‘OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honomble lC.L. Dunam
County Attorney
Nol8rJ county
Sveetvater, Tuu
or protect hl8 claim ylrlsmt tbs miat4tP
"3. Are tbo offlcer8 aerviaq the proeuu8 and
yJae~ua enttfbdto the08m8 fee8 mdmileage 9.n
emea no o ar a under
o la ldAr t. 567 %u they
Vouldbe lftbe st3lQevero 8 SelQny, lfrro%&Mkt
rtepr vould they take to present and aol&ot tiw3f.r
844
Honorable B.L. Dunoan, "age 2
clt!,mti
against the State? In any event vould
they follw the pro~etlure as 8et out in Art.
1019 and look to the defendant for thsir aout8,
if 80, 1I the 8&d dehadaat ves unable to pay
sa1O cost8 8nd laid the 8ams out ln jail, vould
8ldd OfiiWl'8 Or VitlXWW8 ba Ulltithd tQ GOus&
from the eowity WC-half feea as in other m18de-
meanor cau(50"
Your l’OQU68t uonoern8 our orlglnal opinion No. o-13352
hwever, this opinion hse bean rec0ns1~ and ve 8rs enalo8ing
a oopy of the latter opinloa for your ooaven1enoe.
The caption of Howe Bill No. 190, Aet8 of the 46th
L lslature (Art. 567b of the Psnal Co&) vith ~~ferenae to
a3 officers l88uiag and aervlag p-e88 ia or out of the
CoUntJ VhWOill th@ plY38Wlt~~ i8 pslrdiw snd cbgardtng
Vitae8808 fW tithb Ol'VlthOUt the QOWty vhelleiath0
OUw!I 18 pWdsXI& DIOIWJ~Y 8kt.08 “p~0Vkmg rOF th8 188
of prooeu &d the --6-d -X’lktiOII Of titllO8US io.
pFOUOUt!OM UU&I’ Will SSOt~Onr Of thf8 hat." Xt i8 WpW-
art that the @apt1011 Of the bill proPtd88 dy iOr the i88WZlOe
of proeer8 and the 8UQUOlling aad th@ PtSlWlMl’dtOll Of titWb8WJO
in p-E’O8OtlUtiOM QXldOP Wl’t8ia 8~ttOlUl Of ths Aat. NO thbk
tlmt seetbm 5 of Article ~‘nl or the Perml cads vher8 it pm-
V1~thrtga~Om~18~~~s+~~~oh~,lin
or uut of the aounty vherein ale ~80CUtiOIl 18 pdabing, and
all witnes8es froeaWthin or vfthout the runty vhereln the
pZ'o8WXXtioPl Is pend%ng, shall be wnsattd 3.33
llfcct D 08
though the affen8s vera a felony in grude, lo void inoofar a8
it‘attanpts ta provide ior the eompenoatlm 0r orfiaen 188ubg
or 8ealng proco8e+. Ve belLeve that it la vel.18ettlaw-I. 88 met
forth in v01umo 39, page 84, or Texa8 ZUrlsp~oe (ana nUnmroU8
ea8e8 alted ther&a) that a pro~%slan or a wotion of the statute
iB Void if it8 -88 Or 8UbOt8IWO i8 XkOt vX’Ci888d bl th0 W-
tion of us do not think that any provl~8ion
the aot. 18 awl8
In the3aaptlon for the aomp8n8atlon at ofilaen iuubg ud
SO- me880 Therefore, it fr our opiritoa that offlaem i8-
w 8Dd SWViag pl’OoU88 in ad8doaosWI’ a(lM8 UiSing UIldW
Artialo 567b of tha Penal Code are entltled to 8uoh fee8 a8
they would be in any other mhdemeanoc w6e. Wth ntfeme
to the mannar and hpar vhom oaeh fee8 are to be aolleatecl,18
fully diacusss4 ia out Oplnion,fo. o-1335.
We anaver your quertlon8 aa follows:
Honorable E.L. Duman, P.sge3
1. In misdemeanor ctasesprosecuted under Article 56’711
of the Penal Code, County Glerk8 are not entitled to the same
fee8 as are provided in Artlole 1026, Qode of Criminal Proaetlure,
for distriot clerks, but are sntltled to only ruch feerras am
alloved In other misdemeanor caaefs.
2. County attorney8 are not entitled to the fee8
aa provided In Artlole 1025 of the Code of Criminal Prooedure
for mlademeanor aaaes prosemuted under Article 567~ of the
Penal Code, In suoh cases oounty attorneys are entitled to the
fees ln oases tried in the county court as provldsd for ln Artl-
ale 1061 of the Code of Crlmlnal Procedure.
3. Officer83serving proaeu in mllrdemeanor cases pro-
secuted under Article 56?b, supra, are~not entitled to the 8ame
Pee6 Bps mileage a8 they vould be if the oaae vere a felony.
Such officers serving prooesa are antitled to only such fees
and mileage as are alloved by statute in other mlsdemeauoreases.
Ulth reference to fees ?or vltneases and their mileage in mi8-
demeanor oase8 proseouted under Artiole 567b, supra, It Is dlffl-
cult to determine the intention of the Legislature regarding
thls m8tter. Hwever, ve believe that It vas the intention of
the Legislature to lnarea8e the rees and tileage of vltne88es
ln order to secure better enforcementof the statute. There-
fore, you are advised that it I8 our oplnlon that vltne88e8 in
such case&ifuw entitled to the 8fme fee8 and mileage in misde-
meanor cases a8 if the aase vere a felony ln grade.
Where a defendant 18 oonvlcted of a mi8dentelLnor of-
fense under the above mention 'arttlole and l8 umble to pay
his fine and oosta and 8atislie ""a the s+me vorklng on public
vorkd or remalnlng ln jail a8 provided by Artloles 785-797, ln-
alu8lve, of'the Code ot Orlmlnal Prooedure, the oftloers or
vlfaeuea vould be entitled to collect from the oounty one-
halS,feea as ln other niadereanor uases as provided by Article
1055, of the Gods of Orldnal Proaedure. Bearing in mind that
offioers laaulng and aervlng proaeaclact only entitled to &he
same fees and mileage am in other misdemeanor uaaeu and vi%
nea8e8 being entitled to fees and alleage 8s lf the ease vere
a felony In glade.
846
Bononuble R.L. Dunout, Page 4
AWIAW APlWYJ2i DEC 11, 1940