14
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
amA-~*
~oaorablo Tom beay
oouat7 Attonle7
?otter oouaty
lurillo, t*ur
xourreoont
upon the qurrtioa a8 ,ir hero a recelred.
we qpotosrom
8 aa oplaloa rt vaa%aoe
ttorae7, but, la rlrlf
e ha8 oa may oecr8lon8
nal a8 rpeolrl lagi8htioa lanof
ruthorlty by the
Dirtrlct Attorney,
0 Call thf8 t0 7OUZ'btt+ion.
elieve that Article 3902 lo appll-
Ut8 embmoing more than One OOuntyt
ut by the easr@mcy ObU843 in the
oaptlon to H.B. Ho. 59.7
House Bill Ho. 59, referred to in your letter, reads
a8 follovar
lseatlon 1. fn an7 Judloihl DiltriOt 00mpO8Od
Of three OOUlItiO8, whore the population Of raid
. 14f
~~or8blO to8 8.&J, ?q8 2
eoUatiO8 tot818 not 1088 than fiftp8ix thousand and
OM (56,001) LLOrIIOCOthrn fifty-8eVen thOU8snd Uid
flft7-tbO0 (57,053), 8000l’d3~lg to tb h8t ?rdeml
&~¶8U8, th. W8tr?lOt Attorn 8hal1 l'eOOiY@?l'omthe
bt&t* Or %XB~ l 8 ~7 fOllhi8 8OmoO8 thO 8~ Of
Irlr.Xundmd (4500,00) b1hF8 90~'WI, a8 provided
ior in the cOZh8titUtiOn, and, in addition thereto,
8ti1& ?OOOiVO th0 8Um Of %bt7-fitO Eundred ($3,500.00)
DO11U'8 V h Otu ln Od88lOtl8 Uld fOO8 Of 84id OffiOe
UDooIlt CO a8 8UOh) 8tid 8r1U7 t0 k paid, hOV9VOl',in
W ma8 mnaer a8 aov provided for the ?1Ve lhmdred
(@MXO@) Dollar pa-at a8 fIx?d by the Oonrtltutloa.
All soimI88Ion8 aad fro8 bllaved Dl8trlot Attorae78
b7 la+, l xoopt In lr e h e a08808,
t 8hal.l Whoa oolleoted
be paid to the biltrlot Attorney of the &untIer in
whloh FOh fe.8 aad 00~081oa8 YOM OWaOd, l&o 8ha11
9a7 ~fihr.rrrr ovor to the 8tate Trearurer.
'800. 2. hll7 8Uah DirtrIOt Attorney 18 hereby
bUthOrl8ed t0 aDpOint @a b818tsnt DirtriOt Attorney,
vho 8hdl1 recelvr from aad after ltrroh 1, 1 31, arra
Ulas-7 #@ 8UB of -0 mXW8ad (&000.00 3 mllar8
per umu8, pa78ble by the State of Texsr monthly, and
8uoh A88Irtaat rhll be rrmorrble at th8 will of the
Di8tl’iOtAttorney.
‘800. m
8Uah bi8triOt
3. Attorney 8bll a180 be
luthorired t0 em9107 tV0 bdditiOM1 A88i8tUlt Di8tl?iOt
AttOrm478 Vlth the OOI38OatOf the COUntY JUdgb Of rnjr
OOUlit7 CW4@8ing 88113 di8tI’iOt hsViIig the 18 08t POpU-
latloa of the three oouatlerj one of uhom aha T 1 receive
a 8alsry of not to exoeed Three Thou8and (#3,000.00)
Dollar8 per annum, and one of vhom 8hsll receive a sal-
ary of not to exoeed Tvo Thousand llre liUndred((2,500.OO
Dollar8 POP 8nnum. the ram to be payable monthls. and
said Ms?.rict Att&neg 1s further &)lhorlted to e&x
a StenOgmDheP, vith the consent of much County Judge,
who rhall b D id in the samd manner not to exceed One
Thousand Bl~htaRundred ($1,800 . 00) Dollars per. annum,
and he my alao employ ZVO Investigators to be paid in
the a&rue&nner, one not to exceed-Two Thousand-Four
Hundred (&400.00) Dollars per annum, and the other not
exceeding .tio Thourand ($2,000.00) Dollars per amnun;
8ald last tvo named As8lstant8, Investigators and Steno-
grapher shall be paid by said counties in proportion to
14
-orable Tom Seay, P8ge 3
the rerpeotlrr population8 of laoh by varrmtr
drum upon the general fund@ thereof. (under-
roaring our@
"800. 8. Bald A88i8tULt Dirtriot AttOl73078
8hall hwr all of the p o vo r aov
r luthorlzod b7 lav
for A88i8tat DirtriOt AttOFao78, urd &l1 Of 8bid
Up107008 as7 be removed at vi11 by the DIrtrIot
, Attorney,
'-0, 5. &Bid oOuntIo8 rh4ll woh be luthorlsed
to -7 not to exoood 8Ix Xuadred
(4600.00)Dollar8
mr UUIW to the OirtriOt Attommy iOr lXJlOa 8.8
in-
ourrodby hia la the propantloa aad oomluoting of
orI8laala??&lr8 of uld Oifloe,but rbiab rhall ooa-
8titUtO 110 part Of hi8 8d.Al7l 8rid fU.kd8 t0 bo OX-
peaded oa the 8~0~11al&Is of the Mrtrldt. Attoner,
to be approved by the Oomt7 Judgro? the reurpectlve
oolmtlel.
"flea.6. Should any motion, or part thereof,
be held uaooa8tItutIorml,It.18 hereby deolwed
that it I8 tho logI8l4tIve intent that the remaU.lng
pbrt of thlr Aot ~111 havr boon parred vlthout 8ueh
inY8lid 8OOtiM O? p4Pt thEWOO?.
'8.0. 7. %O ?*Ot t&t th.N 18 a0 bY Pl'OViding
adequate ulbrier for Dlrtrlot Attomm78 la aad for
the above deilned di8triOt8, 8lld therv I8 a0 l&V pro-
viding fo r the dOputie8, l88i8tU4t8 aad rtWl@Srapherr
for r ushdI8trlot8, orator a a lmwg u ~o y a nd Aa lmer -
gbnoy and an irperrtlvs pub110 aeoerrlty that the Con-
rtltutlonal Rule requiring bill8 to be read on three
revsral day8 in e&oh &3u8a be rulpended and that thi8
Aot rhall take effeot and be in foroe from md after
ltr paasage, ld 8aid Rule la hereby ruspended, and
It 18 80 enacted."
Xoure Bill lo. 59, 8upra, becknm effeotlve April 15,
1931, and Articles 3886f, Vernon'8 Annotated Civil Statutes,
became affeotlve November 13, 1935, and reads a8 follovs:
"Seotlon 1. From and after January 1, 1936, in
all Judicial Dlrtrlcts ln thir State the District
Attorney in each ruoh Di8trlCt shall receive from the
State as pay for hir rervioes the rum of Four ThousaM
lanor8bl8 Tam 84a7, Page b
trlot Attorn. b7 th, OOll8titUtiOlh
0s thi8 mat.1
p r o viding
th 8t
Inlll rUdIolal DI8triOt8 ia thi8
8tBte 008PO8ed Of tV0 (2) OI IEOCO OOUUti68 in 0110
(1) Of Vhbh 8UOh OOUatIO8 Thor I8 a Sit7 O&&A-
ing the population 0s aot 1088 than aia0t7 thoucwd
(90,000) hh@bltaat, &OOOrding t0 th. b8t pl'OO0&ilq
Fedkml cOlWl8, th8 DI8trlOt Attom. Of 8uoh Matriot
8h81l FoOOIVO ti th0 m&O b8 -7 ?OP N8 80
the 8~ Of ?iVO tho\\8andFiVO mIIidF8dD0llm8
vhloh udd ?I+. ThoU8aad ?Ivo &ndred Dollar8
rhsll Inoludo tin ?Iva %uudred Dol1arr ($5CO)
88lbl7 p8r 7Oar &Ov alloved mOh DirtPlOt AttOllk~78
by the Ceastltutloa of this Utste. &mh salar7 8hall
ti.pald la tvelvo (12) lqurl monthl7 lartallm8ati upon
~U'Z'8at8dnVn b7 th4 ~~tl’Of1.r Of ?Ublio~AOoountr
upon the 8trte Tl'Oa8urJ. Provided that nothQq In
thi8 Aot 8h811 bo oonstruod 80 88 to deprive m8triCt
Attoraey8 of the rxpenrr &llqranoo lllowd or vNoh
ra7 horeA?tor be elloved by 1s~.
%o. 2. All mani hontofore appropriatedby
the kgi8lature to pa7 fM8, ralarloa ~143par diem
lOOOUat8 0s the OffiOOr8 Mad in th18 Act are heroby
rsapproprlat86for the ymr9ors of paying th8 ralarlor
fixed b7 thir Aot.
