OFFICEOFTHEATTORNEYGENERALOFTEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Hon. Allen c. W5.lso2.l 

County Attorney 

unty,,haa reueltd 

cpf yvar l&tar tm 

read8 a% follciwa: 
Hon. Allen C. ~?ilson, June 1, 1939, Page 2 

Ke have determined the population of Kendall 

County to be 4,970, according to the 1930 Federal Cenpus 

and esancod thflt the oounty attorney la compensated 

annually on the fee basis. we here elso determIned ttlet 

Kendall County is in the 38th JudioIal Dietriot which 1% 

composed of p1ore than one oounty. It will be neo%s%ary 

thnt we give pertiouler attention to the statutes reletbg t0 the Cmpen%etiOn payable t0 di%triot attorney% 

in auoh districts conpoaed or two or more oountiee. 

Artlole~ 86, Cod% ob (IrImIml PromduP% 1988, 

relating to the dutlelr of oouaty &tornoyia, .grWhn 

Vh% ooaaty attorn- %haU attmd the 

terms of ell oourts in h&% my&f ,bir%Wthe 

grad% of dlstrlot mn-t, an& ~slmll +%pmMnt 

the State In all odmlytl o&m8 underhxaalaw 

atlola or pro%eoutIoJ'Il~%aId oount7~ and In 

th% abomoe of tho distrlot attorn%y h% %hall 

r%~~-%e%nt the Stat% alon%,,,or uhm rwqu%%t&d, 

%h%ll aid ths distrlot att%rxuy.ia.tho~pro%%- ~- 

oution oi any OM% In b&elt OS ths~lStat% in 

ths distriat ookt; and In tioh,oe%o%,h% %hall 

TM~ITS all OT onrbalf or the fee% allaed 

by law to dI%trIot attormoyu, aooordlng acr h% 

aotmd alone OT Jointly.. ?a %u+h ~a%%% h% 

ehsll moeire all or on%-haIroi the t%m altar 

%&by law to the di%trI%t attorney who%% dutl%8 

ho p%rfona%, or ~e%I%ta ia.p%#k+i%&, bat : 

shell rw%Iv% no part oS~th% aonatitutianat 

aaalu'y allowed to eaoh dicrtrlob attorn.y, aaOQTding a% he SO$ed a.~OxtO OT join-; &wovId.d 

that Tees ~ollsoted by the aount 

the stats for suoh ~%er~io~ %b%l I 

attarnoy hraa 

b% deddlreted 

by ths Ck%@roller of Publio A%ooaait% f&W% th% 

Sees wbiah oth%x'uI%e wuld here b%%n paid .tO 

the diatriot attorney had-h% npr%%%nted the 

State alone; provided iurther thI% artlolo 

.%hall not bs aonstru%d a% InhIbItlns anY oounty 

ettornsy from voluntarIlp, nith the <ro%%%M of 

the diatriot attorney, es%l%ting the dfetria't 

attorney In the perfowanoe OZ hi% re%p%%tiv% 

dutl%%, without aomapeneation." 

I 

,, ! 
566 

.’ 

Hon. Allen C. Kllson, June 1, 1939, Page 3 

hrtiole 3(386(f), pertaining to the cmpensatlon of district attorney8 dn all judioial distrlata 

so;;l% state, contain% the follo~lng relevant provi- 

: 

Wee. 3. All fees, oo?%mi%slons and: 

perquisites which may be earned and oollooted by Mstriot Attormys aff%%ted by 

thirrA%tshallbe paId Into th~CoantyTraa~ 

mury of the 00ant1eal In whloh Eaah eM .aw 

euned for the l ooouat o? the propor fund.* 

ItuIllba~odtha~&tIole eSof Chew* 

of ta-l3llInBl PNoedtJre, 

MMS ho shell reoelre 

lamdby lawtodltstriof 

aoted alone or joIntly.” : 

In the oeas OS Yogss va. Sheppprd, Ucm~troW, 

67 81 Pnd 860, opinion ~by the ComIssIon'ot &Q&, 

Seation (a) and edoptedbytbe Supr8mc1 Court, thrown 

Iuvolvod ths question oi the oounff attorney &oIn& urtltllld to done-half of th8 foe a8 prodded In Artlule lOSS, 

*de of CMmInal Proaedars ior *amIstlng the BI8tri.H 

Attorney In the trial of oeWn f%lony oa%eo. Thwdcort 

held that the ao2MItatioarl md pr diem salary f%zOd 

and pa bl.0 by the etats wider the ~rwIsIonm of Artisle 

1021 Eaoe of GriPlin0.l Pmoedw 1938 as amondad to 

disth~t attorneys of math jadidnl dihlot~ 4dtubd 

ouch dlatrlot attorneys im the hati as prcwhmd in 

Artiolel035,andthatbyr%aeonuf s&t tiltgioll, the 

wux&~ya~torneywouldnotbs entlt;lsd to anyport%3Boi. 

. 

Uhlls onlythe f%%s aa pm8orIbed In aria 

Arttale 1OS were Involrsd, we do not believe the hold- 

'l&g would hate b%sn dlrferent had the aommie%Ion% a0 

prorided ror In ArtIol% 950, Cod% or CrI!aIml Prooddur%, 

been inmlved alao. In both ln%tan%%%, %uah fee% end 

O~iSSiOM d8pand OU Wh%th%r SUOh i%e% ad OO~%%iOn% 

ere allaned to the (ListrIOt attorS%yr It Beam% oleer, 

therefore, that under the above euthorlty the oounty 

attorney is not entitled to any fees or aomnI%siona ia 

aesistlng the dilrtriot attorney ia the proseoution o? 
Hwi. Allen C. ;.il%cm, Tuna 1, 193, ?ege 4 

felony case% in judicial distriota corqmeed of two or 

more oounties, wher% his rlEht to Bald rees or amnlsslons deponclo upon their being payable or fXlow%d 

to the district attorney and to whom suoh feeis or oomnieoioue arc no longer payable or allmred. 

We has y8tto dIsom!wthatportion ofyotm 

requ%st eb to the dI.spo8ItIon of Bush riner and tou, 

whloh phase of your quution till now be dtit WIOur attsntlon la UImotod to the Aat oi 1935, by the 

44th ~slature, 8n4 Called fSu6Ion, Ch. 4&S,., 11(101 

Ineorpomt@d intb~&vIwdcI~L)ta~eaoi1981)u~-- 

Artio1e 5585(t). YouwI&lf%ti hsrelam~e th* -lo- 

~a n~wo vla loof sn a id l rtlole, beirrg Se&Ion 5 aat 

It la to be noted &at the aba*e~prorimIon 

of Artlole 5655(t) providorr that rrnoh feea, otmmlm%oa+ 

and perquleltes wh$oh may be oarnod end oo&leotwl bye 

the dlatrlot attommy rtf%%tmd by the eot 8h8ll b% 

paid Into the oounty tZM6UI7 of th% oountlss in uhiab 

saol'fee% are earned for the aooount of the proportund. 

Thlo provIsIonoith% lSta+&.t* ~upumdWJthatof ArtS 

01~~10~1, whiah ionmrly direoted the dlstrlot alerk 

to transmit eU mmalselo~s aad teocr ellaed distrlot 

attorney% by lew In dI%trIotcr ecmpoaed o? two or m%r% 

ooantles to. the -state treuarer~ While no alt roeson ior the Lo&slatura ehmrr(ss thy dlepcmi T- ion at mmh 

ieees end oommlsslo~ and allaring the oounty ta rat&In 

mane when formerly they were pa%d.fo the atate 1% di& 

alosed In the eot, su%h polioy and ~dispo%Ition app%er8 

to be pursuant to end In l oaord with the oonditutiOadl 

amendment of 1935 whmioh provides in pert, *all f%@a 

samed by dWtrI%t, oounty and preolnot offio%r% ahall 

be mid Into the oounty tresaury whore eerned Sor tho 

eoooant or the proper fund." 

It is, th%r%ftm%, the opinion or this dep%rtm%nt 
Hon. Allen C. Cfilson, June 1, 1939, Page 5 

that in judlcisl districts oomposed ol two or more 

counties, the county attorney is not entitled to any 

fees or comlssions payable under the provisions of. 

Article?950 and 1025, Code of Criminal Procedure, 1923, 

for assisting the distriot attorney of euoh districts 

in the prosecution of felony ceses. Such fines colledted, less other comisslons authorieea by law, along with 

auah Sees as authorized to ba taxed aa aoat&!, are to be 

p&id Into the aounty treasury of the ocmnty In whloh, 

BuOh Neeare earned, ' 

Xith raieranea c;, the aoeord paragraph of your 

lbttor, whloh ti~olve+ganaxully mmerocw Saaf guestiozm, 

ta bs d.oideCl. Under t~eprovi8ioaa of Artialtk 430(a) of 

the P&l Cot!+-;Acts oi the'48H ~i#la~, Re@alar 

Ssassion, lQSS; ch. 336, wo o,wl@m +wSth a copy of 

00ropinionHo; O-647 rmxlored toSfr~Siforris C. R+enthal, 

OA?mi8tmt Iil.a’istriot Attorney, Eou8ton, Texas, on IKay 5, 

19~39 uhleh opinion wa believe, will satisfy you and 

liksiy oover.anylaw q~imatlona ratsed in the oonstruotfon or fida Arti 450(a), Penal aoda, and its appllo;ta:ty to those sots mntioned in tfl8 p&%on of your 

. 

Trusting the above anawsra 'four letiier.of Wy 

19, 1939, we remain 

.I : j