OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OFTEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable Fred T. Porter
county kttorney
Kaufman county
Kaufm6n,Texas
'1, \
Dear Slrr Attantioru: Mr. Fi.ed\V. Yerldlth
Opinion NO. o.-rum .~
Rej,'?hre the oountiy hi La 8 6 man
I' by tha month whowring the
loymnt, marries a
one of the aounty
loners and after mar-
rks the rest or th4
la entitled to be paid
6 balanos ot the month.
1939, containing a
tmsnt reads a6 fol-
d been hlred by on4 of
c 64reral month6 pre-
er of hi6 eqloyer-
lr4r was paid by th4
The marriage
h, and the truok-
4d to work the b6lanos of the month
ia pay ohsok for that month a8 u6u61.
e.rwork4d for the first firs day6 of
the‘:$oll@n~ month, in the 6ame position e@ he
formerry'hild, at which tin4 the oommi6sloner
learned that thie W66 a riolation Of the nepOti6al
law, and tha truokdrlrer-aoo-In-law wan removed
from the aounty payroll by the 0&66lOn4r-
fath4r-irA-l6W.
qa6 the truokdrlrer aon in law entitled to
two weeks not104 before hi6 elnployment was termi-
nnted, and entitled to the pey that he reoeloed
for the balance of 316 month ufter he mrrled?
.___- “__ ._ .“_ .--^-“.. -.“-..L a. V0I.V L..,... *.
Honorable Fred T. Porter, Page 2
*Should the auditor approve for payorsnt ths
warrant to be lrsued in payment of the aon in
law's 64rvice6 for th4 firet firs days of th6
month hs worked before h4 wa8 removed from hi6
po6ltlon7
"Ii the son in law was entltlad to two w44k6
(or other porlod) of notioe before hla 4mploym4nt
tennlnat6d, would th4 fact thnt he was ellow4d t0
work out hi6 month be EUrfiOlMt cause t0 OOn6titUt4
a violation Of th4 napOti6m law by the aanmla61Oner-
f6th6r-in-law? Ih4n if th4 4mplOy44 W66 not 4ntltl4d
to any notla4, rpuld the oomd66lon4r be guilty or
viOlatiOn Of ths nepotism law if h4 allowed his 80n-
in-law to finish his month out after marrlag4?*
Oplaion IW. O-351 by Glenn R. Lewis aov4r6 a fact
altuatlon that 16 very 8iallar%o youra. The pertiwnt part6
of the opinion read.66 rollow6:
"Artlo 432, Penal COdo, provldse that *No
Offio4r . . . OK my' . . . aohool dlatrlot . .
6h411 appoint, or rots for Or aonria th4 appoint-
m4nt to any orrla4, posltlon . . . or any parson
r4latsd within th4 third degrae,r eta.
"Artlo 435, P4n41 Code, reads a6 follows:
*NO offloer 0r other p6r6on lnolud4d within the
tblrd prec4dlng artlal4 shall approve any account or
draw or authorlu the drawing of any warrant or order
to pay any salary, is4 or aoap4n6atlon of suoh in4li-
glb14 oSflo4r or permn, knowing him to be 80 ln-
sllgibl4."
V4 ha+4 been unabl4 to find and b4ller4 then
am n0 aaaea reportad which d4termfn4 this polnt un-
der th4 Texas atetute+!I. Howvar, bearing in mind the
main purp064 Of th4 !?4potlsm Statut4, w4 ar6 quit4
certain that no violation OS tha above atatut46 16
here Involved. Th4 lain pUrpo60 Of Pllah 6t6tUt46 16
to r4mW4 t&m tsmptatlon to 4mploy 01064 r416tlr46,
thue lllmlnatlng klnahlp to the smploylng or appolnt-
ing p6r6ons and boards a6 an slemant of oomp4tltlon.
Honortibl4 Yrod -. . kortor, 1~61;4 3
"CthWUi64, Itl tq0 naOJ ill6t66046 the >OSitiOll Of
lngloyunt would bo awrrd4d to 6 mxdy relative
rathur than to anothur pr6on who aotuully yor-
64666d mom 6atlbiaotory ‘gwtll~loati0116. Sud-
lea6 to say th4 publio would -iTOr.
'HUN the 4mplOyMnt WA@ aada 6t a tim &MI
the rmlatloashlpdid not 4xlst and tba:.6iorm did
not laduc4 or oontrlbute to lndualng the mploy-
mast.
"hrtlOl4 438 XWf4rS t0 iZtiOl4 4X, MC fOrOid6
paying aa incliglbla offfoer or ;e,r60a.~
In light of th4 6bOV4 oplnlon, 1~111 6uamcr your
qu46tlon6 la tb follorring muui4r:
1. Tiu truakdrlv4r ma@ lntltbd to bib pal for
the b6lmnU4 d? tha moath.
2. AS this U66 4 month to month job, th4 aon-
in-ler.and father-In-164 a6m4 und4r th4 punlsr 0s
ArtlO 4S2, ‘r4Ml COb4, 00 thm first 0s the mOnth
following tb mmrrlmgo. T&m auditoy lhmla not
apprwo paymat for th five days of thm mxt wnth.
5. Am 16 alearly 6tnt4d la the above oplnloa
ths tathsr*ln-lmrmuld not b4 guilty of vlolstlon
0s tin n4potla lta tut4ill m allodng hi6 uoo-In-law
to flnlmh th4 mcmt.h*6 work.
Tour In r4gard to not104 *(Is not aoTsr6d
q?l46tiM
la th4 lbot4 oplnloo. Thla point is mad4 clear in the ammm
Of ?m’rirl468 ~a. The Ca~nl COUnty Xat4r ape i’l6trfCt No.
1, 28 5. N. (2d) eel, tnn uhlab I quot4:
Th4 4rploymnt of th4 6gi#llant wa6 a plain
tiolatkm of tbc n4potiemi law, and h4 ha6 no
oaum to amplain b406uae of hi6 dlaohsrrjllby
th4 board of dlnotorm, who, U~JCUIlaarnlng that
thay uo r 4lath# OOntr6Iy to law, promptly dia-
Oh6rged him and nli4red thua4lr48 of any Oh6rg4
of rllt‘ulldlmobadlmooe to the la*:.-
No notlaa 1s naamseary aa employment attar the flrit of the
month would hrc4 b4oa la dlnot vlolatloa of the ima Cod4
Honorable Fred T. Porter, paga 4
Of the State Of Texas.
Yourr vary tN1y
aiTTORN$Y CEliERAL OF TEIAS
Fraderlck B. Iaely
Al slrtant