OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Eonor6hle StarrsellErpw3
Distriot Attorimg
LBcrLenntm
County
Waao, Texas
51.8with
tlon and
e Co5mloalanera
FaeoondGallad fT'soslon
Of
~glsldnim, where suoh ot-
ba8wl upm popillatlon under
sq on Au@W Zb, 1935, On the
pulablaxlof ml0 aounty, looord-
ing to the la& preueUing maeral Cansur~ pro-
tldod that the aoswlrsioner8court0 Xn said
countiae are sutharlzrd00 fir the Mximum
ar111ua1salary ror the balanoe OS the iSsea
iionorabl.3
Ctanoeli Rryan, Pa@3 2
gear 1941 erter the el"feative.dato5: this
Act w the basis of the Federal Census of
1940 end thereaftereooording to tho last
preceding Federal Census; and declaring an
saergenog.
"Seation 1. The Commisslonsre Courts
la e3.loountles of Texas having a population
of not less than one hundred thousand (100.000)
and not more than one hundred and ninety thou-
send (190,000)lnhabltentk,eaaordlng to the
lest preoeding~Federa1Census, in fixing the
: annual salary that shall be paid an orrioer
maxed ln 4Seotlon13 or Chapter 465 or the .4ots
of the Seoond Called tiseion of the Forty-fourth
Legislature,where suoh,orfloer'ssalary Is de-
ts:mlnsd in oompllanoewith the laws whioh existed
on August 2/+,1935, aod 1s based upon populatlon,
shall oomputs and rlx the salary or emoh or such
oi:fiaerpet the me&num e+mountrhloh oould have
bsieaa paid eeoh of suoh offloers under the laws
ex$atlng on August 24, 1935, aooordlngto the
~FederalCensus of 1910 and thereafteraoooralag
to the last preaedlng Federal Osnsua,; provided
the Commlssioner&Courts in safd oountlea ere
authorized to amend the present order of said
Court rlxlng the zmiaum salary or said ofrloera
Sor the fiscal year 1941 from and etter ths or‘-‘
rsothi date or thirr Aot for the balanoe 0r 80fa
fisqal year, aooor&ng to the Federal Census oi
1940, and themarter~ aoeordlng to the last pre-
odlug Fqderal Cenqus.*
8eation 13 of ahapter 65, Aotb or the Seoond called
S+oslon, l&h Legislature,rererred to in the Bill, appears as
Artlale 39120, 8eotion i.3, Vernon*8 Annotated Civil Statutes,
ana preaarlbss thst the nalarles tor oounty ofiioeyn may b~"not
more than the maximum amount alloWed suoh oiiloer~ tidrr lawu ax-
lating oa Auguet 24, 1935." ..
Artlole 3891, Vernon's Annotated Civil Statutes,aa
amendad in 1935, flxea the niatium ccaupensatlonror dlstrlot
and oouuty orrloors et &,750.00 ln oountleshaving between
60,000 and 100,000 population and et $5.500.00 in counties having
Ecrmrsble ?ahsell Erpsn, Prt6e3
between lCO,OCO end 150,000 population.
In our Cplnion Ho. O-2582, aopy of which 1'senclosed
herewith, wu held thct en Lncreaee in the populstlonot e county
as ahonn by the 1940 census iron below to above 100,000 popule-
tlon did not ohange tha naxintumaala~ies whioh might be paid to
the dirrtrlct,county and preoinct offloera of ouah aouuty a6
preaozibod ty Zeation 13 of Articlo 39126.
The purgoae end effect of House Bill No. 1079 la to
make applloebleto Ar~ticles3891 and 39120, Vernon’s Amotated
Civil Ytatutea, ahsnges fa the populationof aountles,as re-
fl?oted by the 1940 and each aubsequant aensu6, uh1oh oone wlth-
ia the 100,000 to 190,000 population braaket. ye ere sware,oS
ho prov!~sionof the ytate or Federal Constitution6which night
be vloleted by this Act. Ye be.lievethe populationbmaakot 16
6ufflolentlybroad and based upon e rea6oneble alae6ifioetlon
so ES not to offend Artlole III, "aotion 56 ol'tha Texa6 Con-
etltution. Clark v. Pinley, 93 'ib~r.171, 56 ?. 3. 343: C6Tinty
of Bexer v. Tynan, 126 Tex. 223, 97 C. '5.(26) 467. In the
lstter~uesethe aourt said:
lr** * thle court reaognizrd that aub-
stential differences in populationsol'eoun-
tie6 could be laadea ba6i6 of legislations
fixing aompensetionof offioers, on the theory,
* * + that the WQtik devolving upon an ofiiaer
wee in 6otm degree proportionateto the popula-
tion of th0 aounty.*
It 16, theretore, our opinion that Aouse Ml1 No. 1079
16 oon6titutianal.
AppROVRR MJG~9, 1941 YOU-6 Wry t2'd.y
(dgned) Carald 0. I8666 ATTCRNRY OESBRAI.OF TEXAS
All'CRNRY
-AL OF TEXAS
BY
w6lt6r(?d
h6i6t6ilt
WRK:SE3 APPSiOVED
OFIhiON
COMbfITITF.
BY B.W.B.
CKAIMAN