OFFlCEOFT?iEATTORNEY GENERALOFTRXAS
AUSTIN
lionorebleC . L. Giber, Chelrnum
Com&ttea 011Judloiery end Uniform State Laws
I:ousc)
of iieprssentetivee
aw4n, Gxes
Deer Sirt
entlW.ed.,en not prmM.n&thwt
Court8 $n coun8lee~ofmorr~thea
y~flYo.'thotiwnd(ses,606),+rAd
.' dmd,eevetnty-fivethctaeend~
(SY5,OOO)lx@ebit.sntir,aofxirdingto the ;Lwt #rood-
lng Federal Census,,ahtillhaya the euthorit~to
dlreot, oontrol, employ aud dtUOhaZ’@O all building
euperintemdante, telephanr operatore, sleva6or
operetma, jaaltarm end all other e~~plopwilnboserary
to the upkeep, PYrlntenaoooend operation of the
court hquses in their oountloa, exOaptln(5,jell
guerda, matrons end other amploysea dlreotly 0n~;w.d
in the operation aad maintenance ot the jails and
tke eefrkeeping of prlroners in su0h Oountler, pros-
orlbing rules rogerding auOh amployms, and lialta-
tlons upon the amount of sn3a.r~to be paid, the
method of ~m~loylng end eooountlng, end the period
for wtloh euoh employmmt ahall be made, and drolar-
lag an emsritenoy4
*ao it enaoted by the Loglelsturo of the State of Texas~
T300t10n 1. In al.1OOuntleD la this Btato having
e poplation ot mar. than thrw huadrrd twenty-flvs
thousend (588,000) and lora than three hundnd 80+0&p
tire thousand (8715,000)lnhabltu&, locordiag to the
la8t prroading hde?al Ceaau~, all ompleywr tmo-
ruary 00 the mpair, neiatonanm, end opwa8lon of
th6 0Ourt how68 or r~ah 00mw s&i2 b0 ~dar tha
Qlrro*lon end 0ontrol of the CIo1&*Ioamz8~ 00uH.
Tha %at~%f judea aha% da8%(pute a bullding 6uPWl&-
in kadwt;uid the &mm%r8lener8~ Oourt aball eppoint
a1L other mae8mary lmploymac~mbjedt to oonflrmtli~on
by sale Court. T h e Co u r l
thallhate the right to
dfaoharg6 my auoh~ompLo~6e at 6ny tims ?or wwo.
Sudhap~oiotaunts chdllbelnwritir~~(,~lillbo~l~~
I by the lsiplo~e~,8tete the rutuse or the duties 60
be perfom~d, the period for nhlosl8u6h omployaent ie
mule, the houra.to bo WOrki@&,uld the -0Wlt'tO be
paid, and I&halloonI?wr PO th0 roqu%roazttm of and by
subfoot to the 15.mltationaprovided by Beotioa IO,
Clnptu 466, Ads pi ZBBLb,CLltJa LbgSalatnro, BOoor
Gelled Seralon. Bush erploymnt shall In no avant
atwd beyond January lat Or th0 yeu: sucoeadlng tha
appolntment;but my be mnwoQ from yeat to y'ur*
The ntu&er of pemons to b& enploy'rdurl tha amount,
to be paid shell be fire4 by tko oornni~@iOmer~*Cwart.
All law re~lstbfng the mektng et lmploymonte, the
aeaourrtlngof fundr, and all budgot lawa and regal-
tions applioable.to the oountio8 to v&lob thle Aat
eppllss, shall apply to auoh employmenta, except in-
Dofar as In oonfliot with.thin Aot, in whioh event
this Act Shall oontrol, All employems, lnoluding
jell guerda, matrons, elwator operators end other
m&Oh 6qloya~n mngagsd In the operation 0r the jail&
..
aon. C. ii.Mlmsr, page 3 \
In such countlee shall oontinue.to bo oaployod
and di6oharF;edby the Sheriff la the manner now
rided by law, and ell employsas n6ow6ary for the
proper aonduot of tho jells or tho aafekeeplng of
the prisoners skall bo subjeot to tho sx6~urlrO
dlrootlon end control of the Yharlft of aueh cW6ty.
N’S60. e. The faot thet the Court ot Givll
AipamLa at San Antonio has roomntly hold that Qll
oeurt houeo metntonenoo omployoos em mubjoot to
tho oxolucsivedirootion end aontrol of th0 Sh0rlrr.
end may b6 u~ployed and dlroh6rgOU only by th0
BhOrifi, am% the iUrth6r i6Ot th6t it ha6 ba6n tb
ou6tm, polioy and ostabllrhod rule that ell 6uoh
mmploysw bars been amplo~e,b anlldisolmr~edby ths
OommI66lonerr~Court "6 raglay o? the oosmty, sntI
that the holdlllgof tho Court of CiYll Rppoalo
oreatss oon?u6ion with respwt to the repelr ui.a-
towoe operation and upkrsp Q? pub110 bulldlly~
ln the Lre sr counties, anQ lnorw8sr the 0660 of
o ration thoroln, crsata6 a6 usr&enoy am%.rBt~l6qmr~~
t r ve ptblio neosarlty t&t tha GonstLtutianlZ'Btlk
roqulrlngbill8 to b6 ro6d on tbr6r sororel day8 in
uch hou6e bo suspended, ane sale Rule 16 har6by
ouopemlod, end thi6 Act shell teko stiect end bo in
roroo from and after ito pwsege, UW? it is 60 lnmotod.Y
It 16 stetsd in &ii&at in hotion S of th6'6ba+WemMaaad
bill that tho holding OS the Oourt of Civil APpoals,'Sen Ar~tonio,
Texas, orsmtsr 006fu6lonwit5 r68poot to the ropalr, malntonanoa,
opuatlon end upkeop ot public bulldings in the beige ocuntlos,
sto. in thio oonneotlon, wo wirh to onI. your attenbion to the
oeso of Cherlon yu.Anderson, County &d&o, ot al, grhintltf in
error Y. %X11 W. Mood, SheriffI def&nbant in error, the case
referred tc in above mcntlonod bill, whom the %up#no Qourt of
Tsxaa through Honorable James PI ALumndor, Chlot Suotloo,
rsvarsed the judgment OS the Oourt of Clvll Appeals and tho
judgment of the trial court was aftlrmd. Wowsvu, it is to be
notod that e motion Par rohoering has been filed in thl6 0660
before the Supre6o Court an% has not yet beon acted upon by
mid court.
Seotlcn 56 or Article a of the Btate Conatltutlon pm-
vidos in part:
*The legislature shell not, oxoopt ee othe-
wire prcvldod in this Constitution, pans any laoel
Eon. 0. B. wsaer, page 4
or ape8181 law, . . . regulating the afiairt8 of
OOUntlea, cltles, towtm, war68 or nahool dfatriot8
ateating offiee8, or pre8orlblng the power8
&i &tie* or orfteer8, in aountle8, altle8, towns,
alectlon or ml001 dlEtriCtR . . , and In all other
oases where a general law 08n be made epplloabie,
no local or speelal law eball be enacted; provided
that nothing herein aontalne4 shall be conetrurd to
prohibit the Legislature from p88elng rpeuial lars
for the preaen8tlon of the &am% end floh of thin
State In oertaln 10aa11t108."
Le beve oarefully oonsidered ;lemte Bill No. 280, supra,
in oonnection tit4 the rwect ease of J. E. Mller, et al va.
the County of El Pa&, Texas, et 81, Ml& oplnlclnwas handed
acnn OP tbo eara day of April, lo&l, by thr Suprem Court,
and the authoritlsrroited tharrln. Th4fororo, it ir our opln-
io n th st Wmto B ill No . 66ti is l 1 60~1 or epe&G. bill
8ttelpgtlngto regtite the affair8 of countlee md pre8erlblng
the powara 4nd dutie8 of oertoln offloar6 meation4d therein.
Therefore, Son&8 Bill Ho. Z88, 8mpra, IE uneon8tltutloaal and
void.
Trusting that the Sorogolng fulLy 8n8wer8 go-s iaquiry,
we am