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276 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

~~-=w*“H,C*,,OII ,. * .‘C”Y.w.,.ro . . . . . . . --.,- ..-.. _- 
I ’ 277 
Honorabla A. L. Blakeraon, Pega 3 

Prior to ita amendment in 194l, by 8. 9. 524, Aotr 

of the R4gular 3eseion oi the 47th L4&31atwe, Artfole 3899, 

v. ,A. a. 8.) while authorlzlny the payment of praslw~on 

Of?ialal bonda of a4rtd.n ofrloors and their deputlss, to 

wit 1 Sheriffa, oamtp judger, oouutp attorneya, aaseowro 

and aollaotors of taxes, oounty alarks and dlatrlot alerks, 

did not euthoriae aueh peymeats ia behal? of wounty treasurero, aauntyaudltore, oounty 4omnl8alonors, aoanty.sahool 

oupsrlntandenta, and oaunty hide and animal lnapeotoro. !l%q. 

oaptloo of said R. B, 524 reads a8 follows~ 

-An Aot amending Artlola 3899, Revised Clvll 

Statutes or Twas, 1925, a0 anendad by Chapter 

3l.l. Aeto of the Forty-fourth te&&atum Resgular Pesslon and Chapter t&5, A&a Oi tha !&IOOB~ 

Callad %safoa, Forty-fourth Logi.slature, and by 

Chapter 498, AM.8 or the EWtp-ilfth I.e@.aleturs, 

to proviCe #et preabma ok offlclal bonda for 

the oounty treasurers, oamty auditors, county 

road oomml~si~ne~a, oounty aohool ruperinterd~enta, 

hide and animal Inspectors and their depi;tlsa, 

shall%a~pe~d from aonr$: funds; end dealsring an 

dme!rgaBoy.; 

Eeatloa 3 or aald 8. B. 5% also provideo: 

"'Ph. faot that tha provlolona of t&la Aot 

axe naaeorary to r4nmdy a 4lsorlminstlon against 

4tWtaiA OCXAty OrfiOitIlS iA the mIdtar Or pSpk0Bt 

of aostr on prcmi~58 on bond8 for thenmelvet aul 

ior their deput:os oreater an~amar66noy and aA 

imperative pub110 ~nabasalty'that the oonstItuf$onal 

rule roquirlng billa to be read on thrro~aweral 

day8 la edah Rours tie 8unpanUad, an8 B0id rule is 

hereby wspendod, wd that this Ao$ shell Bake etr40t and ba iA for00 rr0n end aftu I ha passa~o, 

and it is aa eAaoted.* 

It will ba not& that Y.~otion (b) of Arti410 3899, 

V.A.C.S., as arab~ded, aupre,, Mea the term “oulnty road 

ooamlsalonero~ instead or ,the term *oounty oomti8slo1u)rs~. 

old th4 Le&alature inma to r0rter to oaoatg eoEvrlsslon4rsO 
&ono?ablo A. S. ~ickareon, Page 4 

'?!e fhlnk so. Our reasoning on this 8wre la aa iollom~~ 

The term mOOunty road oqml*sionera* ia aa&iguoua ad 

theroiora aubjeot to aowrtruation in order to aeosrtrk the 

Leglalatlr~ Intent; There i a no oouatr otfloer known 88 

*oountg road oommiaafonern. It ia true that Artiole 6737, 

V.A.O.S. author1208 the, oomalsalonara~ court to employ road 

oomm$eaianera nob ho exceed four tar ro8Q dlatrleta or pavofn&~ 

datiaed by the ooumlaalonara* oourt, aad ruoh road ‘oaasrluimera 

are msro2y road dlatriob or pmoinot employee8 who are required 

under Artlola 6738, V.A.C.S. to obey all orders a? the MQmiaaloaera! Court. Artlolm &737, V.A.C.S., requires suoh BE+ 

plopesa (reed oommlaalonera) to ueoute a $1000.00 bond pryuble 

to the aounty Judga and hir auooeaaora in office but doer not 

require auah road oommiaalonera to take any oath. Suoh ORployoaa (road oomulsslonera) hate no deflnlta tsrmand are 

olearly not 0 

that In tl 

rloera 

ooun 88 harf ng Artiole a popula 6?~i!~ ‘Z;iA&%6 ffi::bfi::t?a 

or mnre the m++mbera of tho oaumlaaionera~ 6ourt *ahall be 

ex-ofriolo road eommisrlonera of thelz reapsotlte prwlnota*. 

