Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
amA-~*
~oaorablo Tom beay
oouat7 Attonle7 ?otter oouaty
lurillo, t*ur
xour reoont
upon the qurrtioa a8 ,ir hero a recelred.
we qpoto srom
8 aa oplaloa rt vaa%aoe la rlrlf ttorae7, but, e ha8 oa may oecr8lon8 nal a8 rpeolrl lagi8htioa lanof by the Dirtrlct ruthorlty 0 Call thf8 t0 7OUZ' btt+ion. elieve that Article 3902 lo appll- Ut8 embmoing more than One OOuntyt ut by easr@mcy ObU843 in the oaptlon to H.B. Ho. 59.7
House Bill Ho. referred to in your letter, reads a8 follovar seatlon 1. fn an7 Judloihl DiltriOt 00mpO8Od
Of three OOUlItiO8, whore the population Of raid *2 . 14f
~~or8blO to8 8.&J, ?q8 2 thousand and
eoUatiO8 tot818 not 1088 than fiftp8ix OM (56,001) LLOr IIOCO thrn fifty-8eVen thOU8snd Uid (57,053), 8000l’d3~lg to tb h8t ?rdeml flft7-tbO0 8hal1 l'eOOiY@ ?l'om the &~¶8U8, th. W8tr?lOt Attorn bt&t* Or %XB~ 8 ~7 fOll hi8 8OmoO8 thO 8~ Of Irlr. Xundmd (4500,00) b1hF8 90~' WI, a8 provided and, in addition thereto, ior in the cOZh8titUtiOn, 8ti1& ?OOOiVO th0 8Um Of %bt7-fitO Eundred ($3,500.00) DO11U'8 V hOtu l n Od88lOtl8 Uld fOO8 Of 84id OffiOe CO a8 8UOh) 8tid 8r1U7 t0 k paid, hOV9VOl', in UDooIlt W ma8 mnaer a8 aov provided for the ?1Ve lhmdred (@MXO@) Dollar pa-at a8 fIx?d by the Oonrtltutloa.
All soimI88Ion8 aad fro8 bllaved Dl8trlot Attorae78 b7 la+, xoopt In l re h eat 08808, 8hal.l Whoa oolleoted be paid to the biltrlot Attorney of the &untIer in whloh FOh fe.8 aad 00~081oa8 YOM OWaOd, l&o 8ha11 9a7 ~fihr.rrrr ovor to 8tate Trearurer.
'800. 2. hll7 8Uah DirtrIOt Attorney 18 hereby bUthOrl8ed t0 aDpOint @a b818tsnt DirtriOt vho 8hdl1 recelvr from aad after ltrroh 1, 1 31, arr a Ulas-7 #@ 8UB of -0 mXW8ad (&000.00 mllar8 per umu8, pa78ble by the State of Texsr monthly, and 8uoh A88Irtaat rhll be rrmorrble at th8 will of the Di8tl’iOt Attorney. ‘800. 3. m Attorney 8Uah bi8triOt 8bll a180 be uthorired t0 em9107 tV0 bdditiOM1 A88i8tUlt Di8tl?iOt
AttOrm478 Vlth the OOI38Oat Of the COUntY JUdgb Of rnjr 88113 di8tI’iOt hsViIig the 18 08t POpU- OOUlit7 CW4@8ing latloa of the three oouatlerj one of uhom aha 1 receive T a 8alsry of not to exoeed Three Thou8and (#3,000.00) Dollar8 per annum, and one of vhom 8hsll receive a sal- ary of not to exoeed Tvo Thousand llre liUndred ((2,500.OO to be payable monthls. and Dollar8 POP 8nnum. the ram said Ms?.rict Att&neg 1s further &)lhorlted to e&x a StenOgmDheP, vith the consent of much County Judge, who rhall b D id in the samd manner not to exceed One D ollars per. annum, . Thousand Bl~htaRundred ($1,800 00) and he my alao employ ZVO Investigators to be paid in one not to exceed-Two Thousand-Four the a&rue &nner, Hundred (&400.00) Dollars per annum, and the other not exceeding .tio Thourand ($2,000.00) Dollars per amnun; 8ald last tvo named As8lstant8, Investigators and Steno- grapher shall be paid by said counties in proportion to
14 Tom Seay, P8ge -orable
the rerpeotlrr population8 of l aoh by varrmtr drum upon the general fund@ thereof. (under- roaring our@
"800. 8. Bald A88i8tULt Dirtriot AttOl73078 8hall hwr all of the p ovo r r aov l uthorlzod b7 lav for A88i8tat DirtriOt AttOFao78, urd &l1 Of 8bid Up107008 as7 be removed at vi11 by the DIrtrIot , '-0, 5. &Bid oOuntIo8 rh4ll woh be uthorlsed
to -7 not to exoood 8Ix Xuadred (4600.00) Dollar8 mr UUIW to the OirtriOt Attommy iOr l XJlOa8.8 in- ourrod by hia la the propantloa aad oomluoting of orI8laal a??&lr8 of uld Oifloe, but rbiab rhall ooa- fU.kd8 t0 bo OX- 8titUtO 110 part Of hi8 8d.Al7l 8rid peaded oa 8~0~11 al&Is of the Mrtrldt. Attoner, to be approved by the Oomt7 Judgr o? the reurpectlve oolmtlel.
"flea. 6. Should any motion, or part thereof, be held uaooa8tItutIorml, It.18 hereby deolwed that it I8 tho logI8l4tIve intent that the remaU.lng pbrt of thlr Aot ~111 havr boon parred vlthout 8ueh inY8lid 8OOtiM O? p4Pt thEWOO?.
'8.0. 7. %O ?*Ot t&t th.N 18 a0 bY Pl'OViding adequate ulbrier for Dlrtrlot Attomm78 la aad for the above deilned di8triOt8, 8lld therv I8 a0 l&V pro- viding fo r dOputie8, 88i8tU4t8 aad rtWl@Srapherr for rush dI8trlot8, orator a a l mwg u~oy and Aa l mer- gbnoy and an irperrtlvs pub110 aeoerrlty that the Con- rtltutlonal Rule requiring bill8 to be read on three revsral day8 in e&oh &3u8a be rulpended and that thi8 Aot rhall take effeot and be in foroe from md after ltr paasage, d 8aid Rule la hereby ruspended, and It 18 80 enacted." lo. 59, 8upra, becknm effeotlve April 15, Xoure Bill
1931, and Articles 3886f, Vernon'8 Annotated Civil Statutes, became affeotlve November 1935, and reads a8 follovs:
"Seotlon 1. From and after January 1, 1936, in all Judicial Dlrtrlcts ln thir State the District Attorney in each ruoh Di8trlCt shall receive from the the rum of Four ThousaM State as pay for hir rervioes *4 lanor8bl8 Tam 84a7, Page b b7 th, OOll8titUtiOlh 0s thi8 mat.1
trlot Attorn. p r oviding th8t In l ll rUdIolal DI8triOt8 ia thi8 8tBte 008PO8ed Of tV0 (2) OI IEOCO OOUUti68 in 0110 (1) Of Vhbh 8UOh OOUatIO8 Thor I8 a Sit7 O&&A- ing the population 0s aot 1088 than aia0t7 thoucwd &OOOrding t0 th. b8t pl'OO0&ilq (90,000) hh@bltaat, Fedkml cOlWl8, th8 DI8trlOt Attom. Of 8uoh Matriot 8h81l FoOOIVO ti th0 m&O b8 -7 ?OP N8 80 the 8~ Of ?iVO tho\\8and FiVO mIIidF8d D0llm8
vhloh udd ?I+. ThoU8aad ?Ivo &ndred Dollar8 rhsll Inoludo tin ?Iva %uudred Dol1arr ($5CO) 88lbl7 p8r 7Oar &Ov alloved mOh DirtPlOt AttOllk~78 by the Ceastltutloa of this Utste. &mh salar7 8hall ti.pald la tvelvo (12) qurl monthl7 lartallm8ati upon ~U'Z'8at8 dnVn b7 th4 ~~tl’Of1.r Of ?Ublio~AOoountr upon the 8trte Tl'Oa8urJ. Provided that nothQq In thi8 Aot 8h811 bo oonstruod 80 88 to deprive m8triCt Attoraey8 of the rxpenrr &llqranoo llowd or vNoh ra7 horeA?tor be elloved by 1s~. 2. All mani hontofore appropriated by
%o. the kgi8lature to pa7 fM8, ralarloa ~143 par diem in th18 Act are heroby OOOUat8 0s the OffiOOr8 Mad rsapproprlat86 for the ymr9ors of paying th8 ralarlor fixed b7 thir Aot.
“84C. 3. Ali fOd8, OOIEii88iOLI8 8.Iid pWQUi8Ite8 by Dlstrlot Attorney8 vhloh may bo earned and oolleoted by th.i.8 Aat rhall be paid into the County affected ~rearury of the oountior in vhloh ru4h ire8 are esrnod for l o o ount of the proper fund.
"Seo. 4. Rothlng In thls Act shall be construed to repeal or in any manner affect any lav nov Sn exlst- enoo vlth reference to Aaslrtant District Attorneys, Investigators or Stenographers in Judicial Districts included in this Act.
"Sec. j. Rothlng ln this Act shall affect Criminal 1s composed of only vho8e district Dlltrlot Athys one (1) county. *5 .
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#onoluble Tom aery, Pago 5 tho h8t O~Otl84At by the k@8- It 18 t0 b@ noted that do08 not l X9r488ly repeal &X284 Bill Ilo. 59, 8upra. Bov-
l&uw ever, the two rtxtuta8 under oon8ldoratlon, herein, are in par1 mtqrla and their plroVi8iOA8 in 8Uoh 2'08wOt oaaaot be reconoll- ad.! h such 0ilTW8tlLAO48, the older rtatute vi11 be hold to bo mpoalod br Ia9lloatIoa to tho oxtont of the oonillot. It 18 pP48UUlOd thAt th0 LO i818tlWO lntendod t0 XW&JOal ti1 1W8
inOOA8i8t@At Vith it8 ht8r l Ot8. fIovevrr It 18 to bo aotod that Lkotlo~ 4 o?ArtIolo y386?, 8p~Oi?iO& prOtIde that AOthiag lA thI8 rot '8h811 be ooartruod to rrpoal or in 4ny mumor 8fr00t uy lavr AOV ia xi8t8A40 with r8?4mnO4 t0 A8818taAt Dirtriot Attomqr, fn- W&I&L~, btoAO@@WN in judlolrl dirtrIOt iAOlud4d in
h184 Bill HO. 59, 8UpM, Y88 a i&V in ?OFOO md OffOOt PiOVidiag for the bPpOinbeAt Of b88i8tUit di8triOt attOP- lWpbsr8, Vh8A ktiOl0 AOy8, iAVO8ti@Ol’8 bAd 8tOAO 3886?, Vb8 raaoted b ~gi8lhlPO an8 ip 8OOtiOA 4 Of &I OXp0888d Arflolo It Wa8 IAtOAdOd that AOwAg I&&A Odd b0 ooA8tl'UOd t0 l'o94fbl Or in 4Ay B4AAOr si?OOt saj 1JW IA 8X18t- 0000 at the time 0s the w88ag4 0s hrtiole with w0r- AOI t0 th4 Q-JpOintWAt Of l 88i8tUlt di8tl'%Ot ttOl'A4y8, inV4.8- tlgator8 or 8tsaographor8. Therefor., HOUM bill lo. 59 would OUthOriXO t& dirtriot dtOl'AO78, iA thO80 dl8triOt8 OOraing Vithb 8aId CbOt t0 ~p&bOiIlt a88i8tUit dtOl'AO78, inV48- dl8tl’iOt tig8tor8 8Ad 8toaOgrapher8 a8 provided thoreln, AotvlthrtaAdlAg the 9888ag0 0s Artlalo 38061.
we have oare?ully oonrldered Hoar4 Bill 80. 59, Iupra, and it 18 our opinion that laid Bou80 Bill Ho. 59 18 unoonrtitu- tional, for the maSon stated in our opinion8 x08. O-2011, O-735, O-2127, &rid O-2224, 00~168 OS vNoh are enolosed for your lnfor- uatlon.
Our Oplnlon No. O-2026 holds that "the comlssloners" and power to allov district court has the legal authority attornep of Johnson County to employ a clerk ln compliance vlth Article 3902, Vernon's Annotated Civil Statutes.' Johnson *6 sonorrble tom Ilear, ?age
coudy-lr in $M.lol~l dirtriot oompomad oi throw oountisr.
VI enoloro A 000~ 0r thir opinion for Tour iaiomsti0n.
Trurting that tb foregoing filly uuver8 rour inqtir~, vo 8re
Yourr very truly AtTOR88Y OBREML OF TEXAB Ardell Wllliama Asrirtmt