OFFICE OF IHE ,ATT’ORNEY 6ENERAL OF TEXA!S 

aAUFIlN 

0-0.M 

-QoIQIL 

; 

fims letter. Of 

0r $h%r Dopartmaut 

c?ieds ti follows: 

30 eritltlu6,, ml fiat to ProvZdo ror 

lss whoeb pmoincta 11s ir w*uties 

hWin~ a papulation of more than thma htxidmd t-Q-- 

fits Qpatiati (%S,OOO) and luea than three hun9d 

ninety-thouoaml (ti90,600) by the last prttedf~ 

Federal Conma and whose jiruainata lie iz &zlo cr 

in part in an'~ndorporatsd oity or tom tcctahing 
Boa. c. IL ~ilmar ) pegs 8 

berritorlal limits of twenty-five (gb) square PPilas 

or more, such fee to be the samtl ire those now allowed 

80 adrr.t, suit3 providing for the payment thereof 

by the County an all orlminal oae?e where bha Befendanb ?.S aOfiYio8& or pleads guilty, and such detehdant 

fails to pay his fha-and lays'hla fine out in the 

0oun8yjaI.J or dleohargm ~th'* ssPa by mana of work- 

* auoh fins out o~'the.o&uiity roads or on any oounty 

prdjaot' and r6Qmling +tfel6 1056 of the code of 

Crhfaai Procedure itiofar he it applies.to .Conatables 

of Suatloo Preolnots in,oountles having R populet&on 

Qf mope than three hundred twenty-f%va (3E5,OOO~) &d 

1~~68 tti three hundred ninety thooeanb (390,000) ,by 

the la88 preoeding Federal Census, and rhoea ~preoinots 

lls~in whoLe or in part in an ineorporatea city -or' 

towa oontainin5 tarritoridl.-llmitr of twan8p-flvu 

(85) squ.are.mSles~ot more,'aud duolering an emergenoy. 

-*Be it maotad by the Legielaturs of tha'Ytate of Texao; 

~8sotloR 1. Constabler, whose prsoincts 1iS in 

muatlslr having~ a populatloti of iuore.thao three hundre&trenty-five thouoand (3% 000) and leas then 

three hundred olnety thourand .(390,000)~ by the last 

precmling Federal Census, and whose preufnots lie Th 

whole or in part in au inoorporated city or town containing terrltorial.limits or Twenty-five (2s) equare 

tiles or mm, *mo exoeute prmsesa 6ad perform aervioes in oivll and ~riadml~aotioas shall reouih the 

farm fese allowed to &erlffs for the sa&ie seti4:iooa, 

and ia all criminal eaeea wham the dofendent is aontlotetl or enters a plea of guilty and is fined and fe 

unable to pay said tine and lays out his Ilee in the 

oouuty jail or dleohargeo the eme by meens of workkeg 

sue& fine outon.the oountp roads or on any county 

projeot, the county shall be 1iabZe to auoh Gonetable 

for all of said feea of said Conatable, end suoh 

Coartabla ahall present to the cormnissioners* 'Court of 

hle County a written aoaouut speoifying each orimlnal 

aotion ia whloh he olaime suoh iem, oertifled to by 

the Justice of the Peace to be correot and filed with 

the County Clark. The Comniaeioners* Court shall appnsre such aeaount for auoh amount as they my find to 

be oorreot and order a draft to be issued on the 

County Treasurer in favor of euoh Conetable for the 

amount so approved. 
Hon. c. R. Oilmur, page 3 

*300. 3. Artii0h 

PrWedwla of the Stats . . em. - 

1066 of the Gode of Criminal 

of 'hxae be and the came is . . e. .^ .__ heMBy rapesalert inlrorar a6 tt epplros fa c;ohatable* 

ooming uader thl8 ko8. 

'see. 5. The faOt that uniter the existing laue 

in rertala oounties eontainfng ci8Ieo of large tsrrltollal 1I~Ite ~on@kblas me not reeelviag adequate 

oonpeneabio~ for aemng 'pTooesr and performIng eevYiOW in BtllSelFBU8 &sdemaaaor OSDW, althoagh they 

ara put to gvaat axpenase in serving prooes13, areatss 

M emorgctaay, and aa impuratl~o pubsio neeeraity 

esla8a~, that the DonabitutIonal Rule requiring bills 

to be read on three saveral days shall bo wrpandad, 

aad thdi dot mhall tapca effoot and be in roroe room 

aad after its peesage, and It is eo l naated.* 

Artiole 1065, Code of driminal Prooed~ra, reads as followat 

*The County shall not be liable to the offioer 

aBd ri8~ese having oosts in.8 mladortaanor oarno where 

defaadant pays his fine and meta. Tha oomtty shall 

be liable ror one-half. 0r the rees or the offloers 

ot the Court, when the dsfandmnt fails to pay his 

fine and lay6 his fiUe out in the 00oh8y jail or diacharges tho aame by zveane of workIng'auoh fine out 

M the OoUnty roads or oh any county projeot. And to 

pay etaoh half of oo8t6, the County Clark shall issue 

his wrnurt oa the County Traammrer in favor or suoh 

orfiosr to be paid out or the aoad end hridgo Puad or 

other funds not otherwise appropriated." 

Seobion 66, Ar8lole III of the Stats Constitution proride 

In part a6 follow8r 

*The Legislature shall not, eroept as otherwieo provided in this Constitution, pass shy looal 

or special law . . . regulating then reea, or extending the power* and duties or alderman, juetioea 0r 

the poaee, magistrates or conatabloa; . . . and in 

all other came where a general law oan be made 

applioable, no local or epeoial law ehall be ensated. 

n . . . 
Hon. 0. E. fmi7ler, page 4 

It will be noted that Artiole 1056, mpra, provide8 in 

effset that the dollnty ahall be liable for One-half of the 

fSSS Of the offlOeT6 of the court, when the defeodazt fails 

to pay his tine anu Iaye his, rfne out fn the oounty jail 

01 diissharger the same by meanl, or working such flm out 

011 the OOWitjy mado or alipy Omanty projaot; Senate Bill 300. 

%8, IUpTa, provides In effect that in all or-al aasm 

where the defadant is oonrioted or enter8 a plea of guilty 

and ia liiW3d and is uuable to pay said fine and laya out hi8 

fins ia the oounty jail or dfaohssgem the @ama by mans of workiIlg 8U6h ibe out on the 'oounty road@ Or any county pmj*Ct, tk* 

OoPlrEy ahall bs liable to such constable ior all s&d foO8 in 

suoh eaees. TherMore, providing a greater oonpensation for 

those cmwtablsr, eituated in oowties 6-g rith the above 

bsignated population braokets, than the oompaiuatlon DrOvidCd 

S0r thoee oonetablee In oountlee harine; a le88,popul&fOa or 

a greater population than that eet out by the above rentiOmdo 

population braoket. 

ge have oarefully toluridsred senate Bill I%. 50 fn 6oaneotion with Seotlon 66, Article LIT or the State COmtitatiOn, 

and the reoent o%m of J. B. Xiller, et al VI. the Countl of 

111 Paso, Ihas, et al, handed down by the Supreme Court Of T=an 

on April 83, 1941, and the authorf.ties &ted t&rein. Bmfdore, 

it 28 QW opinion that Senate Bill NO. 345 Is a spoial OT lOCal 

bill attempting to regulate the fees of waetablea md 18, themiorb, unoonatitutional and void. 

.Trusting that the foregoing fully anawora moor inQui.V. 

we are 

Yours very tm4