OFFICE OF THE A‘lTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Honorable L. A. Bauer 

county AuLudltor 

Cansron County 

Ezuwnsville, Texas 

Deer Girt 

Cameron County‘? 

of this Dapsrtm 

in part as $011 

requesting the oginlcn 

ed therein read8 

iral Bistrlo t 

il Bond was r0r0r the derendsnt. 

me of the State 

st oertsin property. 

the rull amount 0r 

er with oosts or the Xstriat 

eztain as to the proper dials rorreiture. 

e r‘iotriot Attorney entitled to 

10% (Art. 950) end do we peg.hhn direot or 

to the %ete Treasurer? 

“Is the Clstrlot Clerk entitled to 5% 

(Art. 950) oommlsalal? 
Donorable L. A. Bauer, Page 2 

"Is the Sherirr entitled to 5s (Art. 95.1)~ 

“Whnt dispasition sh culd be made of the 

balance of this money?- 

Camron County has a populatim of apprsriuataly 

81,227 knhabitants aaao?dlng to the 19!+0 Federal Census. The 

COUnty OfiiOiFdS Or said Musty ara sompensated oa aa annual 

salary basis as authorised by Ceotion 1) of krtiele 3912(e), 

Vernon's Annotated Civil Satutes. 

Artiole 322, Vernon's Annotated Civil Statutes, 

provide8 in part: 

n * * * Thsre shall alao be eleotod a 

Criznlnal Distkt Attorney l'or * * *the aountles 

of tiueoes, Klebarg, Bensdg, Wlllacy and Cameron.” 

The Criminal Distrlot Attorney who is eleoted by 

virtue of this statute is eompeosated by the State ss au-. 

thorised by ~eotiun 18 d Artlsle 3912(e), Verncn*s Annotated 

Civil Statutes. 

Seotlon 1 of Artiole 3912(e), suura, provides: 

“No distriot offioer ahall be paid by the 

Stats or Texas any tees or oommisaions for any 

servioes perlorosd by him; nor shall the State 

or any county payto,ady county orrioer in any 

oounty oontaining a populatlca or twenty thousex 

(20,000) inhabitanta or sore aooording to the 

last preoedlng Federal Census any ree of aommission ior say servioe by him perrormad aa 

such orrioer; provided, hunever, that the 

assessor and oolleotor of taxes shell continue 

to oolleot and retain ror the benerlt of the 

Orrfoers~ Salary Fund or funds hsreinefter 

provided for, ml1 tees and oonakisaions whioh 

ha is authorized under law to aolleot; and it 

ahall be his duty to aooount ror and to pay 

allyoh monies rooelved ~~a~~o~tod$at&nd 

or r nds.@raatad and Prov 

pro sion~ or tNs Aot; provided further, that 

the provi3ions or thie 53otion shell nut afreot 

tte payment of coots in olvil oases by the State, 
gonorable L. A. Bauer, Page 3 

but all such oosta so paid shall be aocounted 

ror by the ortloers oolleotlng the same, as 

they are required under the prorieions or this 

Aot to eooount rar rem, wmmis8ions and costs 

eolleoted from prlrate partias.w 

SeotIon 5 of Artiole 3912(e) prorldes In pert: 

*It shall be the duty or all orrioers to 

ohsrge and oolleot in the manner authorized by 

law all tses and oommieaiona which are permitted by law to bs aeaoreed and oolleoted for 

all orrielals aerviees perrowed by them. As 

and when such roes are wlleoted they shell be 

deposited in the Oi:Ioers* Czltr$ fund, or 

funds provided in this Aot. 

The C3dWoi Criminal Erooedure particularlaes eaoh 

Incident in the oolleotion 0r rorreltsd reoognlzanoes wd 

nil Zonds. Without quoting these statutes, we only refer 

w them, n~oly, drtlole 424-440, ino., Pornon's hnnotsted 

&de or Criminal yrooedure. 

It Is stated in Texas Jurisprudenoe, Vol. 5, page 924: 

The undertaking of the ball is an original 

undertaking for the appearenoe of the prinoipsl 

to answer the ohurge against him. If they do 

not have him In oourt aooordlng to the terma 

or their obligation, the undertaking stands 

forfeited, the prooeedlng to exaot iorfelture 

being presorlbed by statute. 

In order to oompeneato the oounty In whioh a 

orImlns1 proseoution is had, provIsions Is made by the wde 

(~.rticle 949., Code of Criminal Frooedure) for the payment 

to tb::t oounty or the Bmount oolleoted from forreited 

~11 3ondoi the sums are not requlrod to bs paid into the 

$tete Treasury for the benefit or the State at large. 
Honora bls I. A. Baucr, Page 4 

Artiole 949, supra, provide5 Ir. port: 

"Sowy oolleoted by an officer upon rowgnlzenoo8,Eell Rends end other oblicqtions rooovered upon in the mm or the State * * * 

shell herewith bs paid over by the oiiioera 

ccllootlng the same to the County Treaeurer of 

the proper county after rlrnt deduotiag thereiron the legal iQO3 and oomi~ai~n~ Por 00ile0ting 

the Lmne.~ 

Artiolae 950 end 951, Vernon*8 Annotated Code 

Crinioel Prooedure, read ee follows: 

0r 

"Artiole 950. The distriot ar oounty attorney 

shall be entitled to ten proent of all Pines, ParPeltures or noneye oclleoted Por the Ptote or oounty, 

upon judgments recoosred by hln; end the Clerk or 

the Court in uhlch said judgments am rendered shell 

be entitled to Plve .psroent or the amounts or said 

judgm5nt5, to be paid out oP the amount v;han collected." 

*Art1 ale 951. The t%srlfi or other orrioer, 

exoept the Juotioe oP the I%808 or his Clerk, I&O 

oolleots money Par the C-tats or county, eroept Jury 

foeo, under any pr~visloM~oP thin oode, shall be 

entitled to retain rive peroent theroaf when oolleoted.* 

816: 

It in stated in Texas Jurlsprudenoe, Vol. 19, page 

I "The Dlstriot or County Attorney in entitled tc 

ten peroent or all Porieitures oolleotod Par the 

%x&e or oountp;upoa judgment5 reooverod by him. 

The right to such oommlaeione hse been held to be 

subordinate to the right oP the governor to remit 

rim8 and rorteituree, and with them, nil olalme 

and oonr;~lsalons for attempting to oolleot the money. 

Cok~~isslons on adjudged Porieituree beomo due to 

the ettorneys representing the Ytate Only when the 

zoncy ie oclleoted, and they are to bc token 

out ot such money; they are oont and cannot be 

taxes sa suoh. 
. . 

Honorable L. A. Bauer, Page 5 

“The statute providing that the Clerk or the 

Court aball bs entitled to tlve peroent on all 

-fInea, rm feituree or moneys oolleotod rar the 

%ete or COUIty upOn Judgments reoovered in the 

Court epplls0 only to sotlona over whloh the 

Ori.tdIl~l OOUFtE hbV0 jUriEdiotion, and whiob 8hmld 

be proseauted,in suab oourto, and not the Judgments 

for money reowerod in olvil eotlons proseouted in' 

behalf of the s!Yiete. 

wPorfeiturea map be oolleoted in lawful 

money rrom the United States only, and when 

oaaleoted they munt be paid over to the County 

%waeumr~ after deduoting the legal feee end 

oollmlsalotls." 

522: 

It la stated in Texas Jurisprudenoe, Vol. 34, pege 

R * * * To entitle an airLeer to reoeive 

tee8 ar oomlaaiona, the reoeigt thereor must 

hwe been provided Por and the amount, Plred by 

9ma; end he nust have perfornmd the servloes 

Por which oompeneatlcn hea bsen ageoifled. * * ** 

In view of the foregoing you are reo;?eotPully edvieed 

thtit, itIs the opinion of thie Cepastment thnt the iiiotriot 

Attorney, thu ListriOt Clerk and the Sheriff are not lsgelly 

atitled to personally reeoirr any oommiaslon wbataoever, but 

#ueh oomnl6slon8 when oolleeted mist b@ plaoed in the Orrioers* 

&lary Fund ea required by neotlon 5 of Artiole 39l2 (s), supra. 

you are further advised that no part oP the money roaeirod by 

drtue of the Pnrfeitwe of the Ball Bond Is paid to tha Stats, 

w suoh money lsaa the uomnisslons authorized by law must k 

pald into the County Weaaut-Yi. 

It, will be noted that the Dietriot Attorxmy is entitled 

ta ten peroent ootaxla8lon and the Distriot Clerk fs entitled to 

five peraeut oomlssion and the %sridf ib entitled to five 

proent carmfaelon by YLrtue of t!m above nentloned attiutis, 

haever, aa heretofore ateted, these oPPloiale are not pertitted 

or authorized by lea to pernonally retsin these oonmi~tio~1~, but 

llust pay them lntc the Orfloers' Salary Fund. The balemoe renrinicg eiter the deductions oP the ao,mmieelona euthorlzed by 
j@uorable L. A. Sauer, Page 6 

tro @ould be paid Into the Reed end BrSage mnd or the oounty 

by rfrtaa or drtiole 1626 ana 1628, ~ernon’~ Annotated cirtl 

mtutea - 

Truetlng that the foregoing fully ensvmm yam inquiry, 

m ara