed euoh Dlstriot Attorney8 the Constltu- tion 0r thb stetei providing that in all Jo&f- cial Dlotriots in this State oompoaed or two (2) or more oountlee In one (1) or which auoh countlea there 16 a oity containing the popule- tion of not 1.88 then alnoty thoueead (00,000) inhebitent8 eoaording to the lert preoeding Fed- ore1 Ceaeue. the Dietriet Attorney of ruah Dls- trlat shall reoelve rroa the Skte ae pay ror his eerviaei the earn or Plvo Thoueend Pive Hun- dred Dollars ($5,600) par JSU rhiol% aaid Five The~uitd File BundrOd Dollare f$S,SOO) &all lnolmle the ?ltr Rhndred M.lerr (#MO) ulery per yeer now elkiwed ruoh DietriOt AttOmey# by the Gonstitutloa of thie State. Such aalery ahell be paid in twelve (13) equel monthly in- stellamnta upon warrants drawn by the Comptrol- ler Fublio ACeOunts upon tlKl state TrotmAry.
Frovided that nothinS in this Act shell be oon- etrued so aa to deprive Dietrlot Attorneys oS the expense allowenae ellowed or whioh a;cay hue- after be allowed by lew." seation 2. -All monies hsretofore eppropriat-
sd by the Lsgislsture to pay re4e, 8alsrios, a& per diem eaoounte or the orrfoera named in this Act ere hereby reappropriated for the purpose of paylag the raleriea fired by thle Aat.*
Seotion 3. "~11 fees, oonmiaeime, and per- quisites which may be earned and oolleoted by District Attorneys affsoted by this Act shall be paid into the county Treasury or the County in r%ioh auoh fees 8x-e mrrmd for the 8Coount of the proper fund." *5 .
?ionorable Regineld srecswall. iega 5
ssation 4. *Hothing In this Act shall be oon8truod to rope1 In eny nnnor erraCt eny hw now in exI8tenocs with refeTeno6 to AleI8tant DietrIot Attorneys, Xnvortigetore or Stemogmpher8 In Judloiel Dirtriots lnoluded In this AOt.”
8eotion 6. -Ilothm in this Ata ~h6li et- root Criminal Distrlot Attorney8 whom distrlot is oanrposed or only one (1) aomty.*
ceotlon 6. 'Th8 feat that the peopl8 of this State here adopted e ConstItutional emend- tsent abolishi I68 ay8t.88 aa l method Or D 8triOt, County, end Reainot of- “fl oompenmtlng iioIel8 end that 8eId emendunt ~111 beccm op- onatfre on the rlrnt dey or Jerumry, lOSO, end the further teat thet therr 18 no law mm Sn exl8teno8 whiah aftor aeid dete will provide ror Ompmmetlon ef such Dl8triOt Attorney8, are8tes en emergency end en lmperetlre publio aeors8ity requiring that the oonatitutlonal rule requiring bill8 to be reed on three several days in raah Rowe be,, cad the mame is hereby, ru8pended end thle Act 8hell take erieot and be In Coroe &om end erter Its passa$e, it Is 86 enaoted.*
6eotIon 61 of ~rtlole XVI of the State Conrtltation provI5er in pert es r0110ws:
'All district oftlcers In tba State or Tex- es end 611 aountjr offioera In oountler, having a population of twenty thousand (20,000) or more, eccordim to the last preoedIng ~ederel oen8u8, shall rrom the first day or January and there- etter, and subsequent to the first regular or spoolal session of tha Legisletura efter the edoption or thi8 resolution, oompemmted on e salary beelr. . . .*
Tha leth Judiclel Dlstrlot 18 coapo5ed of Walker, Griraes, Trinity, Leon, and Madison Countiae.
Prior to the aneotmnt Article 3886r, 6upra, DIs- tri0t Attorneys In Judicial Districts composed of two or IpLore aounties were paid under Article 1021 of vernon~~ Annotated Code of criminal Trooedure, upon a per diem basis.
Bonoreble Reginald Brecewell, Tags 0
The additional oompennetion provided by Artlola yes to b8 paid in ths seme manner es provided 3136k-6, supre, ror pnymerrt of oanpenwtlon provided by Aotm 0r the Regu- lar session of the 49rd Legislature, whloh wee Ssnete Bill Ho. 169, Chapter 11, Aota or the 43rd Legloleture 1933. The Aot provided thet certain awas or money be paid end the emme w6re 8pproprleted out or any Iunds In the gtclt8 Tr868Wy not OthO~fSO ap roprleted, to pey the per dfem of Dietriot Attorney8 In Jud 0161 Di8trIota oom~o88d or two or more ooun- L; tie6 as by Chapter Hid, or the 40th Leg., Regu- lar Se~&on, for the belanoe of the tlaoel year ending AU@ ust 31, 1933, which epproprlatlona were aV6ilabl8 Immediately end won In lieu of the appropriations contained in Chapter 95, Aots or the Reguler smdon or the 4and L8~16letur8, to pep the p4r diem or rirtptw0 district ettorneys. This Aot further provided that the per diem JWOVidSd in Chapter 2x46, Acts or the Regular Session of the 40th L4~1816tur4, ror rirty-two dlatriot attorneys In judlolel di8trlot8 oom~osea or two or more ooUntl88 wes twenty dollars per dey not ex- ceeding one hundred end two days, end i)lOB,WO.OO was ep- proprlsted by thim Aot for the suleriea of the Diatriot At- torneys mentioned therein.
The additional oompeneetlon e&lowed by Artlole Stdk-3, tUme, applied to the 18th JudIalel DietrIot when the DietriOt AttO~Oy On 6 -2 41~ thSr@Oi We8 ocmp8n8eted by the above m6ntiOnSd However, es provid6d b86i8, ACtS. slnoe Jeauary 1, 1936, Dlstriot AttOrnOyS In judicial dla- triota compoeed of two or more oountlee have not been ocm- ;ensetsd on 6 Dsr dlan basis, but have been oompenseted In aocorUeno8 with Ikrtlclo 3886f, eupre.
It le to be noted that the la8t sneotment the Legl~leture with rererenoe to oompenaetion ‘or DiEtriOt kt- torneys in judlclel distriotPr oomposed two or nora ooun- tie8 (ArtIole 30t30r, aUpl-e), r6pOttl Ar- do86 not expres8ly t&ale 1021, Code or Criminal Prooedure, or Artlole 386k-5, Vernon's Annotated Civil §tetuter. EOw8Ver, the firat atet- ute ebove mentioned ths le$t two statutes under QonSidOr%- tion herein, era fn pari meterie and their provieiona In SUoh respect oennot ruconciled, ln such efroumstanoe~, the older statutes will be held to be repeeled by ImplIo~tlon to the extent the conrlict. It i@ to be presumed that the LegIS- lhture intended to repeal all laws and parts Or l$ws oleerly inconsistent with its later Acte. 35 Tax. Jur. p. 147, Sec. 77.
Honorable Reginald Bracewsll, page 7
In VIOW or the rm~0tDg stetutae, you are rerpeat- ray it 18 th0 opinion 0r thf8 Depart360nt that advised that the Distriot Attorney of the 12th Judicial District is not fintitled to oompencation a8 provided by Article S2bk-5, on4 that the only mlary to wLiah the District Attorney of said blatriot la legally entitled lr, the 8elary as by Artiole, p. 461, 46th Lag., Regular Session, lOSO. S8861, aupra, and apPropriatm3 8. 8. No. 257,
TrueTAng the the roregoing ruiiy afmwers your in- we ara wlm,
Very truly yours ATTtXWZY O.%lWL4L OF TEXAS