It 18 also pertlfwnt to oonaider the 1 

T 

alatire 

history of Article 3899, arotlon (b), V.A.C.S. Pr or bo it8 

amendment in 1941 the artlole, while euthorlzi 

bond premiums on the cffloisl bond8 of nearly a 

orrloera did not suthoriae t&e payment of bond premiuma for 

the oounty breammar, huntp auditor, o~ounty eommlaafonera, 

oounty aohaol ap~rinteudent, snb~oamby hi80 and anlmsl 

inapeotor. To OUTI this altu&%on the Legislature mended the 

Aot in 19Q, as quoted above.’ Thb awrgen6y olauae, quoted 

above, saga amng other thlnga that ‘“the proviaiona d this 

Aot am neosaaary ta ramd.y a Clsori?Umtlon against Oertah 

00kmy 0rrf0ia8.n Clearly this would not a)plp to m~wre 

emplaper auoh a5 a prsolnot or dlatriot road oimilaaloner. Jomm 

oouatp oomulsaionara are also ,as-afrloto road oomdasfonera 

(in oountloa 40,000 or over) am3 all ooantf o~rmalaaionera look 

after the, county mada under rarlous oonabitutlonal and atatutory prod alona. Indeed monz people i)opularlg refer 00 tb 

oouuty oommlaaionera as ooun%y ?oad ~ol~aiaaloaern. It l ema 

olesr to us t&t the Leglalatun undoubtedly intended to refer 
. 1 

Eoaorablo A. S. Eieker8on, Page 5 

to oaunby eommlaslonera when it uarb t&a born aoouatg mad 

oomulaalonaraw lu the amandad AoS abore quoted. To hold 

otherwlaa would make the term Woauntp rc%d omnlaaloneraw 

maanlngl*aa and would dlsorlninata agalnat ocunty aonm1881ouerba dlaorlnlnabloa aever lnbaadod by the l&alaturo aa eridenoed 

by tha ahova quota6 aaarganoy alaaao. 

In oompllanoa with your xa 

herowith l ‘oopp of oplnlou 80. O-505 s 

uaat m are l noloaiug 

of thin deparfananb, 

mhlah holda that bond promlums on the offloial bond8 of oerbala named oouaty Oftlo In oOwtle8 0 

Oiflo~rr~ Salary Law l hould bo paid from rrativ ho Off oera’ uaaer Sal- *lAa 

arg hnd o? the oounty. 

Honbgcmery Oouaby, Tama, baa a population in l b 

ooaa 02 20,000 lnhabitanta aaoordln& to the 19lp ?adrral Coanun. Obder tha provi slona of Saotlon 13 of Artlole 39 120, 

V. A. 0. S.s the following named oouut y offloera, to wit: 

aharlfi, aaseaaor and oollaotor of tares, runty judge 

oouaty attorney, lnoludlhg orlmlnal dlatriot attorney a04 

oounty attorney8 who perform the duties of dletrlot attcm 

naya, dlsbrlob olerk, oouuty o&ark, treaaurar and hlda and 

aalmal inapeotor, of oouhblor 9,uvlng a population in eseeaa 

of 20,000 lahabltanba aooordln(l to thr Last pmoedin@ FMare1 oanaua, mat ba ocmpaaaatod oa a salary baa18 aud bo 

paid rraa th? ?filoera* Salary yu&. 

The ooanty oommlaalouera of Ilonbgowry Counby, 

Tua a , r eo o lve their l alarlea under the prorIalona 02 Artloloa 2350 and 2350(l), V. A. 0. S., aooordlng to the tar 

taluatloha of the oounty. Sooh 8alarlar may be paid aa018 2350. 

Tbero ia no atatutory povlalon twthorlslly the 

payatenb af bond pramiuma on Orflol8l boa68 of oooaby OOm8&8- 

r io nero Inl a la roounbl~r y oub o? blw road and brldga fund 

or ou2 of any other rund than tha Of?io6ra' SalOr Fund. 
Xonorable A. 2L Elokerson, Page 6 

It la our oplnlon that S~otlon (b) Of Artlole 3899, 

V. A. C. S., aa amended, Aots 47th L%iOlatUrO, 19W, la 

val ,id aab oonstitutlonal. ;Ye anawer your queatlon in the 

negative. 

Tour8 tory truly 

ATTCRNEYGRRXRAL OFTXXAS 

Wm. f. hMln(l 

Aaaletant 

wn:mp 

ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS