665
OFFICE OF THE AITORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable John R. Shcok
Criminal Dlatrlot Attorney
San Antonio, Tarar
Dsar Sir: Attention8 1
ndlm~loyaar o?
sngagrd for and
pub110 health
thr time ruoh
ra abeont from
f and engagad in
la1 training whloh
to makctham brt-
to .rendir rarrlor
oplnlon on the abotr rtatrd
br thfr department.
o thank you ior tha oitatlon OS author-
your Inquiry, whioh hna aldrd u8 in
-‘ram Texas Jurisprudenos, Vol. 11, page 564, M
quotr as folloner
Honorable John R. Shook, pega 2
%mmleslonere~ court.8 err courts 0r
limited $zrledlotlon, In that their author-
ity axtande only to mettere pertaining to
the general WalZare of their raepeotira
oountiae end that their poware are onlf
thoee l rpreeely or Implladly oonierrad
upon tham by law, --that 18, by the oonetl-
tution and e~tatutae of the ltate.a
we quote from Texee Jurieprudanoa, Vol. 34,
535, a8 r0ii0w8 t
*Samante and l aployaee may be engaged
upon en7 terse of pepant thet mef be ao-
oaptabla to the pertlee to the contract of
amployment . There must, however, ba author-
ity fo rl ntorlog Into the agreamant. A ozm-
traot appointing a person to perform oarta5.n
eer~lc6e end to pay hIa a oomaleelon thera-
for, aade by a etate officer pureuant to an
tmoanetltntlonel etatute, le 0r em roroe,
and the appointee 18 not entitled to the oom-
~188lOn. Again, e county ie not bound by a
oontreot which has bean mede. by the oonmie-
slonere~court wIthout authority3 nor la it
praoluded from aeeertlng that the oontract
18 unlewfal end removering tha money wkipp
hee been paid tharsundor. . . . .*
Soetlo~, ,5J ~oi Article III of the Tarae Conetl-
)utIon reaae 48 rollowe t
me Leg~elakire ehall hare no power
to grant, or to authorlee ‘any aouatf or
enmlolpal euthorlty to grant, any axtra
oompeneation, tea or allowance to a pub-
110 oflloer, agent, eervant or oontractor,
aitar eenloa her been mmderea, or a
contract has been entarad Into, and par-
ionned In whole or in part; nor pay, nor
authorize tha ~peymant of, any alaim
orsated again8 t any ooucity or aunlcipal-
Itr of the Stats, atier any agra6mant or
contraot, made wffhouf authority of law.*
66
Honorable John A. Shook, page 3
Article 44181, V6rnon’e AnnOtatad Revised
Civil St.attltae of T6xam, reads as follower
*It shall be lawful rot the &ate Da-
perWent of Haelth to eooapt donetlone and’
oontrlbutlone, to br expradea In the lntar-
art of the public health and the anforea-
rent of pub110 h68lth lane. The Commleeionare
Court of an? County shall hate ,th6 authority
to appropriate and expend money from th6
ganerel revenues of its County fir and In
behalf of public health and eanltatlon
within lta County.*
An offloar 18 not antltlad to any oompanea-
tion in addition to thet uhloh has been fixed by law
for the perforaance of ths dutlae of hla offloe, oven
though the, ooiupeneatlon so fixed is unreasonable or
lnaarquata. He may be rsqulrad bra law to perfors
epeolflo ea~lcae or dleoherga additional autlae for
whleh ao SOmp8nSatiOn Is proYlded. Ths obligation
to parfoxa euoh eenloae is lnpoeaa ae an lnclaant
to -the office, and the offloer, by his accept&co
thereof, 18 daamad to have bean 6 aged. to p6rfOrm
them wlthout oompansatlon. Texas 7 urisprudence,
vol. 3 , p. 531; XoCaile vs. City of Rookdale 246
5. W. 2 54; Terra11 Ye. gins, 14 8. a. (2d) 76b;
Statutes preeeriblng fees for pub110 offloara
are etrlotl~ oonetrued, and hence a r&?,ht to fr6e IMJ
fiat raet in ,j.mplloation. Where thle right 18 itft to
‘oonetruoflon, thq language of the law must ba’oonetruad
lo favor of the gorernm6nt. Where a .etatuta is capable
or two ~onetructlone, one of whioh would give an orrlcar
eomp&neetion’ for his ecnloos .ln addition to his salarT,
and the other not, the latter oonetruotlon should be
adopted. See Texas Jurleprudmde, Vol. 34, p. 508;
Kedaen vs. Hardy, 50 S. PD. 926; Eastland County vs.
Hecel, 288 6. F!. 518.
The same reasoning as lndloatrd ln the lest
two praoadlng paragraphs, where an offloar may be ra-
qulrea to perform ep6olfla~aanlaee or dleoharga ad-
ditional duties for tiloh no ooqlpaneatlon .I8 provided
or allowed, would apply to eanente and emplop6ee who
668
Honoreble John 8. Shook, page 4
are required to perform epaolflo lanloee or dleoharga
addltlonel duties without eompaneatlon~ Tharefore, ln-
eprotore and amplo~aae of the oountf engaged in pub110
health work ooeld be retplred by the ragulatlone of
the State Health Offloar to take spoolal tralnlng
whloh 18 deelgned to make thm. batter qualifisd to
render eerrloo in health work;,where such training
1s required by raguletlone of the State Officer,
without oomganeatlon.
We do not think that the terns of Article
Ulttf, eupra , arc) broed'enough to authorize the WU-
~leelonere* Court to pay the ealar16.e of inspectors
and e?&plo~eee of the oounty engaged lo public health
work while euoh lnspcOtor8 or~employ6ee aka absent from
the countf.and perform no dotlae~ae euoh lnepeotore
and amplo~aae while taking the special tralnlw es
above mentlon+d.
In this oonneotlon we find no other authority
that would authorize the comaleeloners* coart to pay
the ealarlae to such lnepaoton an4 ~ploysae while
taking the special training lndiaatad above.
hyetlng that the foregoing fullr anawere
your lnqali7, we rdmaln,
fours very ~truly
Ardell )cllllaem
Aeeletent