Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
Hon. LInton S. Satag*,Page B
dred and seventy-nine (Sl,799) nor more than fifty-two thousand, seven hundred and ameaty' nine (SZ,7791, aooording to th8 last pmoeding Federal Census OS the UuIted States, JustIoe8 of the Peaoe and Gonntabler *hall hare and r8- oslte as fees of offloe Twentyderen mha~a end Fifty Dollar8 ($WSO) eaoh per annum. Pro- rlded that aaoh JUtIoer oi the Peaoa and Ooa- stables 8hall al80 reoulra l xoea a fee8 In aa- dltlon thereto by retaining one-third oi mob %xoea8 fee8 uutll auoh one-third of auoh pxoua f%e8, together with the 8aia amount of lbenty- aeven Hundred and Fifty Doll8ra (#Z7SO), equal8 the sum of Three Thousand Dollar8 ($SOOOl.*
Y3X.Z. All law8 or parts Of law8 0011-
illot herewith are hereby repealed.
*fBcI. .S. This Aot 8haU beoane efieatlre on and after It8 paaaage.
“8x. 4. The faot paaaaga of O&p- ter t20, AOt8 of the Regular 8eaaion of the Forty- third Legislatori, 1995, Page OM, rade.haeqwe provIaIon ror+be oompen8atlon of the Ju8tioer OS the P%aoe and Constables In 8uoh OOtllltIe8, whloh Oti881Qn and failure to 80 prwlde will, result in a rerloua impairment of the work of the Jurtloe Court% and Oonatablea, and Impo8e an uudue hard- ship on those Ju8tioea of the Pea08 and COn8table8 in thq larger oltleo in uoh oouutlea rho will reaoh their maxIam% fee llmlt8 and e~eaa fee8 of ofiloe long betora the end of the ourrunt ye(LT, and who will be expeoted and required to serve the publla In thsir many dutIe8 without ramnorutlon thereafter, tha iaot that l uoh offloiala are oalled on and required to perform m%uy dutloa for ?hIoh no fee or other oempenaatlon Is provided, oreate an emergenoy awl an lmperatlve publlo ne- oeaslty Colutltutiotml Mule requlrl.ng bill8 to b% read en three soreral Qay8 be, %ad the same 1% hereby atuperidetl, and this Aot 8hall take %?feot and be In Soroe tr%m aad after its passage, and It Is so eaaoted.*
The aboimentloned Ast was finally paaasd In Yay, lSSS, and iIl%d with the Saoretary of State on M%y 17, 19SS. Naturally the queatlon %rI8e8 wðer Or uOt It ti WIfe8t from th% langosge in the Aat It8eli that it was Oh% &Etul- tlon of thu Legislature to Iaore%%e the rarinuu allewaaoe to auoh otiloura for the eatlrs year, lSJS, aud all futum c _~
Hon.L¶.ntonS.Ekva6e,Pye 8
years, or whether it raa th8 fntunt to m&a 8aba l pplf- sable only to the&portI~O? tie p~1@355oh solla~ sd the effeatlvm date 0r t&a Aot.
Tbs eater&pnoy 8lau8e olearly IndIeatu an l tt on the part of the L6gfrlatacre to make the fnareaae 8 2: aryt0 applytbroughout the l urr0atyearo?l935~ The me la IndIeatIrs oftbe lntontof oftbword~ourrent~aar~ the Legislature to treat the allmauae to the Justioea thePea and oormablea as klngona ymrlybaaie, t&at la,?romfauuaryX toDeoamber 32. The rrauneratlonfor these offf sea was treated u being 011 a parly ba618, a~%d inoruao proilded for in the Act wa8 elearly lnteaaed to emer the entire year ior which the nxlatum See limit It la true, aa a was ptorid8d.’
apuak &WO8QO8tiV84 alla mot a oontrary IatsDt on the
feat either br aprua
implidation muah laws 8ay have a retroaotirs ??eot. 668 the 8~08 Ot CUX ~a. Boblaoa 3.W 8. 1. ll49* &8riOan ~UXF sty co. or P. T. vs. Axtell 60. 8s 8. w. (8aj 9l5.
The Juatioe or the Peaoet~~38 his salary 6 8om- penaatlon otn a par4 basis. His duties carry on through- year. At t&e end or *at o-t
t tha -t mar h8 nqulrod to mke a m 8tatOM¶lt of th0 report m It ~~~t~h~~eea,aonmIaaIoaa ~enaatlmu t&m . See Artlele S391,Vera~n*s CIvll8ta- ttlt.8. I? aurf.ag moh year o? the peaa h8 alat1as
rooelvad tees In exmaa oftheltita proa~rIbedbyl.am?m his remuneration, he has to reimburse the county. U he ha8 reaelved equal to or lea8 than the ~S~SWIS throughout such ya%r was not pro ratable. We quote traanthla oa8e aa?ollmar
Vhe fee H&ate pmvlder a 8ertala p8r eunt of l aaea8bd valuation a8 py for the aaaeaaor~a 8ervIoea. The ooupea8at.tlon inmot *4 .EOn. Llnton s. Savage, Page 4
?or taking renditions only. xhe statute does not 8Eay he 8hall reaeive So muoh ror part hi8 work and something else for othar o??IaIal duties. I? the oampen8atfoa was dlrlaable, it to apply 1930 Fee Statute would bs poaalbla to part o? ralator’a aoaomt8 end the 1QZfi law but, alaoa It Is Im- to tither portions tharao?, po8slble to plsoe a value upon his aeraral 8er- assumed vloea, It must be that the Lsglalature Intended to apply the new rate to the ~1OEs 8er- the more rea8on- rloea a8 a whole. xhI8 18 all able a oonolualon In rl~w of ~the Saot t+at Leglslnture kufiw he oould not present his bill the fall 0s 1985. At the for 8enIoea until the new rate was tiae his aooouut baoame due, had lnteaaed to erfeotlre. I? the Legislature apply one rate to part of the aooount and ano- then he rhould hare provided ther to the other, a method for doing 80. 1t rhould hate plaoed a value on eaoh part o? the work. Mot having done so, we hold thora was no auoh Intention on the part of the lawmakers. We think tbl8 o??IoIo rhould be paid tmdar the 19SS statute. We ha+e 80 authority awer* thf8 8ItuatIon, and oouuy eel ofte none* we **awe that no ettoraey la thie oaae has found any authority in point.* of the.
We do no; pass upon ooaatItutIonalIty 8t8tute here Involved, beaaU8e not reqmeatea. r0r Eowawr, your Iniormatlon, we are herewith eaolo8lng aoplea of OpIn- Ion 1908. 7% sad 643. h view O? the foregulug authorities, you are rm- or thI8 department apeottolly advised that It i8 the oplnloa that’the Juatloe8 of thm Peak and oanrtable 8errIng a8 auoh In the oouutlea ame within o??lel8la tha popolatluu braeksta a8 above designated were entitled to oolleot a maxI- mum or ‘f’hrrr ThouSand Dollars (#3000) for their 8ervIoea the year or 193s no proration was intended by throu&otit t&3 Legislature. foregoing Nip
Trusting eaawara your In- quIry,werueIa,
Yours wry truly EDOCT 23, 1939 AT¶'O~NEY~EHSRALOTTEXAS A@fbdJ&Y GENERAL OF TEXAS