.

.;-- -.’ 

### 276

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN

~~-=w*“H,C*,,OII ,. *

.‘C”Y.w.,.ro

. . . . . . .--.,- ..-.. _-I ’ 

### 277Honorabla 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, Artfole3899, v. ,A.a. 8.) while authorlzlny the payment of praslw~on Of?ialal bonda of a4rtd.n ofrloors and their deputlss, to wit1 Sheriffa, oamtp judger, oouutp attorneya,aaseowro and aollaotors of taxes, oounty alarks and dlatrlot alerks, did not euthoriae aueh peymeats ia behal? of wountytreasurero, aauntyaudltore, oounty 4omnl8alonors,aoanty.sahool oupsrlntandenta, and oaunty hide and animal lnapeotoro. !l%q. oaptloo of saidR. B, 524 reads a8 follows~

-AnAot 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$: funds;end dealsringan dme!rgaBoy.; Eeatloa 3 or aald 8. B. 5% also provideo: "'Ph.faot that tha provlolona of t&la Aot axe naaeorary to r4nmdy a 4lsorlminstlon against 4tWtaiA OCXAty OrfiOitIlS iA themIdtar Or pSpk0Bt of aostr on prcmi~58 on bond8 for thenmelvet aul ior their deput:os oreater an~amar66noy andaA imperative pub110~nabasalty'that the oonstItuf$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 Arti4103899, 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

'?!efhlnk so. Ourreasoning on this 8wre la aa iollom~~

The term mOOuntyroad oqml*sionera* ia aa&iguoua ad theroiora aubjeot to aowrtruation in order to aeosrtrk the Leglalatlr~ Intent; There iano 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 whoare required under Artlola 

### 6738,V.A.C.S. to obey all orders a? the MQmiaaloaera! Court. Artlolm 

### &737,V.A.C.S., requires suohBE+ 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 harfng a popula

Artiole 6?~i!~ ‘Z;iA&%6 ffi::bfi::t?a or mnre the m++mbera of tho oaumlaaionera~ 6ourt *ahall be ex-ofriolo road eommisrloneraof thelz reapsotlte prwlnota*.

It 18 also pertlfwnt to oonaider the 1T alatire history of Article 3899, arotlon (b), V.A.C.S. Pr or bo it8 amendmentin 

### 1941the artlole, while euthorlzi bond premiums on the cffloisl bond8 of nearly a orrloera did not suthoriae t&e payment of bond premiumafor the oounty breammar, huntp auditor, o~ounty eommlaafonera, oounty aohaol ap~rinteudent, snb~oamby hi80 and anlmsl inapeotor. To OUTIthis 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 thiswould 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) am3all ooantf o~rmalaaionera look after the, county mada under rarlous oonabitutlonal and atatutory prod alona. Indeedmonz people i)opularlg refer 00tb oouuty oommlaaionera as ooun%y ?oad ~ol~aiaaloaern. It lema olesr to us t&t the Leglalatun undoubtedly intended to refer. 1



### Eoaorablo

A.S.Eieker8on,

Page5

to oaunby eommlaslonera when it uarb t&a born aoouatg mad oomulaalonaraw lu the amandadAoS abore quoted. To hold otherwlaa would make the term Woauntprc%domnlaaloneraw 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-505suaat m are l noloaiug of thin deparfananb, mhlah holda that bond promlums on the offloial bond8 of oerbala **named**oouaty Oftlo In oOwtle8 0rrativ uaaer *lAa Oiflo~rr~ Salary Law l hould bo paid from ho Off 

### oera’Sal- arg hnd o? the oounty.

Honbgcmery Oouaby, Tama, baa 

### apopulation in lb ooaa 02 20,000 lnhabitanta aaoordln& to the 19lp ?adrral Coanun. Obder tha provi slona of Saotlon 13 of Artlole 39120, V. A. 0. S.s the following named oouuty 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,

reo olve

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 

### iano atatutory povlalon twthorlslly the payatenb af bond pramiumaon Orflol8l boa68 of oooaby OOm8&8- rionero

Inl alary oounbl~r 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. ;Yeanawer your queatlon in the negative. Tour8 tory truly ATTCRNEYGRRXRAL

OFTXXAS


# Wm. f. hMln(l Aaaletant

wn:mp

ATTORNEY GENERAL

OFTEXAS