OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OFT&AS
AUSTIN
June x, 1939
omw c. MANN
'imn.mlnu
-..
@n. G80. w. cw
state SiarilthOtfiaar
iwatln, T0xas
Dee Sirs
Ub ami i?l~
raoeipti
B39, in nbleh you a& for
qtl8lit~onst
.,.
‘.
hee.Lthofficer for hi~~oo*w&y, who shall hold of-
ii08 for tU0 YOtW8, solidcomity he&t& ofYX.cer
atu3.ltake cud subcsarlbot3 the. of'riclnl.
oath,
and &ail rile 81oopy oX mch o&h und a cu?y d
c
Ron. Ceo. V..,Ck, Jum 1, 1339, Page 2
his &qqmintkit with the 'Dzas-Sate Board of
Doalth; and, until such copiao nre no fl;led,
said officer shall not bo deei~adlegally qwl-
iriOd, Cozpensatlan or s&d county hoalth or-
rioar shall be fixed by the Com&ssiamrs*
Court; provided, that no ooqmmatlcn or sal-
arp diall be allowed ttxaeptrce ~tu-rl~txi
aatually rcndore4Lm
--50 oose.ruo'suchstatute a5 lfdsblg it ll2andato-
ry upon the Conmisnlczlers~Coat to appoint bletualallya
progtxr~XSXXJ~tinthe otfIos OS cqmty health ofticer.
~., &rtio&e 4426, Rev1Plne.d
ClvIl 3tatutes, low, au-
thmizoa tho nppointment~oi axounty health offloek.by
:~:theState Roard o~Re.slth, ifthecounty autborltloa do
not act,
'.
mJol8 &27 out&Os the duties oi a aouhty
"health orric8r. This ehumeratim Is 5.nd&all&?& give8
.Uiz a nultltude of ~esponslbilitfes. Aiding and assist-,~' :
'ina;tha.!fJxasstat0 Ro3rd~oi Realth or0~~as;on&-bistashs: : _.
The.Mt YE&80 tb&t ho *~l$.dlsohargo an7 addltionel
~:dui;izY,wtiohit s&y b8 proper for county authorities und& ,.
the prasant~lm.fio .rocpdro~or aouht7
. physloiahs.?. ~. Lo ~.:
Article 44%. ~&vised Civtvu&!tut8s; iQ&* is : -l
'4xolt&3lveautborlty ror~~tho~~cuoval.ofa bounty hoart&. .~
.. 0rri0ctr.’xt .PC~@: :: T .
..
"In'all &?&terkrtith~whiOh the' State Board ,~ .~
'of @alth say be.clothed tith autharity, said
county hsaltb offlcor shall at all times be un-
d8r it8 dlreotian;~and an7 failUr8 or rafUs+
on the part of said county henlth offloor to
oboy Chea%utlIoority and ransonable COlYdN3Ud3Or _
said Stat8 Ro.ardof Rmlth &all oonstitute
~mslfmaence ia offloe, and &m&l subjact,said~
county heslth 0rxlOcx to rmoval fron ~0friOO
.'at tho relrrtbn of the State Rasrd ot Renlth;
and Reiid!sgahurjgw forremm3.,'sald~o~nty
health offlcer s!iallnot rmzlve any salar7~or .
OOZ!-~ZlS%tlUi*?%;idonuoo~ahall be trlod In the
dlstrlct acwt of the oountp ia tv':iohsuch aouu-
ty health of:lccr res,fdea.w.
iscin.Ge0.S. c&&a 1, 1939, Faeo 3 .
.
The oomf,y health officer lo &raM,eU a‘trial
OS the removal cause "In tho district court oi the ooun-
ty in -;rhlchmch county?ieelth officer resi&xP.
Artiolea 4420 and 4429, Revised iXvKt Btetutes,
1925, n&t be strictly follmed 5n the attempted remval
of a oounty baelth offioar.' It.will be notcd Chat the
rt%ovel proossdings in.this instanoe are instituted by
the State L3oardGr R%alth. The ground8 nro malfoaannc8
of Off%08 coosistiq GS fall.uroand rof~sal to dlsob.sr&e
the dutlos OS the afflae~~ . _i
': Artlcle.4425, aSvLsad~Givl1 Statutes, 1925 :
&k%t8d~tke
. Offi ~Oi Oity health OiwOarc' It QZCoV&.sa:
-The .gWeipi~ btn+ ot:&?h inokporatii .".
bltp Mb townwlthlnthLa State shall eleot a.
~Wltled person for the office of olty health
45ffioerby-a h.aJorlty or the votes oi i;as@V-
cming body,:oxco$ 3.ncStles w!&oh raoy be oper- : :
ated under ahbarter groWIing~for aidiC&xrent :Y-.'.
method of aeleotin6 city p4siolan5, in which ..._ ..
avant the offree o$.olt.tuhealth otfloer ohall
rile 0 009~ of.8~~0ath~~d 6 00pp 0r his tip". -
po$ntnSnt wM.3 tha Taxes state Bwrd OS HeaTltQ
and shall not be deemed to.be legally quallZi8d
until said aoples ohell.have boa so filed." I' : :
(Underaooring OurB)r~.~~ ':~'
The'etatuta oletrr~ stipxibatasthat %a no'In-
'stanoe sballtho,oSf5.ccrof oity health officer be aboU.ah-
&d" *~..
.)
Artlole 4430, RevLsod C5.vll stt$tutes,1925, out-
‘lkgthe d;ttiesOf a olty health officer, plaoes th%s
orflour under tha diructlon and rqulatlon ot the State
,Bmrd OS Eealth.
.,.
' Tha.Olty htilth oftlocr like the county health
0fffO.S $8 subject Of ~8~OVSl at th8 rClf&tkXIOf'the StEt.8
ul. GYO. ?i.coxi Juno 1, 1939, R?.ge.4
bard of Boulth and a trial ia‘the blstrlct court of his
:slt%nos prwldod. Artidleo 4431 cud 4432, Revised CLV-
? strltutos,1925.
The ststaitcedo not subordlnato the positi&
P olty health officer to that or oouuty health offLoer.
3ey-are parallel'fu b.portunoe, legal status, and
acpo of wotik outllmid for the rcspeotlve poaltlacs.
cth offioezrare subject to the state Roard of Realthl *
nthar than to caoh other or to the County Cctisslmerst
mix-t. :
'.
~InArtTcle.eo4433 MCI W54, Rovloed CiVii St&C;-
tic*,1925;'~1 tinnualoonfer8noc 0r oounty tindcity _.
ealth offlours uaderthe dh8otlon of the State Board or
aalth la provided for, and oooperaticn betwe8n municipal
.uthOrttf8S~aad the ~oZUi&3oioKle~'CO& in X'8titlolt
to
.ealthm&tore-is urged, ,. :. .:
'.
.A earcful oo&de&%ux oithe.aforeueutloz&h '.
irticlesfalle to lndioate'thut itwssthe leglslat2v.ein-~
ieutf;!igt-thoCom&osicuent Court of the couatyhad aO8
~ota~bf'jurlodiotlan over the-]iosltlcnof olty health:. ', ..
bflOsr,, .: . .' _'
~'Bot.lk
&e*pc&&aa o~'cckty &'ott,h ~h<h'~",~~ .
3rri00ra arcistkmt.ory. &3it2l8& OS the& OZiilbe %b&d&- '
ad riOi?CfUl they:bo cOuSO&bIt8d +8p$thbg: I?e&+itiVe c3t-
rc?isxslt
.
.
: It is BXk,re& ;rovl&d tf&.% no flz&lOe'
shnXl.the offlce of oity'health 0rPlcsr be abolish8d't. :
The &mr~zSnS~body.of the oity bps no right to abolish -:~.
th3 offxotb Thu Stato Raard of Health has LSOpm& to .
abcllsh ;it.~Certainly the County Cor;nlssloaers* Court
lrmks tlie autbwlty., Taaa3 l.e&lnture wrote the posl-
tim of city health offlcer intothe ,law lu tha'intcrest
of pub3,l.dhealth and Article 4425, Revised Civil Statutes;
1925, wouid hava to b.erepcls.t8dor iuaendcdbefore the
SC&WZlt.8 ?OoS~tlCXl
Of Olty heath Officer OOLLldb0 al&i- ,'
fnat8d OT abOihh@.
~h8 cour,tyGfxmlaslcmhrs~ Cou.Vt.hasoortnin . -
powers end outbcrity in roepect to the oCfLoo of county
hmlth offlois. The poxcr of apRointzcixt., oo?.$rol,o~er
'.Eon.Geo. L$:cox, Juno 1, 1939, Page 5 .
compensation;and the right to prescribe duties, these
all exist. But the State Board of Health has a oonour-
rent control and authority. Clearly the power of the
Bounty Commissionersv~Court,In respect to the position
or county health officer, is defined and limited by the
statutes. The County Court oannot exoeed its express pow-
er andrights. .
Ee wish to point out that this department ii
bpinion Ho. O-5lS to Honorable Fred T. Porter, County At-
torney, Xaufman County, has already ruled that the offices
,ofoity health officer and county health officer are oiv-
il orrices 0r emolument within the purview or sootion 40
o$ article 16 or the Constitution or the State or Texas
prohibiting any personsholding or exercising two suoh
~orrioes at the same.tlme.
~:ft is our opinion that a aouaty c~m.l~~i~ner~~
Court and a Oity Cannisslan are prohlbited both by set- ~.
tion 40 0r article 16 0r the constitution and the stat-
utes or the State or Texas from appo5nting and employing
,tineperson atijoint county and city health officer. Oie
rurther,.hold that a CIountyCommissionera'Court is with-
gut &thrity to relieve the,health 0rri0f2c 0r ths oounty
of his otfioe and then re-employ him under a oontraot as
county and oitg health offioer, paying hima salary ror
'both positions. To ho&d otherwine we think would be rea-
.ognnizingIn the Oounty:Commissioners*Court legislative'..
-'mer to abo&lsh and ~oonsolidatestatutory state offices
In addition to the constitutionelinhibition; Finally, :.
'aCounty Commssionrars*Court may not legally remove's
:oountyhealth offioer without boco-zing'liableUnder the .
contract or appointment exoept on the grounds 0r mslfeas-
ante of office in an action instituted by the State Board
or Health,.
Trusting that the above satisfaotorily'answors
.'gour
~inpz.$rfec3,
we are
Yours very truly
BY
B:omb
k3Si8tat
A?PSGVZD: