OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OFT&AS 

AUSTIN 

June x, 1939 

omw c. MANN 

'imn.mlnu -.. 

@n. G80. w. cw 

state Siarilth Otfiaar 

iwatln, T0xas 

Dee Sirs 

Ub ami i?l~ raoeipti 

B39, in nbleh you a& for 

qtl8lit~onst 

.,. ‘. 

hee.Lth officer for hi~~ oo*w&y, who shall hold ofii08 for tU0 YOtW8, solid comity he&t& ofYX.cer 

atu3.l take cud subcsarlbo t3 the. of'riclnl. oath, 

and &ail rile 81 oopy oX mch o&h und a cu?y d 

c 
Ron. Ceo. V..,Ck, Jum 1, 1339, Page 2 

his &qqmintkit with the 'Dzas-Sate Board of 

Doalth; and, until such copiao nre no fl;led, 

said officer shall not bo deei~ad legally qwl- iriOd, Cozpensatlan or s&d county hoalth orrioar shall be fixed by the Com&ssiamrs* 

Court; provided, that no ooqmmatlcn or salarp diall be allowed ttxaept rce ~tu-rl~txi 

aatually rcndore4Lm 

--50 oose.ruo'such statute a5 lfdsblg it ll2andatory upon the Conmisnlczlers~ Coat to appoint bletualally a 

progtxr ~XSXXJ~ tin the otfIos OS cqmty health ofticer. 

~., &rtio&e 4426, Rev1Plne.d ClvIl 3tatutes, low, authmizoa tho nppointment~oi axounty health offloek.by 

:~:the State Roard o~Re.slth, ifthecounty autborltloa do 

not act, 

'. 

mJol8 &27 out&Os the duties oi a aouhty 

"health orric8r. This ehumeratim Is 5.n d&all&?& give8 

.Uiz a nultltude of ~esponslbilitfes. Aiding and assist-,~' :

'ina; tha.!fJxas stat0 Ro3rd~oi Realth or0~~as;on&-bis tashs: : _. 

The. Mt YE&80 tb&t ho *~l$.dlsohargo an7 addltionel 

~:dui;izY,wtioh it s&y b8 proper for county authorities und& ,. 

the prasant~lm.fio rocpdro~or aouht7 physloiahs.?. ~. Lo ~.: 

. . 

Article 44%. ~&vised Civtvu &!tut8s; iQ&* is : -l 

'4xolt&3lve autborlty ror~~tho~~cuoval.of a bounty hoart&. .~ 

. 0rri0ctr.’ xt .PC~@: :: T . 

. . 

"In'all &?&terkrtith~whiOh the' State Board ,~ .~ 

'of @alth say be.clothed tith autharity, said 

county hsaltb offlcor shall at all times be und8r it8 dlreotian;~and an7 failUr8 or rafUs+ 

on the part of said county henlth offloor to 

oboy Chea %utlIoority and ransonable COlYdN3Ud3 Or _ 

said Stat8 Ro.ard of Rmlth &all oonstitute 

~mslfmaence ia offloe, and &m&l subjact,said~ 

county heslth 0rxlOcx to rmoval fron ~0friOO 

.' at tho relrrtbn of the State Rasrd ot Renlth; 

and Reiid!sgahurjgw forremm3.,'sald~o~nty 

health offlcer s!iall not rmzlve any salar7~or . 

OOZ!-~ZlS%tlUi* ?%;id onuoo~ahall be trlod In the 

dlstrlct acwt of the oountp ia tv':ioh such aouuty health of:lccr res,fdea.w. 
iscin. Ge0.S. c&&a 1, 1939, Faeo 3 . 

. 

The oomf,y health officer lo &raM,eU a‘trial 

OS the removal cause "In tho district court oi the oounty in -;rhlch mch county?ieelth officer resi&xP. 

Artiolea 4420 and 4429, Revised iXvKt Btetutes, 

1925, n&t be strictly follmed 5n the attempted remval 

of a oounty baelth offioar.' It.will be notcd Chat the 

rt%ovel proossdings in.this instanoe are instituted by 

the State L3oard Gr R%alth. The ground8 nro malfoaannc8 

of Off%08 coosistiq GS fall.uro and rof~sal to dlsob.sr&e 

the dutlos OS the afflae~~ . _i 

': Artlcle.4425, aSvLsad~Givl1 Statutes, 1925 : 

&k%t8d~tke Offi ~Oi Oity health OiwOarc' It QZCoV&.sa: . 

-The .gWeipi~ btn+ ot:&?h inokporatii .". 

bltp Mb townwlthlnthLa State shall eleot a. 

~Wltled person for the office of olty health 

45ffioer by-a h.aJorlty or the votes oi i;as @Vcming body,:oxco$ 3.n cStles w!&oh raoy be oper- : : 

ated under ahbarter groWIing~for ai diC&xrent :Y-. '. 

method of aeleotin6 city p4siolan5, in which .. ._ .. 

avant the offree o$.olt.tu health otfloer ohall 

rile 0 009~ of.8~~0ath~~d 6 00pp 0r his tip". - 

po$ntnSnt wM.3 tha Taxes state Bwrd OS HeaTltQ 

and shall not be deemed to.be legally quallZi8d 

until said aoples ohell. have boa so filed." I' : : 

(Underaooring OurB)r~.~~ ': ~' 

The'etatuta oletrr~ stipxibatas that %a no' In- 

'stanoe sballtho,oSf5.ccr of oity health officer be aboU.ah- 

&d" *~ .. .) 

Artlole 4430, RevLsod C5.vll stt$tutes, 1925, out- 

‘lkgthe d;tties Of a olty health officer, plaoes th%s 

orflour under tha diructlon and rqulatlon ot the State 

,Bmrd OS Eealth. 

.,. 

' Tha.Olty htilth oftlocr like the county health 

0fffO.S $8 subject Of ~8~OVSl at th8 rClf&tkXI Of' the StEt.8 
ul. GYO. ?i. coxi Juno 1, 1939, R?.ge.4 

bard of Boulth and a trial ia‘the blstrlct court of his 

:slt%nos prwldod. Artidleo 4431 cud 4432, Revised CLV- 

? strltutos, 1925. 

The ststaitce do not subordlnato the positi& 

P olty health officer to that or oouuty health offLoer. 

3ey-are parallel'fu b.portunoe, legal status, and 

acpo of wotik outllmid for the rcspeotlve poaltlacs. 

cth offioezr are subject to the state Roard of Realthl * 

nthar than to caoh other or to the County Cctisslmerst 

mix-t. : 

'. 

~InArtTcle.eo 4433 MCI W54, Rovloed CiVii St&C;- 

tic*, 1925;'~1 tinnual oonfer8noc 0r oounty tind city _. 

ealth offlours uaderthe dh8otlon of the State Board or 

aalth la provided for, and oooperaticn betwe8n municipal 

.uthOrttf8S~ aad the ~oZUi&3oioKle~' CO& in X'8titlolt to 

.ealth m&tore-is urged, ,. :. .: '. 

.A earcful oo&de&%ux oithe.aforeueutloz&h '. 

irticlesfalle to lndioate'thut itwssthe leglslat2v.e in-~ 

ieutf;!igt-thoCom&osicuent Court of the couatyhad aO8 

~ota~bf'jurlodiotlan over the-]iosltlcn of olty health:. ', .. 

bflOsr,, .: . .' _' 

~'Bot.lk &e*pc&&aa o~'cckty &'ott,h ~h<h'~",~~ . 

3rri00ra arci stkmt.ory. &3it2l8& OS the& OZiil be %b&d&- ' 

ad riOi? CfUl they:bo cOuSO&bIt8d +8p$thbg: I?e&+itiVe c3trc?isxslt . 

. 

: It is BXk,re& ;rovl&d tf&.% no flz&lOe' 

shnXl.the offlce of oity'health 0rPlcsr be abolish8d't. : 

The &mr~zSnS~body.of the oity bps no right to abolish -:~. 

th3 offxotb Thu Stato Raard of Health has LSO pm& to . 

abcllsh ;it.~ Certainly the County Cor;nlssloaers* Court 

lrmks tlie autbwlty., Taaa3 l.e&lnture wrote the posltim of city health offlcer intothe ,law lu tha'intcrest 

of pub3,l.d health and Article 4425, Revised Civil Statutes; 

1925, wouid hava to b.e repcls.t8d or iuaendcd before the 

SC&WZlt.8 ?OoS~tlCXl Of Olty heath Officer OOLLld b0 al&i- ,' 

fnat8d OT abOihh@. 

~h8 cour,ty Gfxmlaslcmhrs~ Cou.Vt.has oortnin . - 

powers end outbcrity in roepect to the oCfLoo of county 

hmlth offlois. The poxcr of apRointzcixt., oo?.$rol,o~er 
'.Eon. Geo. L$: cox, Juno 1, 1939, Page 5 . 

compensation; and the right to prescribe duties, these 

all exist. But the State Board of Health has a oonourrent control and authority. Clearly the power of the 

Bounty Commissionersv~Court, In respect to the position 

or county health officer, is defined and limited by the 

statutes. The County Court oannot exoeed its express power andrights. . 

Ee wish to point out that this department ii 

bpinion Ho. O-5lS to Honorable Fred T. Porter, County Attorney, Xaufman County, has already ruled that the offices 

,of oity health officer and county health officer are oivil orrices 0r emolument within the purview or sootion 40 

o$ article 16 or the Constitution or the State or Texas 

prohibiting any personsholding or exercising two suoh 

~orrioes at the same.tlme. 

~: ft is our opinion that a aouaty c~m.l~~i~ner~~ 

Court and a Oity Cannisslan are prohlbited both by set- ~. 

tion 40 0r article 16 0r the constitution and the statutes or the State or Texas from appo5nting and employing 

,tine person ati joint county and city health officer. Oie 

rurther,.hold that a CIounty Commissionera' Court is withgut &thrity to relieve the, health 0rri0f2c 0r ths oounty 

of his otfioe and then re-employ him under a oontraot as 

county and oitg health offioer, paying hima salary ror 

'both positions. To ho&d otherwine we think would be rea- 

.ognnizing In the Oounty:Commissioners* Court legislative' .. 

-'mer to abo&lsh and ~oonsolidate statutory state offices 

In addition to the constitutionel inhibition; Finally, :. 

'aCounty Commssionrars* Court may not legally remove's 

:oounty health offioer without boco-zing 'liable Under the . 

contract or appointment exoept on the grounds 0r mslfeasante of office in an action instituted by the State Board 

or Health,. 

Trusting that the above satisfaotorily'answors 

.'gour ~inpz.$rfec3, we are 

Yours very truly 

B:omb 

BY 

k3Si8tat 

A?PSGVZD: