452 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEYS GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

reaouiitrblo:ar i 

icre of oiilac+, or 

a fee that ma be 

retaind by $ha . 

oounty attommy. 

i the Rmvi~a& 8tatute8,’ 

hat. the Etato Bmrd of 

tf Or ~iBtri&l CtttWA89 

Ung a alaim X5 robate 

oouaty or dibtr P ot 

tea peroent deeion an the 

aleo prorldre thnt the oountp 

tohey may rafueo to~sot, in other words, 

ke it nmndrtorf that they shmll aot in 

this 0~ per aent oollsoted ae oaranic~f~lOnnr 

by the oounty attmnay nooouatable a8 face of offlo~ 

or individual iasP 

Sa?tian 5, of Artlolm 3196A, V.A.C.S., prqldsrt 

"Upon the written request of the stats mara 

of Control, the oounty or dietriot attorney or in 

oane of the reruaal or inability of both to aot,ths 

Attorney Cknsrsi, ahall rsprsaent the Stnta in ffling a olaka in probate court or e petition fn P 

oaurt of aompetwit ~~urlsdlotfon, wherein the_iprdlan 

.- _ _ 
453 

for hi8 support, may be oltsd to appear then and 

the?8 to show ORUSB why the State ohould not haro 

jtigxent ncainot him or them ior the srmount due 

it for the SU~FQV t, aaintenanoo and trerrtmsnt of 

ouch patient; and, upon suftlolemt shawlng, judgsent my be entered a4aZnst otmh guardian or other 

persons for thQ amount found to be due the State, 

whioh Ju&qaent may be mtaPoo4 as in other oaseo. 

A verified aocouht, ouorn to by the ouperlhtendent 

of the respeotioe hospitals OT poyohopathlo hoopltalo whereln suah patient lo being treated or ha8 

been treated, as to the anmnt .4ue rho11 be suirid6nt eofUonoe to authorfse the oonrt to rondar 

judgment therein. The oounty or dlstrlot attorney 

represehtin4 the Stste oholl be ontltlod to a 

OOIWI~M~M oftsn (10%) per gent 0r ths amount oolleoted. All a~onlso oo oollootsd, leso ouch oonuulooion, shall be, by the osl4 attorney, paid to the 

State Board of Control, uhioh shall roooito ond 

receipt for the oamo and oholl Issue ‘the name ior 

the maintenonoe an4 lmprwaoent of #aid lnotitutlon 

01: lnotitutloho in whloh oald patients ohall have 

bseh oonf lmd .* 

‘Ihe foregoing otatute authorlseo the State Board oi 

Control to request the oounty or dlotrlot .attornoy in wrltia4 

to represent the Ytote in fillng a ala&o in probate court or, 

o petition in 8 oourt of oompeteat jurlo4iotlon wherein the 

gaardlaa of a pationt ond/ot other person io logall~ llablo 

iOr hia SuppOrt. This ototute allowo the ootity or dlatrlot 

attorney representing the State a lO$ oommloolon cb the oeou& 

oollecte4. Generally opoaklng, a r00 or any oomponoatlon pal4 

a pub110 ofifoe~ for the poriormcrnooo or a duty cspjolnod bY 

statute is a fee or oompensatloh oolleote4 in on 0rfiolQi 

oepaclty. (See the cnse o? hueors County ?o. Cerrin&on, et a, 

162 S. ‘i. 24, 087, and the authoritleo dlted tberoin.) 

Artiole 3891, V. A. C. S., reeda, in part, 88 followo: 

I.. . .The oompehoetlono, llaitatlons en4 amrlaumo 

horain flrsd in this aot for orfiaero shall lncludo 

tin% epply to ~11 ofrloers mentlonsd herein mnd eaab - 

and every county at this State, and it .I8 heroby deolared to be the intention of the Le&io~eture that the 

proYlolans 0r this Aot ohall applp to each or *al4 

orfioero, and aqp opeoial or general low lnoonsiotent 

Kith the prwlslono hsreof lo hereby oxpress repeal84 

Insofar as the same may bs fnoonofotent with th3.8 AOLw 
454 

hon. G. Zarl Eutahlngs, pace 3 

“The compensation, llmltstlone and ;~axl;~ums 

herein fixed shall also apply to all reaa and 

conpensatlons whatsoever onllected by aald officers in their offiol~l aapacity, whether aoaountable SCI fees of oif’lce under the present 

?e,w, and my law, general or epealal, to tho 

orantrary, Is hereby expressly repealsd, The o::ly 

kind and charooter or oonpensatlon exempt from 

the provisions of this hot ah611 be rewards received by eberlrfe for apprehension of orl.mlnale 

or fugltlvea from juutlar snd for the reoovory 

of stolen property and monlea receifed by county 

judges .end justloss or Lhe pssoe ror perioraing 

marriage oerenonles, whloh au9 shsll not be aocountsble for end not required to be reported a18 

rees Or orme.* 

Young County hae a population OS 19,001, inhabitants, 

aooordlng to the 1940 Federal Census and me are lnrormed 

the C~ptroller*s ofrice that the ~~mml~sioners~ aoitrt 0r 

by 

Young county has determined that the county-~oifloers In euoh 

county shall be compensated for their serr1ge.s by the payment 

of an annual salary. Your attention la directed to Seotlons 

,zia: “,fo 5; or Artlole 39126, V.A.C.S., and it ~111 be noted 

. or Art. 39120, aupra, makes it the duty of all 

offloera to’ohargs and oolleot ln the manner authorized by 

law all fees and c~v&slons which are permitted by law to be 

;;rsbd and ooll6oted ror all orriolal servloes perrormed by 

. And when ruoh fees are oolleoted, they ahall be de- 

~poelted in the ofrloero~ ealary fund or runda provlded in the 

act. 

et al, vs. 

The Supreme Court of Texas, in the oaso of Nlaholn, 

Galveston County, 228, 9. ;k;. 547, quoting frcm the 

cane of Zard vs. Harrlaon County, 209 S. “:. 793, said: 

We cannot agree with appellants In their 

contention that the oommlsslona received by the county 

judpe for the sale of Harris oounty drainage dlstrlat 

honds are not included lr. the term ‘feea or all klndav 

ss thet ters 1s used In Artlale 3881, Vernon’s Saylea’ 

Civil Statutes, Plxlnp the s?arxialu~% aoapensation allowed 

county officers. Cn the oontrary, ~6 think the dealslcna 

of our Suprgile Court end Courta of Cl011 Apooals settle 

this qusstl~n ndveraely to eppellants* contention. The 

eerernl purpose of the naximwn fee bill was to limit the 

compensation reoslved by the officer8 named therein 

. . 
455 

non. G. Earl ?Mx.hl~a, page 4 

- ror the pertorslance of their oiflclal duties, 

and the term 'reas of all kinda* as used ln 

that not, has been sxpresaly held to lneluda 

commissions allowed by law ior the perrormanoe 

ot official duty, the oonuals,slon 80 allowed 

not bein& exoepted from the msxlmum roe bill 

by any provlalons or the statute." (Also 860 

the oase of Taylor, et al, vsJWms~ttsr County, 

144 S. %. 314.) 

In view or the iore%olAg authorities, you are 

respaotfully edtlaed that it la the oplnlon of this 

department that the lG$ oolleoted es commls8lon by the 

oounty attorney under Sm. 5, of Art. 3168A 1s aeoountablo as e tee 0r 0rri00 aed aunt be grid into the orrloerd 

ralary ruad. Stated airrer0ntlJ, the oounty attornef 18 

not legally authorlztid t0 per&Bna~ly W&sin this O(IPml88ioll. 

Ardell Mlllsm 

Assistant 

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