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790
OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
iionorsble 8. V. Rayford
County Auditor, Rusk County
Uendoraon, Tams
Dear 3lr:
Your letter of ha oplnlon
yz;t daparttaeatrdgardl II la 4s
:
nt by the Conuala-
3srvlos Oif loot
0 per month with
e to this offiaa realdsa
t House where his office
to tall ma whether the travel-
rlded for la this aot will inolude tha
County ;ienlae Officers horn to hle
urt House and his return trip to his
traveling expnm begin from his
farent dutha and ap?ontmeata arla-
with his work 48 County 3ervlca
*Can the Coiamlaalon~ra hut agree wlth tha
3ervlce Ofrlorr oa a flxad amount for hla trcirollng
erpsnaa said amouut to be paid eaah month ou order
or the Cosmlaalonera Court?
"Seation 1 of the above eat provides for the
appointment 0r tha Vaterana County servlco Offlasr
and asalirtaotand flX88 the Salary. v4rllofA'a ijell-
aloe Law Smvlce and the Vqrnon*a Statutes a4ea1to
hva laft out 8 partion 0r a aante::oo in 0onn40tl0u
with the aalvry crbthe aaalatant orrmz.
a, l + * wch Vsterma Courzty Lorvlc4
Sfricclrand/or Assistant Veterans County
~srvioo Orfloar, ahull reaalvr a salary
aat to eroasd One ihmdrad Dollars (3100)
pm mnth rbr tha prinoip+ Officer nor
aore than Fifty Do&ma ($50) par month
rlxad by tha Com%iaalonrrr Court, to ba paid
in equal monthly lnataU.iaantaout of tha
gansral funds of tha oounty~aad all aalarlcrs,
travel and other expenses ot such office aball
be ?ald on order ot the Comulaaionara Court.'
*l'hspmanmptlon with xa Is thut tha #ti.OO par
aoath msntloued la tha above Section 1 is the salary
for the r~aalatantVateranr
fatended by the L4glal;lt~~rsFs
County Sarvlca Officer a:d X will thank you to tell ma
if this la the torreat laterpratotion ot this portion
of the section 1. l * *v
Section 1 of Houar Sill.So. 368, Aata of tha 4IithLsgla-
l&we, Regular h~s8ion, 1943, .proridae:
Vhen tha oadaaionerat court of a oouaty
shall determlna that a 4eterana' Couaty Scroloa
Offiocr is a public nrsraaity la tha dlapatah of
county bualnaaa, It ah11 by a najorlty of the
full memberShip tiwreot, oreat and establish a
Votsranas County Service orrie0. Tha oouaty
ooPoPlaaloaars~oouzt shall appolat aitchveterans
to auah s4rslcb ofiioe azd auoh daalstant veterrras
to auoh aervioa office aa shall ba deemd neoaaarry
by the oounty OOm&4ulOnerS' Court. such vatsrana*
County S4rvlco ofriorr sad/or Aaeiatart Veterana~
County Chmvlcs Orricer shall r*o.viva a salary not
to 4rcosd $100 par month for the principal orricer
nor more than $a0 per Iraonth, fixed by the county
comniaalon4ra~ court, to be paid in rpually sonthly
lnatallm4nta out or tha goceral fund of the oounty
aad all aalarlaa, trnvel and other rxpenara of such
offic4 Shall be paid on order of the oommlaalonsrs~
court."
.
Xoaordbie ii.Y. kyrord, @$,a 3
~h4 ir0t further prescribes the qualiricatlonr 0r
Veterma' County Senior Offlcar and/or Asalataot VOterunS'
coudy sin104 Orffcer, tha duties of such ofiiOera, the
tern of 0rriO4, etc.
Llt4rall.yoonatrulng tb4 language 0r Section 1 0r
the act, it appears that the oozvalaalon4ra*caurt 18 authorla4d
to oraats and aatabliah a Veterans t c0wty s41-~104 oft 104 when
the county oomslarlonara~ court datsrmlaea that a Vaterens~
County Service Officer la a public n4o4aalty in the dlapatob
of county bualnsaa. Generally spaakin& aomo orrlo4a are created
by the Constitution and others by the atatut48. It la a rattled
principle alsc that an 0rri04 co348 into 4xlstenoa only wbon
created in the praaorlbed aannar and continues only so long as
tha law to which it owes its existsnor resalna la foroe; when
*The creation of an orflcr la peculiarly a
l4glalstlv4 imtter."
The question whether tha oo~aaloneral court oreated
tba of'fiaeor whether the L4glalatura orsated tha oftic ti the
.iot zier4lyfuroiahaa the aatbod by whloh appolatllentto tue oiilce
la mada, la not bafore us. If the Legislature baa not crested this
office but authorizes the aom~~aalonara' court to orrste acid or-‘
rice, then a serious pleation as to tha conatltutlonality of tha
.iotla raiaed. Thersfcro, wa express no opinion au to the vrlidity
of said Act.
sp40iri03uy answering your ~ueatlona, it la our opinion
that the maximum oompeoa~tlon of the Veterans' County Servloe Of-
ficer cannot legally axcrad $100 per amth and tb4 mnxlmwa oom94n-
a&ion 0r any Aaaiatant Vet4ran'a County ~enic.4 orri04r cannot c
legally exceed $50 per inmth.
It i8 OUP Opinion that th4 COMty 18 AOt 14f34lly au-
thorized to pay the tmvellng expense of the Veterans1 County
Service orf lcsr when s$ch exp4nae la incurred by aaid ofiicsr
while traveling to and iron hla home aad orfloe.
.-Itio our further o>inlon that the oomiaaionore*
court cannot legally allow the Veterana’ County Service Officer
a tlxad mount for bia tr3vellag expenses to se paid each 301th.
;rtatedanother way, t3e Veterana~ County Lorvice Officer is en-
titled to receive hia actual and neoesaary trevellzq expense
fnaurred in the oonduct of hfr ofiioe and the co:zmfssionsrs*
court oaanot legally fix a definite amount for such expense
but oan only allow the aotual and necessary trsvelix expenzee
lneurred each smith by 8uoh offiaer. Y,Dheretofore stated,
such traveling expense8 do not tnclude the expenrsr lnourred
by raid officer while traveling between hi8 hone and offlor.
COMMITTLL
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Combined Opinion