344
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable Km. 2. Tucker
Iixecutlvs soaretary
0~88, #%3h & Oyrter~Cozmlarlon
;A Aaatla, Texar
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Dmr Mr. Tucker:
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"i;ehsve et hd your opinion lo. O-578.
"Some aonfualon hle arlsen in refersno* to
tkn collectionof fine0 in pollution ease8 under
HoumiiBill 439, became duly elected sherfrro and
uountg attorney8 nc0 Olahlrg to48 or rive per clent
and ten per cent respectively, of all flnss oolleated.'
‘Lloiue i5lil HO. 439, .cta or tbr 4&h kgish*ura,
gegular b$ssioa, 1843, is:
*;,N AT provldsg t,i~.tit eh&ll be unlawful
for tiny ;trreon, tlm, eormr?9tlon, hasociotion, town,
oit,y or other yolitlcrrl subdivision ot this State or
any agent, arflcar, e.mploges or representative o? 86~31)
tb pollute my publio body ot 8srvLc.c~wat%r o? thie
state; de?lnlng the term ‘pollut6; uerimg the term
*public body o? oervlce water a? this x%tatei’ @rotid-
leg oertaln exceytlone to thle~.kct; pr%eoriblng ~%ncrL-
tlee tor tk% vloiatlsn of thle ;.Ct; pmvldiq, tot tbo
sliorcazent o? thie ,ct; preeoriblng certlpin dutise
ta &tit% cS?ioiale; proVld1~ IOF the diepoeition ai
fin%8 %nd ?%ue Under thle .c.Ct; ~XpX'O881~ repallna
lirtlclee 997 und 698 a? the Penal Code of Tarbe o?
1925, and Chapter 42, .rota of the tlret Called t3eeeion
o r tb ( 2ndiaglslatum; providing that a nyleotlon,
a snteno e, clause, phrcise or woml of this I;ot ehf~ll
bs eev%r%bl%; and declarlnp, ntl e.xerpznoy.*
section 6 or the roregolq mt ;rrorideer
RInsotar aa Qonoerna the protaotlono? ?ieh
In& oti;%r edible aquatlo onlnmle, the Gem, Fl8h 6
Ogeter Comiselon or the duly euthorfted deputiee
thr-reef, %r% eep%oi%lly c~rgod. rlth an?orcemato?
this iictt nnd all ?iu%e iwoe%d for vloltrtion o? thie
not, md any fe%% of the errssting ofiicore shall be
rezitted to the Case, fish & Oyeter Comcaieelon and
e!lall be deposited in th% date Traaauryto the aradit
o? the General &nd.”
.irticlee960 and 951 or Vernoo*a amotated Coda o?
Grialnal Zrooedurc irre general statrlt;ee oonoemirq "oo~balo~
,0110011BCtlone." These articlea rsad 88 romws:
“hrt. 960. The alstriat or CouUty attm-
LWY 8&U b6 Ontitlad t0 ten pm Odnt Of all iifle8,
r0rr0iture0 or money colieated for tb &do or
eaunty upon jwltywnc~ rooovered by him; sob tbo
olork of th8 oourt in whioh raid judgmmt8 arm
rondrrad 8kiJl.l b6 eatiti6d to rive per cent or tba
&EOUflt Of 8aid jujgPleIit8, t0 k paid Out Of tho
amunt r&n eollwtod.”
*AH. 961. Tim 8hrifr or otbr offloer,
oxoe~t tho jtUtiO8 a? the poaoe or him alork, rho
OOll8Ot8 s&XIOy for the b%ato Of 6OUIlt~, 6XOOpt
jaTy hO8, under 8nJ proTi8iOa O? thin Code, 8b11
b 6latlt&cI to r8t8in iivo par oont tkeraof whoa
OOUOOt8d.*
tIea I;J~cG~~ by ;lny co!.~rtfx violr."l"t", yJa:3ny
of tha 12b44 0r thl.9 3tat.e pertaini?
sf ihi, . oysters,
protection and coneervation OS ' '~
* 3 * within ten day.8 rr0m ana sfter the raoeipt
o~ collection 0r such ri,ie Or penalty, to re:ait
1/a* to the Ga.ze, Fish 6: Oyster Co~:~~~ssion at raWtin,
givi2g a00k8t umber or owe, ntmm 0r *rreons rined,
and motion or srtiolo sf the law under which ooa-
viotlon was ISCuCeQ, whsn suell lsW8 are roqutred to
bo suforood by ths Gsae, Yi8h & Oyrstar Go2mi~slon.~
be noted that tlm GUS,
Lt wI11 Plsh 6. Oy8ter Coa-
mi88iOn or ths duly
sutborlesd deputies thsreof , ers exyaossly
o&,S&Sd With thS SniOmO3BUt Of LbUS0 aill HO. 439, aupra, by
3titi0n 6 0r aftid ,$0t. 4otloa 6 also provides:
nib11 ritlU8 Imposed ror rio:ia tion 0r thi8
iiot and any roe8 0r arresting OrriOOr8 shall bs
rsmitted to ths Gaao, ?tsh t Oyster Commission sod
ohall be dsposlted in the Aato Treasury to tha
credit or tb General Fund.*
The roregoing hot (H. u. a0. 439, SUpr8) i.S VS&l8,
IndoFinite, 00nrueiw aud d icrlault to InterprQt, however, it i8
0~ opinion that the term "8rre*tIng ofricers * ~48 used Ia Seo-
tIon 6, refer8 only to the Ga:as,Ip~i8b& Oyster 60ami~slon or the
duly authorized dsputie8 theroof; It &or8 not apply to pseoo
0frI08rs geenerally. %a G.;.:rt,BIsh k Oyster OoaarlssI~n and the
duly authorized dsputfss tikreof sro qo@#gmatoQ oil a mlary
bar1 8. Wmo the Ourno, Fish & Oystet G&msissIon or any dtiy au-
thorieed deputy thereof, Is the amoating ofricor, than, of oourso,
sny rem3 0r the srrestiiig orrioera must be rualttad to ths Omio,
Fish & Oyster Comisslon, to be tiOpO8ftd In tlis 3.s'te Treasury
to the oredit 31 the General BUna.
Kouss 5X11 Ko. 4311, SUp$a, tkPt$cls 97&$, V. A. C. 3.)
is a fish sud sgster iai insofar us it Ctirioefn(,thr
nrt!X$e~;jg 0r
fish, oyarere and other raibls apuatio anlr&1-
supa, ;~rovlBes t&t ten per aeat. of ull tines solle0tm.i tar &s
itiration of the flsh sod o@tss laws ShnJl 80 td tbs pr08ec~tEng
attOrEey tid bhe r8s~dUe thereOr 8hou 80 tb t&0 GOiU3ral FUn$of
this state. ice mm not oonoeraed hero
wlf8, thw disposltlon or
ten per cant going to the prosscutkng ettorwiyi therefore,, it
is not necessary to ,dStErXkiS whetbr th,i8’ tan pap Qent Ia per-
80Rsily rs:sPned by the proseouting attorney or jðer it should
be pdd into the OffIoerr* Jnlary Fund. The anerers to these
qwatlons depend on the f&ate in aeoh oaw, and particularly
whether the county ofllcera a~8 ooflpansated on a fee or salary
baaIS*
It is our opinion that ‘icticlo 4025, and Eiouee
Bill so. 439, augta, muat be read and oonatruad together.
TharsfOra , tha prosaoutm attoln0y
I a ant It led t 0 tea wr
o& or all fines oolleotad for any lntraotlon of aald H. 8.
439, rbthcr It bo an Inrr8otionoonceralng the pmtcotlon 0r
fIah, oysters nnd other adlblo aquatlo animals, or aom other
riOlatiOn or t h0 iiot. It la our further opinion thnt la all
instances whera tha prosecution is inatlgrited by the CommIaalon
or its duly authorized deputies, all fess for inaklngtha arrest
which deputies are antitled to oolleat from the defendant, upon
oonrlotlon, are to be oolleoted and remltted to the Co:nmiaalon
to \M by It deposited In the State Traasury to tha oredit ot the
c;eneral Fund.
It Is alao our opinion that when a oonrlctlon has
boon obtel~ned under thla hot where the oomplaint was not rilea
by on0 0r the commIaaion~a 0rri00r8, that the rine oolleotod anl
tha roes oarned by local orricers are to bo diapoaed of aa pro-
vided for by tha general ltatutsa. Stated another nuy, the
CoamIaaIonla neither intsroatsd in tha dIspoaItIonof tba fines
aalleotad,nor tin rear earned by local orrloara when It did
not make the case nor Its orfiosra make the arrest, exoept whore
a person is oonvlotod under tha aot Insofar as its conoarna the
protection of auoh ffah and other edible aquatio animals, then
Qm reaidge 02 t&i rina collected after deduatlng oo.zaMaIona
due loos1 officers should be remltbed to the Co~ia~10n to be
&posed or as provided by tha *ct.
Very truly yours