Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THi ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Uonaablo V. J. ku~boll Coanty Attornsy lberslrr . roaefvedand e quote iram your ooaaul58loneria Oourt 4 oomanl6sioraers had malntaliw and ,tkblp lag s4rlmal.y wounw, wh.lla udenae, vol. 45, P. 455 aa. 69-0 on-dtates, Counties nnd dtise, reads a6 followst ~ *The omqxmsatfon las was obviously intor?c¶sd. to a;:ply to iUdul3tTial 4Elj$OpKSItr It 6068 not apply to 'states, oountlers or oitiea in their per- formanae of gorerna6nta.l Iun~tdaaa . . . Ry a Honorable V. Y. Campbbll, Pago 2 oonstitutlonal anmdmmt adopted November 3, 1936, (Art. 3, S40. 59) the LogIulaturo I4 girar pou4r to pass 'suoh law4 a4 IMY be neoes4ary to prwld4 ror ':+orlunen*aCompensation Ineuranoe for wah etato 4mploy444, 88 In its juQm4nt la mo4444ry or required; and to provide iOT the payment or all ooats, oh4rgo4, an6 prarnirvns on suoh polloi44 OZ InStvanOe; protldlng th4 atat.4 shall never be roquirod to purohasr4 insuranoe for any 4mploy4e*.* Artiole 3, Scotion 59, Conatlktion of Texas, witis aa roll0w9: T&4 Lsgialatura shall hate paer to pa8s suoh lam as may be n404e4aary to provide for pork- fneuaa Compeneatlon Infiuranoe for meh state w- ploywee, am in ite Wgment 1s neooasary or rb wired) and to provide for th4 payment of all 008t8~ ohargo and premiuma on auoh polioies ai inrumr104~ prorl6lng that the state 4JMl n4Ver bo required to purahame lnnur~o4 tar any anployee.” Pursuant to the Oonatltatiotml authority oi Artl- o;L4 3, 59, Tema Conatltutlon, s4otion the LegiJatun on June 11, 1937, eluotod Art1014 667k4, whl4h prortde8 for mrkaen*s Corapsnimtlon Im3ureaoafor empioyeerr of the Texna mats BlghwayDep4wtmmt. Under thk eet the Ri&ra~ Depart- mont is eel?-lt?mring and oarrles it8 own lnauraaoe a8 set out in tho 4t6tute. The l&h L4&rlatun of Toxma by Senate Bll3 135 extended the benoilts OS *orkm4n'6 Compuumtion in- euranoe to tho Texaa Refenee Ward. Tho lrglsleturo ha4 not sxtond4d the benefit4 of ~oxkm~'6 Oomp@n4e&%onInaaran44 to cay other bodies or departments of the st4to gov4rrmnt than the Texas State Highway Repartmont an8 tb4 Tom44 Dofanae Guard, It has long boon the law In Tox4e that a oounty Is not liable in damages for injuries suetalnrd in oonsequenoo or tit4 tortious or nogllgont aot4 0r it4 4gonta or 4mploy444, unloas liability therefor be oreatsd by etatuts. 204 the followinfg autborltiee: Eeigel Nohit v. County, 19 S. '!:..,562$ Ifloria r.~Oaltsrton Oouaty 55 S. +. 540; Nusabaua 7. Ball Gowty, 7& 3. !T. 6301 Bryan v. Lib4rty County, 299 3. X. 903; Jones souaty v. xoore, 4 2. H. (2) 289; hgelina County t. Bond, 16 3. tq. (2) 338. Honorable V. J. Campbell, Page 3 “4 quote tmn11 Texae Jurleprudanae, Countlee, pages 563-4-5, as rollover n Counties, being ooraponont caxts of t&4 ati&, *bite no pmerr or dutie4 exoept t&o44 whloh are olearly sot forth en8 defined in the oonstttution and rrtatutoe. The statutus hav4 olearly deflwd the powers, pmmrlbed the dutI48, and imposed the liabllitio8 Of the @0h%ki88lonm~ oourta, the medium through whioh the ditiemnt oountles aot, and from thoee et&utea mu8P 00m4 all the aut&orit;l vested in the oountia4. . . , 0 Commlse10n8r5’ oourto ar4 oourts op 1Imitei ju~I4dIotIon In that their authority ex- tennds only to natterer pertefnlng to the genor(ll r4lrare ar their respootiv’e ~O~tloi, aml that thdt pawors ars only thas4 sxpreealy or lnplI4dly 00~ferred upon them by law -that $8, by th4 eon- stltutfon fina statutsa of ho atate~. . . .O There no Islw authorislng la oountias to sxp4n4 runty iunds to pay pr4nluzs4 on *orkmer~~s oompamaatloa in- marfanoe on county 4mplope4a. our 4tet4 40n4t1tut10n 4l80 Inhibit4 tlonatione end fgatUItI48 by countieo from pub110 fbd8. Art1014 3, seation52, Texas Coastltutlon, r44b ia prrt ae follorrat “The Legislature shall have xw potter to au- thoriso any oounty. . . $0 land its credit or to grant pub110 moqey or thing, ar value In aid af, 0~ ta nnp Individual, a44oeIatIon or oorporation whatsoever. . . .* ~4 answer your queetlon In tha ns@M.vo. Very truly your4 xilk. 3. hnnllag ATTORNEY GBKERAL OB TEXAS Awlstent