Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN -c.Muln -c.- -- I
Honordale A. J. Bryan. Jr: Honordale A. J. Bryan. Jr:
Cr~nal Dietriot Attorney Criminal Dietriot Attorney
JillSrboro, Texar Jilllrboro, Texar
Dear Sir:
okanbtlm man neamst -rail- railroad war em espeoially rlnoe lOOal OitieenD 14 18 days an4 the bL11 wws l ubmitte4 to the oountr for payment. The OoantJr Auditar doer not knew whether te pue the bill icn payment or not olnae the partywae a tmn- ate&t, an4 the hospital wa8 not a publi0 herpitsl. .The ~oepital bill ~88 51% the sum 3w.00. Pull ownty harr P ooontr healthy *2 officer but his dutlea [40] not ineludo aare B April 1939 tha Comn&aaianer~s fOl! pa\U>erEI. aourt of Will oouuty gave the County fudge authority bind the oounty up to $2S.O0 tor hospitalization of paupera until a better arrangement oould be workad out. limo new ordera have been passed by the Court but the County Judge atates that~ the CoamS.aaionen hare giren hi.8 authority, Yerbally. to bind the Bounty for hoapitalixatlon of paapera not erased a oertaln amount per day in lieu of the order thet ia of reoord.
pneatioi: -1% tha county liable Sor the bill?* Vie restate your seoond Question ea followar 18 a oount~ liable for hoapltal.fmtlon of any tranelent if he is e pauper and the county haa no public hoapital?
Pe quote the order the coaabslonera* Court bearing date April 84, lG99, as followa:
veder lo. 196 April z4, 1939~ On Yotion of Colaarieaioner Teylor and aeaonded by Oollaisalomar %allaea, it la ordered that County Judge ia dlreoted an4 authorized to expend up to #eS.Oa ior oharity patienta until a oetisfactory ;g may be worked aut for care of these.
order to beeo~ effeotite of this date. Taylor, Watson, end UaUaoe *Coidasfonera
present and voting *aye' Oosuaiaaioner Cliett absent. ,'.
fudge Cowley, presidia&*
Geotiona ll and 12 or titiole Z3Y1, Yernonfa annotat- ed CS’oll Statutes, read8 sa iollowat
"11. Provide for the support Of paupers and such idiots tmd lumtlca 8s ozmnot be ad- intQ the lunatio a8yhSt, reaidenta of &tted their county, who are unable to support thes- ee1ves. By the tema resibent aa used herein, la mmnt a pensoon who has been a bona fide inhebltant of the ooustty not lose thm air mmths and of the State not less then arm *3 &W&l-. X’rorfde for the burial oi pat~pere.~
“12. ,,rtl%la 4438, Vern0n*s xUlotattd Ctrll Statutes, rucrds a5 followa:
“3 shera is a regular tatebl5shad gublie hosgital In the oormty, the wmia- vionerr wurt ohail grovid% for aending the :nbii;eflt sfok the oounty to such hoapltsl. Ii aore than one au%h hospital dXi8ts tz the Ooanty, the Indulgent patlrnt shali haye the right to oalect whioh one 0r thsn hs shall be seat to.-
IB the aa. of yiillaay County Y. Yczllep Baptlat Eiospltal, et 81. 89 $. W. (ed) 484, the faotr wre aubaru\tIal- ly a.6 ro1m;
'On a aert0In night In Suly, 1029, a person by the n&se of Rafael !&rbosd, a ri+Sidtsnt 31 tilllaoy CeUnty, was atruok by an outoioabile, sad usrloasly injured. He lay wmnded by the roadaide the rearaS.n4er of thenIght. The next wrniag his aondi- by the Sheriff of WlUaey tlon ~8s Biscovend who in tarn called the County Jady, County, who direoted that all &moassary aedloal aid the injured yn, stating that be given tha eoontg wzmld ‘mp th4 urpenaoa. T3w sheriff thereupon oaXLad Rr. id%Cana, a looal
phgeioian, who upan 4xaimS.ntatlon ot .the l.nJPp34 man caneluded that UL operatIo* was n%oeaaary* There wea no hospital in WfIlaoJr Countf and the sherirf, eeceqpanled bp Dr. McIccana, rushed aarbosa the'Vall;ey Baptist Iioapltal at &rlingen, in C~rrieroa Oount~, where aitother phyafcfen, vias oedbd in and yarrariaed an operation. A few days later Barbosa died as r~..nault of hls Injuries. Aftcsrward th6 tar0 physfaiam'srrd the hbapital filed Clailu against 6ount$,for thirty dollare, One and fifty bolltrra, Tad %i@tf-tie htmdred rcape&tital~, tm reea d~lililrs, tbdr f;hzb. etrvlaes rendhred~bg thea to Barboaa.
oountg oodaa~~nera* court rejeota4 these *4 Honortible I.. J. aryan, Jr., Page 4
olaIm, and the claimants each riled suit against i%Illecy County, In a juetioe of the peaoe oourt. The three suits were oonsolidated and judgment was rendered in revor of the piaa+irrs r0for the 4imount 0r their respeotive olalnls. On eppeal to the County Court e like judgaent was rendered upon a dlreoted verdlot, aad Mlleog County appealed. The Judgnmnt was based upon the aaaumptlon that Barboea ua6 a peuper and therefore suoh a charge upon the county a8 to render It the duty of the latter ta furnish hia the aervloes for whioh the suit was brought; end that the Comfy Judge was olothed wlth author- ity to bind the oounty with his agreement to pay for such servloes, although It we8 ooaeldersd that the oommle6lonere~ court as a body, or the oommls- aloners individually, had taken no action to deolare Barbosa e pauper or to authorize thei Couuty Jadge to so bind them, end no such matters had ever been presented to them, WlUeog County, with but a llttle population, had no pub118 or private hospital, suoh as are being o.mreted in oountles or large population.
The judgmsnt or the CoMty Court nes reversed and rendered.
#a quote fmm the above nentioned oeee ee follows: "The powers ad dutle8 of ootanty eosmI#- sionexs' courts, end the obligation8 or the oountles to pauper8 are ifsed by statute, and oeauot .ha enlarged upon by uaneoesuary lmpllce- tion. Thee6 powera and duties, in SC far es epplioable here ere defined in and restrioted by the protleions of Artiales 8351 and 443fb, Bevloed Statutea, 19E5. fn Artlole 2861 it is
ravided that eaah eoumLeelonersV court shall 7 subdivision 11) ~provide for the support of paupera * * * residents ar their county, rb am unebh to support themeelves*, end (eabdivlsfon ZS) *ror the burial of paupera*. Snhrtlele4G8 it is provided that *if there is a regular established pt%blla hospital in the ootmty, the oompLissioners’ oourt shall prorid? ior sending the ladlgent slok * * * to SUOQ hospital'. In the latter pro~lslon the duty end the authority ooemissioners* ~ootart to send the Indigent siok tQ hospital8 la limited publlo hospitals *5 Honorable A. 3. aryan, Jr.. ?age 5
within the county, whioh provision, by
ncoeseary Lnplloatlon erolnder any duty send euoh persons to or authority private hos2ltels, or to pub110 hospitala
without the oounty. Even if Eierbosa wes within the ohes deflnsd a8 'lndi@nt alok,' ths ooamiasloners* oourt as a body, muohleas da::&? ::t%%%f t~?o%%f
:~d~~%c&%
Berbosa to a hoepltal, either pub110 or private, outside the county.
rt: * ** Under the provLolona of~iirtlolo 4438, the oounty wee under PO duty to send Rarbose to any hospltel, tlmrs bsing 8~ publio hospital in the souaty, end under ths im,plleQ reotrlotlans or this provisIon it Is doubtf&L ii the oounty aould be bound ty the oomls- '.
6loner8* tzourt, certainly not otheraim, to sand hlai e hospital without t&t --sty, et pubZlc expense.
n* 1 ~* I .
xn view the ioregokrg~authorltlas and the above Xon. 1 ~4 e, ‘aboie quoted, are reapeot- 8tated reots, questions fully answered in the negative.
Trusting tha the fore(2ol.ag fuUy anmvers your laqolry, we toaela
faurs very truly mr
Ardsll Willlems AW:BS ABsiatdU¶t
APPROVEIZAPR 15, 1940
. ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS