Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE A‘lTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN HonorableL. A. Bauer county AuLudltor Cansron County Ezuwnsville,Texas Deer Girt Cameron County‘? requestingthe oginlcn of this Dapsrtm ed therein read8 in part as $011 iral Bistrlot il Bond was r0r- 0r the derendsnt. me of the State st oertsin property. the rull amount 0r er with oosts or the Xstriat eztain as to the proper dia- ls rorreiture. e r‘iotriotAttorney entitled to 10% (Art. 950) end do we peg.hhn direot or to the %ete Treasurer? “Is the Clstrlot Clerk entitled to 5% (Art. 950) oommlsalal? Donorable L. A. Bauer, Page 2 "Is the Sherirr entitled to 5s (Art. 95.1)~ “Whnt dispasition shculd be made of the balance of this money?- Camron County has a populatim of apprsriuataly 81,227 knhabitantsaaao?dlng to the 19!+0Federal Census. The COUnty OfiiOiFdS Or said Musty ara sompensatedoa aa annual salary basis as authorisedby Ceotion 1) of krtiele 3912(e), Vernon's Annotated Civil Satutes. Artiole 322, Vernon's Annotated Civil Statutes, provide8 in part: n * * * Thsre shall alao be eleotod a CriznlnalDistkt Attorney l'or* * *the aountles of tiueoes,Klebarg, Bensdg, Wlllacy and Cameron.” The Criminal Distrlot Attorney who is eleoted by virtue of this statute is eompeosatedby the State ss au-. thorised by ~eotiun 18 d Artlsle 3912(e), Verncn*s Annotated Civil Statutes. Seotlon 1 of Artiole 3912(e), suura, provides: “No distriot offioer ahall be paid by the Stats or Texas any tees or oommisaions for any servioes perlorosd by him; nor shall the State or any county payto,ady county orrioer in any oounty oontaininga populatlca or twenty thousex (20,000) inhabitantaor sore aooording to the last preoedlng Federal Census any ree of aom- mission ior say servioe by him perrormad aa such orrioer; provided, hunever, that the assessor and oolleotor of taxes shell continue to oolleot and retain ror the benerlt of the Orrfoers~ Salary Fund or funds hsreinefter provided for, ml1 tees and oonakisaionswhioh ha is authorized under law to aolleot; and it ahall be his duty to aooount ror and to pay allyoh monies rooelved ~~a~~o~tod$at&nd or r nds.@raatad and Prov pro sion~ or tNs Aot; provided further, that the provi3ions or thie 53otion shell nut afreot tte payment of coots in olvil oases by the State, gonorableL. A. Bauer, Page 3 but all such oosta so paid shall be aocounted ror by the ortloers oolleotlngthe same, as they are required under the prorieions or this Aot to eooount rar rem, wmmis8ions and costs eolleoted from prlrate partias.w SeotIon 5 of Artiole 3912(e) prorldes In pert: *It shall be the duty or all orrioers to ohsrge and oolleot in the manner authorized by law all tses and oommieaionawhich are per- mitted by law to bs aeaoreed and oolleoted for all orrielals aerviees perrowed by them. As and when such roes are wlleoted they shell be deposited in the Oi:Ioers* Czltr$ fund, or funds provided in this Aot. The C3dWoi Criminal Erooedure particularlaeseaoh Incidentin the oolleotion 0r rorreltsd reoognlzanoes wd nil Zonds. Without quoting these statutes, we only refer w them, n~oly, drtlole 424-440, ino., Pornon's hnnotsted &de or Criminal yrooedure. It Is stated in Texas Jurisprudenoe,Vol. 5, page 924: The undertakingof the ball is an original undertakingfor the appearenoeof the prinoipsl to answer the ohurge against him. If they do not have him In oourt aooordlng to the terma or their obligation,the undertaking stands forfeited, the prooeedlng to exaot iorfelture being presorlbed by statute. In order to oompeneato the oounty In whioh a orImlns1proseoutionis had, provIsions Is made by the wde (~.rticle 949.,Code of Criminal Frooedure) for the payment to tb::t oounty or the Bmount oolleoted from forreited ~11 3ondoi the sums are not requlrod to bs paid into the $tete Treasury for the benefit or the State at large. Honorabls I. A. Baucr, Page 4 Artiole 949, supra, provide5 Ir.port: "Sowy oolleoted by an officer upon rowg- nlzenoo8,EellRends end other oblicqtions ro- oovered upon in the mm or the State * * * shell herewith bs paid over by the oiiioera ccllootlngthe same to the County Treaeurer of the proper county after rlrnt deduotiag there- iron the legal iQO3 and oomi~ai~n~ Por 00ile0ting the Lmne.~ Artiolae 950 end 951, Vernon*8 Annotated Code 0r CrinioelProoedure,read ee follows: "Artiole 950. The distriot ar oounty attorney shall be entitled to ten proent of all Pines, Par- Peltures or noneye oclleoted Por the Ptote or oounty, upon judgments recoosred by hln; end the Clerk or the Court in uhlch said judgments am rendered shell be entitled to Plve .psroentor the amounts or said judgm5nt5,to be paid out oP the amount v;hancollected." *Art1 ale 951. The t%srlfi or other orrioer, exoept the Juotioe oP the I%808 or his Clerk, I&O oolleots money Par the C-tatsor county, eroept Jury foeo, under any pr~visloM~oP thin oode, shall be entitled to retain rive peroent theroaf when ool- leoted.* It in stated in Texas Jurlsprudenoe,Vol. 19, page 816: I "The Dlstriot or County Attorney in entitled tc ten peroent or all Porieituresoolleotod Par the %x&e or oountp;upoa judgment5 reooverod by him. The right to such oommlaeionehse been held to be subordinateto the right oP the governor to remit rim8 and rorteituree,and with them, nil olalme and oonr;~lsalons for attempting to oolleot the money. Cok~~isslonson adjudged Porieituree beomo due to the ettorneysrepresenting the Ytate Only when the zoncy ie oclleoted, and they are to bc token out ot such money; they are oont and cannot be taxes sa suoh. .. HonorableL. A. Bauer, Page 5 “The statute providing that the Clerk or the Court aball bs entitled to tlve peroent on all -fInea,rm feituree or moneys oolleotod rar the %ete or COUIty upOn Judgments reoovered in the Court epplls0 only to sotlona over whloh the Ori.tdIl~l OOUFtE hbV0 jUriEdiotion,and whiob 8hmld be proseauted,insuab oourto, and not the Judgments for money reowerod in olvil eotlons proseouted in' behalf of the s!Yiete. wPorfeitureamap be oolleoted in lawful money rrom the United States only, and when oaaleoted they munt be paid over to the County %waeumr~ after deduoting the legal feee end oollmlsalotls." It la stated in Texas Jurisprudenoe,Vol. 34, pege 522: R * * * To entitle an airLeer to reoeive tee8 ar oomlaaiona, the reoeigt thereor must hwe been provided Por and the amount,Plred by 9ma; end he nust have perfornmd the servloes Por which oompeneatlcnhea bsen ageoifled. * * ** In view of the foregoing you are reo;?eotPully edvieed thtit, it Is the opinion of thie Cepastment thnt the iiiotriot Attorney,thu ListriOt Clerk and the Sheriff are not lsgelly atitled to personally reeoirr any oommiaslonwbataoever, but #uehoomnl6slon8when oolleeted mist b@ plaoed in the Orrioers* &lary Fund ea required by neotlon 5 of Artiole 39l2(s), supra. you are further advised that no part oP the money roaeirod by drtue of the Pnrfeitwe of the Ball Bond Is paid to tha Stats, w suoh money lsaa the uomnisslonsauthorized by law must k paldinto the County Weaaut-Yi. It,will be noted that the Dietriot Attorxmy is entitled ta ten peroent ootaxla8lonand the Distriot Clerk fs entitled to fiveperaeut oomlssion and the %sridf ib entitled to five proent carmfaelonby YLrtue of t!m above nentloned attiutis, haever, aa heretofore ateted, these oPPloiale are not pertitted or authorizedby lea to pernonally retsin these oonmi~tio~1~, but llustpay them lntc the Orfloers' Salary Fund. The balemoe re- nrinicgeiter the deductions oP the ao,mmieelona euthorlzed by j@uorable L. A. Sauer, Page 6 tro@ould be paid Into the Reed end BrSage mnd or the oounty byrfrtaaor drtiole 1626 ana 1628, ~ernon’~ Annotated cirtl mtutea - Truetlng that the foregoing fully ensvmm yam inquiry, m ara