“84C. Ali fOd8, OOIEii88iOLI88.Iid pWQUi8Ite8
3.
vhloh may bo earned and oolleoted by Dlstrlot Attorney8
affected by th.i.8 Aat rhall be paid into the County
~rearury of the oountior in vhloh ru4h ire8 are esrnod
for the lo o o unt
of the proper fund.
"Seo.4. Rothlng In thls Act shall be construed
to repeal or in any manner affect any lav nov Sn exlst-
enoo vlth reference to Aaslrtant District Attorneys,
Investigators or Stenographers in Judicial Districts
included in this Act.
"Sec. j. Rothlng ln this Act shall affect Criminal
Dlltrlot Athys vho8e district 1s composed of only
one (1) county.
.
.
#onoluble Tom aery, Pago 5
18 t0 b@ noted that
It tho h8t O~Otl84At by the k@8-
l&uw do08not l X9r488ly repeal &X284 Bill Ilo.59, 8upra. Bov-
ever, the two rtxtuta8 under oon8ldoratlon,herein, are in par1
mtqrla and their plroVi8iOA8 in 8Uoh 2'08wOt oaaaot be reconoll-
ad.! h such 0ilTW8tlLAO48, the older rtatute vi11 be hold to
bo mpoalod br Ia9lloatIoa to tho oxtont of the oonillot. It
18 pP48UUlOd thAt th0 LO i818tlWO lntendodt0 XW&JOal
ti1 1W8
inOOA8i8t@At Vith it8 ht8r lOt8.
fIovevrr It 18 to bo aotod thatLkotlo~ 4 o?ArtIolo
y386?, 8p~Oi?iO& prOtIde thatAOthiag lA thI8 rot '8h811 be
ooartruod to rrpoal or in 4ny mumor 8fr00t uy lavr AOV ia
lxi8t8A40 with r8?4mnO4 t0 A8818taAt Dirtriot Attomqr, fn-
W&I&L~, btoAO@@WN in judlolrl dirtrIOt iAOlud4d in
h184 Bill HO. 59, 8UpM, Y88 a i&Vin ?OFOO
md
OffOOtPiOVidiag for the bPpOinbeAt Of b88i8tUit di8triOt attOP-
AOy8, iAVO8ti@Ol’8 bAd 8tOAO lWpbsr8, Vh8A ktiOl0 3886?, Vb8
raaoted b ~gi8lhlPO an8 &I OXp0888d ip 8OOtiOA 4 Of
Arflolo 3 It Wa8 IAtOAdOd that AOwAg I&&A Odd b0
ooA8tl'UOdt0 l'o94fbl Or in 4Ay B4AAOr si?OOt saj 1JW IA 8X18t-
0000 at the time 0s the w88ag4 0s hrtiole 38861, with w0r-
lAOI t0 th4 Q-JpOintWAt Of l88i8tUltdi8tl'%Ot l ttOl'A4y8, inV4.8-
tlgator8 or 8tsaographor8. Therefor., HOUM bill lo. 59 would
OUthOriXO t& dirtriot dtOl'AO78, iA thO80 dl8triOt8 OOraing
Vithb 8aId CbOtt0 ~p&bOiIlt a88i8tUit dl8tl’iOt dtOl'AO78, inV48-
tig8tor8 8Ad 8toaOgrapher8 a8 provided thoreln, AotvlthrtaAdlAg
the 9888ag0 0s Artlalo 38061.
we have oare?ully oonrldered Hoar4 Bill 80. 59, Iupra,
and it 18 our opinion that laid Bou80 Bill Ho. 59 18 unoonrtitu-
tional, for the maSon stated in our opinion8 x08. O-2011, O-735,
O-2127, &ridO-2224, 00~168 OS vNoh are enolosed for your lnfor-
uatlon.
Our Oplnlon No. O-2026 holds that "the comlssloners"
court has the legal authority and power to allov the district
attornep of Johnson County to employ a clerk ln compliance vlth
Article 3902, Vernon's Annotated Civil Statutes.' Johnson
sonorrble tom Ilear,?age 6
coudy-lr in l $M.lol~ldirtriot oompomad oi throw oountisr.
VI enoloro A 000~ 0r thir opinion for Tour iaiomsti0n.
Trurting that tb foregoingfilly uuver8 rour inqtir~,
vo 8re
Yourr very truly
AtTOR88Y OBREML OF TEXAB
Ardell Wllliama
Asrirtmt