Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF IHE ,ATT’ORNEY 6ENERAL OF TEXA!S a- AUFIlN 0-0.M -QoIQIL ; fims letter. Of 0r $h%r Dopartmaut c?ieds ti follows: 30 eritltlu6,, ml fiatto ProvZdoror lss whoeb pmoincta 11s ir w*uties hWin~ a papulation of more than thma htxidmdt-Q-- fits Qpatiati (%S,OOO) and luea than three hun9d ninety-thouoaml(ti90,600) by the last prttedf~ Federal Conma and whose jiruainatalie iz &zlo cr in part in an'~ndorporatsdoity or tom tcctahing Boa. c. IL ~ilmar) pegs 8 berritorlallimits of twenty-five (gb) square PPilas or more, such fee to be the samtlirethose now allowed 80 adrr.t, suit3 providing for the payment thereof by the County an all orlminal oae?e where bha Befen- danb ?.SaOfiYio8& or pleads guilty, and such detehdant fails to pay his fha-and lays'hla fine out in the 0oun8yjaI.Jor dleohargm ~th'* ssPa by mana of work- * auoh fins out o~'the.o&uiity roads or on any oounty prdjaot' and r6Qmling +tfel6 1056 of the code of Crhfaai Procedure itiofar he it applies.to.Conatables of Suatloo Preolnots in,oountleshaving R populet&on Qf mope than three hundred twenty-f%va(3E5,OOO~) &d 1~~68tti three hundred ninety thooeanb (390,000),by the la88 preoeding Federal Census, and rhoea ~preoinots lls~in whoLe or in part in an ineorporateacity -or' towa oontainin5tarritoridl.-llmitr of twan8p-flvu (85) squ.are.mSles~otmore,'aud duolering an emergenoy. -*Beit maotad by the Legielaturs of tha'Ytateof Texao; ~8sotloR 1. Constabler, whose prsoincts 1iS in muatlslrhaving~a populatloti of iuore.thao three hun- dre&trenty-five thouoand (3% 000) and leas then three hundred olnety thourand .(390,000)~by the last precmling Federal Census, and whose preufnots lie Th whole or in part in au inoorporatedcity or town con- taining terrltorial.limitsor Twenty-five (2s) equare tiles or mm, *mo exoeute prmsesa 6ad perform aer- vioes in oivll and ~riadml~aotioas shall reouih the farm fese allowed to &erlffs for the sa&ieseti4:iooa, and ia all criminal eaeea wham the dofendent is aon- tlotetlor enters a plea of guilty and is fined and fe unable to pay said tine and lays out his Ilee in the oouuty jail or dleohargeo the eme by meens of workkeg sue& fine outon.the oountp roads or on any county projeot, the county shall be 1iabZe to auoh Gonetable for all of said feea of said Conatable,end suoh Coartabla ahall present to the cormnissioners* 'Court of hle County a written aoaouut speoifyingeach orimlnal aotion ia whloh he olaime suoh iem, oertifledto by the Justice of the Peace to be correot and filed with the County Clark. The Comniaeioners*Court shall ap- pnsre such aeaount for auoh amount as they my find to be oorreot and order a draft to be issued on the County Treasurer in favor of euoh Conetable for the amount so approved. Hon. c. R. Oilmur, page 3 *300. 3. Artii0h 1066 of the Gode of Criminal PrWedwla . . the Stats- of 'hxae ofem. .. bee.and.^ the came .__is heMBy rapesalertinlrorara6 tt epplros fa c;ohatable* ooming uader thl8 ko8. 'see. 5. The faOt that uniter the existing laue in rertala oounties eontainfng ci8Ieo of large tsrrl- tollal 1I~Ite ~on@kblas me not reeelviag adequate oonpeneabio~for aemng 'pTooesrand performIng eev- YiOW in BtllSelFBU8 &sdemaaaor OSDW, althoagh they ara put to gvaat axpenasein serving prooes13,areatss M emorgctaay, and aa impuratl~opubsio neeeraity esla8a~,that the DonabitutIonalRule requiring bills to be read on three saveral days shall bo wrpandad, aad thdi dot mhall tapcaeffoot and be in roroe room aad after its peesage, and It is eo lnaated.* Artiole 1065, Code of driminal Prooed~ra, reads as followat *The County shall not be liable to the offioer aBd ri8~ese having oosts in.8 mladortaanoroarnowhere defaadant pays his fine and meta. Tha oomtty shall be liable ror one-half.0r the rees or the offloers ot the Court, when the dsfandmnt fails to pay his fine and lay6 his fiUe out in the 00oh8y jail or dia- charges tho aame by zveaneof workIng'auoh fine out M the OoUnty roads or oh any county projeot. And to pay etaohhalf of oo8t6, the County Clark shall issue his wrnurt oa the County Traammrer in favor or suoh orfiosr to be paid out or the aoad end hridgo Puad or other funds not otherwise appropriated." Seobion 66, Ar8lole III of the Stats Constitutionproride In part a6 follow8r *The Legislature shall not, eroept as other- wieo provided in this Constitution,pass shy looal or special law . . . regulating thenreea, or extend- ing the power* and duties or alderman, juetioea 0r the poaee, magistratesor conatabloa; . . . and in all other came where a general law oan be made applioable,no local or epeoial law ehall be ensated. . . .n Hon. 0. E. fmi7ler,page 4 It will be noted that Artiole 1056, mpra, provide8in effset that the dollntyahall be liable for One-halfof the fSSS Of the offlOeT6 of the court, when the defeodaztfails to pay his tine anu Iaye his, rfne out fn the oounty jail 01 diissharger the same by meanl,or working such flm out 011the OOWitjy mado or alipy Omanty projaot; SenateBill 300. %8, IUpTa, provides In effect that in all or-al aasm where the defadant is oonriotedor enter8 a plea of guilty and ia liiW3dand is uuable to pay said fine and laya out hi8 fins ia the oounty jail or dfaohssgem the @ama by mans of work- iIlg8U6h ibe out on the 'oountyroad@ Or any county pmj*Ct, tk* OoPlrEyahall bs liable to such constableior all s&d foO8 in suoh eaees. TherMore, providing a greater oonpensation for those cmwtablsr, eituated in oowties 6-g rith the above bsignated populationbraokets, than the oompaiuatlon DrOvidCd S0r thoee oonetablee In oountlee harine;a le88,popul&fOaor a greater population than that eet out by the above rentiOmdo population braoket. ge have oarefully toluridsred senate Bill I%. 50 fn 6oa- neotion with Seotlon 66, Article LIT or the State COmtitatiOn, and the reoent o%m of J. B. Xiller, et al VI. the Countl of 111 Paso, Ihas, et al, handed down by the Supreme CourtOf T=an on April 83, 1941, and the authorf.ties &ted t&rein. Bmfdore, it 28 QW opinion that Senate Bill NO. 345 Is a spoial OT lOCal bill attempting to regulate the fees of waetablea md 18, them- iorb, unoonatitutionaland void. .Trustingthat the foregoing fully anaworamoor inQui.V. we are Yours very tm4