Hon. John Stapleton 

County Attornoy 

Flgd County 

Floyd&e, Tasw 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

ty shall not be 1iaBl.e to the 

msto ia a .ptebspkaner wau 

pays hi* tfne en%, oWt6. : Th6 

be liabh fw onlg on8-bdf 

re the %efsn%aat has $een trlrb, and 

, aoqulttetl, or found epilty up& the 

4eae appealedf and to pay 8a4h lulf Of SMB 

legal oost* a# kay have bean a~ tated, aot 

including ooadaeiona,~ths County Judgr.shill 

iseue his warrant upon the County Treasurer 

in rav0r or the prayer party, aa the afune 

shall be paid ont or the Oenerd 2brkU or 
Hon. John Stapleton, April 6, 1959, Page 2 

other funds not otherwIr4 appropriated. Ho 

cost5 eholl he oolleoted by auoh orfloor 

v~k.es the aas~ Is dlsu.Iseed.* 

vI5 suah order talld?~ 

This order of the Commlselonere' Court I4 

el8oat Identlaal with the amendment to krtl4le lOJ5, 

Code or CrIminalP~~o4dure, a5 8kw was emended by 

Chepter 422 of the General and Speoial Laws of the 45th 

Legislature, sac16 being Douse Bill Ro. 127 or the Regular Seasion of the Texas l&gIelature. Art1414 1065 

Or the Cod4 or Criminal Pr8mdum a5 the 8ame ~8s amended as above <stated, reads aa follw8: 

.-. 

CPhe oouuty ahall n4t be liable to the 

orilaer and rItne88 having oostr Ia a ml* 

demeanor oaee where defendant pays hle fine 

and aoete. The oounty shall be liable ror 

only one-half thereor rhsn defendant has 

been tried and ootitted, aoquitded, or 

rclrrnd guilty and the 0454 appealed$ and to 

pay euah half of euoh le 

hare been no taxed, not f2 

costs as may 

ludlng 4omnIeeIone, 

the County Judge shall ieeu4 his warrant 

upon the Cauuty Treae,tarer In favor or the 

proper party, and the e&m shall be pqid 

out or the Road end Bridga Lund 4r otlidr 

fund4 not otherulea appropriated. Ho ooate’ 

shall be 4olleoted by euoh ofilcer or wit1~488 when the 4688 la dl8culeeed.4 

You uIl1 note that the order of the U4mi88Ionera* Court and the abave amerided artiole are almost ldentloal. The dlfferenoes appear to be that In the artlolb the 

witue5a is given the 8-e prIvIlegee and bene9its ae the 

oriicer. The emended artiale provld8a ior paymnt out of 

the Road and BTidg8 FUB& or other fund5 not otherwise 

appropriated while the order of the Conmis5ioners* Court 

provide5 ror peyntent out or the General Fund or other 

funds not otherwise appropriated. 

On January 11, 1959 this Depart84nt held, in 

5 oonferenoe opinion, that the above quoted tWIeBdalsRt 

to Artlole 1055 or the Oode of Criminal Procedure was 

void as uuuonntitutiohal. 1u thie opinion thI5 Departam& 
Eon. Sohu Stapleton, April 0, lQS9, Page 3 

further held that Article 1055, Code or Cr3.mInal Prooeaura, 1925, nut hevlng been repealed aud the-amendatory 

act Peinp unconstitutional and entirely void, that sald 

Artiole 1055, Code of Criminal Prooedure, 1925, is et111 

the law and all rae oYYfusr8 are eubjeot to Its prowlelous. 

Article 1055, Code or crfdnsl Prooeauro; 292s, 

uhIoh is the law at present, reads as follows: 

v.dr aosts paid orriuere. 

YChe oouuty shall bs lfable to eaah offio8r and witness having ooetn In a misdemeanor 

ease for only one-halt thereof +hsre the defendant haa satiariea the iin0 and eomt5 aajuag~a 

sgslnst him In rull by labor in the workhouse, 

on the county ram, bn the publia roads or 

upon any public worka of the ootmty;~and to 

pay euoh hair or euoh lags1 oost as aay have 

been so taxed, not lnaluding ~ommfsslons, the 

county judge shall Issue his warrant upon the 

Couhty Treasurer In favor ot th4 proper party, 

and the same shall be paia.ottt 0r the road sna 1 

bridge fund or other tan&@ not othsrwleo uppropriated." 

Ion 130. 

Oeneral 

tiona$, 

.l+ia enolose heretith a copy of eonferenoe oplnO-83, whiah holds Bowe B-1 Ro.%W, Chapter 4W, 

and Speofal Lews, 45th Leglelature, uuoonetituurhlah opinion is here rererred to for all purpos48. 

The ComaIssIoners* Court I.5 au adailnlstratlre . 

and quasi-judicial body. The Commleafonersf Court IO not 

a law-aaklng body and does not hare the power to legIslat4. 

You a% respeatfully advised that it is 'the 

opluion of this Department that the order of the CmmaIssionera' Court as above quoted in this letter Is lnralld. 

Very truly yours . 

ATT- G- ?B T%XAS 

By @jfkctxg 

isslstant 

Wil-F:AW 

TED: 

?z+-Q--*- 

ATTORREY GEWRRAL OF TEXAS