369
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
CL
AUSTIN ,
-.-
EonorableJohn Et.Shook
CH.m.lnalDlstrIot Attorney
Bexar County
&n An~oQlo; Tex68
OplAloa 80. 0 -7535
Ret ConflIetlng rovIaio33of
House Bill 8f9 and Senate
Bill 246, Acta 49th Legls-
IatuFe, as applied to
Bexar County
In your recent letter to this dsparkmut, you
made the followi~ request:
"Xour o lnioa ia requested whether or not
ustleoa of ehe pace and oonatableoof this
dounty are eatlt ed to a maximrplsalary 0r
Forty-fiveHundred ($45ioo.O0) Dollar8 per year
under House BIXL 241 or Xouse BOIL 849, sad
vhether or not suuh pro~lal~nns are in lrreoon-
allable oonfllotwith the proHsIons of S. B.
246.'
8Inoe lkuse Bill 241, Seotlon (d) read8 the m?ae
823Rouse Bill 849 Section (h), Ye shall ooneider only the
latter vhlch Is the later.aot,In connectionwith Eeuste
Bill 246, f5eotiou6.
We quote the two bills f'orreference:
House Bill 849, Sea. (h):
"All Juatloee of the Peaoe and Constables
of mloh oountlesYbO are compens6tedon 8 fee
basis 88 provided by law still be entitled to
retain annual feee not to exceed Forty-five
Sundmd Dollar8 ($4500) eaah. All Juatioos of
the P~aoe and Conatxblea of such oountiea vho
EIoaomblaJohn It. Shook - Pqe P
are oomp%naatedon a ealarybaela as pmrlded
by law rhall reoeloean mrmal salary OS aot
to e%aeeUForty-five Kumimd Dollam $4500)
eaoh rush salary to be flxed by tba cmrpisaloners
Cc&. ?rorided,trove~r, t~t~ltetr~nd O(P-
alrslonswhetherourrentor d8llnqu%ntWNoh are
oolleotedb the lacu&ent durlng hi8 t%nure OS
oifloe 8had be applied tint to the paymentof
Nr deputies,authortiedexpensesof his offioe
Mu to mke qp tho M%lmn 0aspeRaatloa prorldod
for in tNe mbseotloa. No suoh offleer rhll
be entitledto reoelvo for an7 purpose any fsss
or ocemlsrioa that are oollectedd%er he ceases to
hold suah office.*
Senate Bill 246, Sea. 6r
'All Juatlcasof the Peace and Constablesof
euoh oouutleevho are ooprp%nsst%d on a See basis
&all be eatitlti to retain
of Forty-sevenBadred
each; provided, however,
that all fees and oomlaslons, whether ourrent
or dalinqumt, whloh (LLYI oolleotedby the lnom-
bent &wi~ his temare of offieo shall be &pplied
first to the psp8at Of US deputies,aQthoriMd
expansesof Nr orfloe aad to make up the maxi-
nnoompensatlonprov&d for in t&is 6eotlon.
No suah offlaera 8bsl.l be entItledto zweiro for
tmy purposeany fees or -otiesloas that am
oollectedarftirhe a%8888 to hold such office."
our Opinion No. 0-6728,approvedJul g3~L~~,
held thatbenateBill246 repealsEou8e BUl d
88 the tuo sots am fn lrreconoll&le aontllot.
House Bill 849 applies to oountlerha&i&g a popu-
lation et 225,QOO lnhsbitaatror me6 aud leersthatr
500,000 inhabitantssooomllngto the i&at preoedlugFederal
. SenateBill 246 8ppli06 to oountleehaving a
a0asu.a
populationof not less than 3C0,000x,,nor Bore than 500,000,
t0 the l8St pXW0diD.gyS#derIIl
kOO0rditi.g OQI18US.
Sinoe the populationof Bexsr County auoordlng
to the laet prooodlngFederal emam, vas 338,176in.habl-
tints, the provlslonsof Senate Bill 246 vould a ly knd
vould prevail ov%r any provisionsIQ Row.se Bill i&J ;rhlch
am in Irr%ooncllable oonillct.
.
HotmrabloJohn A. t&took - Pago 3
8eknat.e
Bill 246 clemly predlcatemltefgr~~mL&one
'on thooe "vho are oonponeatedon a fee baelr*.
uot be ooualateat
follovlllg
withthlr open1 PO to 8ap the
phmee, *annuelfeer aa3 or sa15rym,meant any-
thlag but aompaasatlonor rfmuneratlonresultingfrom fees.
mted
House Bill 849
refere tc preclootoS?loere aomwen-
on either a St30basis or i salarybarir.
'fhel"BfO~, it 10 OUl' OpiAiOA that iUSOfPr 88
justloos of the pea50 md oonstmbleawho are 5OiupenSated
on a foe bsels lo comtlaa vlth a populatlouof not less
tbtbn%T,ti&OTnor &torethan 500,000, ev%ndlng to the laet
p?ecedlugFederal oaneue, the tvo aote are in l~reconallsble
aonfllctand the maxlms~ componsatlonof imch officerekm
governedby the provlsloasof Benate Bill 246.
In OOwtltieS h8Viqj 8 W$R<iOU Of 225,000 int??bi-
bats or aore, mad lass than 500,000 it&nbitmta, aooordlng
to the laetprecedlng Pederal aenm38,the m4&5m1 ca4a~tm8-
tloa of justicesof the peace and constabl~rvho are COUP
saaeated OA a &is, are govemed by the provisions
of Howe Bill