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.Lthofficer for hi~~ oo*w&y, who shall 

### hold ofii08 for 

### tU0 YOtW8, solid comity he&t& ofYX.cer atu3.ltake cud subcsarlbo t3 the.of'riclnl.

oath, and &ail rile 81

oopy oX mch o&h und a cu?y d

cRon. 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.nd&all&?& give8 .Uiza nultltude of ~esponslbilitfes. **Aiding** and assist-,~' : 'ina; tha.!fJxasstat0 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& ,. 

## theprasant~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.ardof Rmlth &all oonstitute 

### ~mslfmaence ia offloe,and &m&l subjact,said~ county heslth 0rxlOcx to rmoval fron ~0friOO 

### .' at tho relrrtbnof 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:lccrres,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 raoybe oper- : : ated **under** ahbarter groWIing~for aidiC&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': : (UnderaooringOurB)r~.~~ ': ~' The'etatuta oletrr~ stipxibatas that %a no'In- 'stanoesballtho,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&tkXIOf'the StEt.8ul.GYO. ?i.coxi Juno 1, 1939, R?.ge.4

bardof Boulth and a trial ia‘the blstrlct court of his :slt%nosprwldod. 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 wotikoutllmid 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 

### StateBoard or aalth la provided 

### for,and oooperaticn betwe8n municipal .uthOrttf8S~

aad the ~oZUi&3oioKle~' CO& in X'8titlolt to .ealth m&tore-is urged, ,. :. .: '.
.Aearcful 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'jurlodiotlanover the-]iosltlcnof olty health:. ', .. bflOsr,, .: ..' _'

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

### 3rri00ra arcistkmt.ory. &3it2l8& OS the& OZiil be %b&d&- ' 

### ad riOi? CfUlthey: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 tlieautbwlty., Taaa3 l.e&lnture wrote the posltim of city health 

### offlcer intothe ,lawlu 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 . - 

### powersend 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 prescribeduties,these all exist. But 

### the State Board of Health has a oonourrent controland authority. Clearlythe power 

### of the Bounty Commissionersv~Court, In respectto the position or county health officer,is defined 

### and limited by the statutes.The County Court oannot exoeed its expresspower andrights.

.

Ee wish to point out that this departmentii bpinionHo. O-5lS to HonorableFred T. Porter,County Attorney,Xaufman County, has already ruled that the offices ,ofoity health officer and county health officerare oiv

### il orrices 0r emolumentwithin the purview

### or sootion 40 o$ article 16 or the Constitutionor the State or Texas prohibitingany personsholding or exercisingtwo suoh 

### ~orrioes at the same.tlme.



### ~:ft is our opinion that a aouaty c~m.l~~i~ner~~ Court and a Oity 

### Cannisslan are prohlbitedboth by set- ~. 

### tion 40 0r article 16 0r the constitution and the statutes or the State or Texas from appo5ntingand employing ,tine personatijoint countyand city health officer. Oie rurther,.hold

that a CIounty

Commissionera'

Court is withgut &thrity to relievethe, 

### health 0rri0f2c 0r ths oounty of his otfioe and thenre-employhim under a oontraotas county and oitg health offioer,payinghima salaryror 'bothpositions. To ho&d otherwinewe thinkwould be rea- .ognnizing

In the Oounty:Commissioners* Court legislative'

.. -'mer to abo&lshand ~oonsolidate statutorystate offices In addition to the constitutionelinhibition; Finally, :. 'aCounty Commssionrars*Courtmay not legallyremove's :oounty health offioerwithout boco-zing 'liable 

### Underthe

. contract

### or appointmentexoept on the grounds

### 0r mslfeasante of office in an action institutedby 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: