Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
Eonor6hle Starrsell Erpw3 Distriot Attorimg
LBcrLenntm County Waao, Texas
51.8 with tlon and
e Co5mloalanera Faeoond Gallad fT'soslon Of ~glsldnim, where suoh ot- ba8wl upm popillatlon under sq on Au@W Zb, 1935, On the pulablaxl of ml0 aounty, l ooord- ing to the la& preueUing maeral Cansur~ pro- tldod that the aoswlrsioner8 court0 Xn said countiae are sutharlzrd 00 fir the Mximum ar111ua1 salary ror the balanoe OS the iSsea *2 iionorabl.3 Ctanoeli Rryan, Pa@3 [2]
gear 1941 erter the el"feative .dato 5: this Act w the basis of the Federal Census of 1940 end thereafter eooording to tho last preceding Federal Census; and declaring an saergenog.
"Seation 1. The Commisslonsre Courts la e3.l oountles of Texas having a population of not less than one hundred thousand (100.000) and not more than one hundred and ninety thou- send (190,000) lnhabltentk, eaaordlng to the lest preoeding~Federa1 Census, in fixing the : annual salary that shall be paid an orrioer
maxed ln 4Seotlon 13 or Chapter 465 or the .4ots of the Seoond Called tiseion of the Forty-fourth Legislature, where suoh,orfloer's salary Is de- ts:mlnsd in oompllanoe with the laws whioh existed on August 2/+, 1935, aod 1s based upon populatlon, shall oomputs and rlx the salary or emoh or such oi:fiaerp et the me&num e+mount rhloh oould have bsieaa paid eeoh of suoh offloers under the laws ex$atlng on August 24, 1935, aooordlng to the ~Federal Census of 1910 and thereafter aoooralag to the last preaedlng Federal Osnsua,; provided the Commlssioner& Courts in safd oountlea ere authorized to amend the present order of said Court rlxlng the zmiaum salary or said ofrloera Sor the fiscal year 1941 from and etter ths or‘-‘ rsothi date or thirr Aot for the balanoe 0r 80fa fisqal year, aooor&ng to the Federal Census oi 1940, and themarter~ to the last pre- aoeordlng odlug Fqderal Cenqus.*
8eation 13 of ahapter 65, Aotb or the Seoond called S+oslon, l&h Legislature, rererred to in the Bill, appears as Artlale 39120, 8eotion i.3, Vernon*8 Annotated Civil Statutes, ana preaarlbss thst the nalarles tor oounty ofiioeyn may b~"not more than the maximum amount alloWed suoh oiiloer~ tidrr lawu ax- . . lating oa Auguet 24, 1935."
Artlole 3891, Vernon's Annotated Civil Statutes, aa amendad in 1935, flxea the niatium ccaupensatlon ror dlstrlot and oouuty orrloors et &,750.00 ln oountles having between 60,000 and 100,000 population and et $5.500.00 in counties having *3 Ecrmrsble ?ahsell Erpsn, Prt6e 3
between lCO,OCO end 150,000 population.
In our Cplnion Ho. O-2582, aopy of which 1's enclosed herewith, wu held thct en Lncreaee in the populstlon ot e county as ahonn by the 1940 census iron below to above 100,000 popule- tlon did not ohange tha naxintum aala~ies whioh might be paid to the dirrtrlct, county and preoinct offloera of ouah aouuty a6 preaozibod ty Zeation 13 of Articlo 39126.
The purgoae end effect of House Bill No. 1079 la to make applloeble to Ar~ticles 3891 and 39120, Vernon’s Amotated Civil Ytatutea, ahsnges fa the population of aountles, as re- fl?oted by the 1940 and each aubsequant aensu6, uh1oh oone wlth- ia the 100,000 to 190,000 population braaket. ye ere sware,oS ho prov!~sion of the ytate or Federal Constitution6 which night be vloleted by this Act. Ye be.lieve the population bmaakot 16 6ufflolently broad and based upon e rea6oneble alae6ifioetlon so ES not to of fend Artlole III, "aotion 56 ol'tha Texa6 Con- etltution. Clark v. Pinley, 93 'ib~r. 171, 56 ?. 3. 343: C6Tinty of Bexer v. Tynan, 126 Tex. 223, 97 C. '5. (26) 467. In the lstter~uese the aourt said:
lr* * * thle court reaognizrd that aub- stential differences in populations ol'eoun- tie6 could be laade a ba6i6 of legislations fixing aompensetion of offioers, on the theory, * * + that the WQtik devolving upon an ofiiaer wee in 6otm degree proportionate to the popula- tion of th0 aounty. *
It 16, theretore, our opinion that Aouse Ml1 No. 1079 16 oon6titutianal.
AppROVRR MJG~9, 1941 YOU-6 Wry t2'd.y ATTCRNRY OESBRAI. OF TEXAS Carald 0. I8666 (dgned) All'CRNRY -AL OF TEXAS
BY
w6lt6r(?d h6i6t6ilt WRK:SE3 APPSiOVED OFIhiON
COMbfITITF.
BY B.W.B.
CKAIMAN