. 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AU-IN 

. . . . . ,‘\ .\ / 

pi. ~~0~633~. re. ~210 9dm tofpauparsana 

8U& idiota. 8ud lulFuoE $8 08nuot be 8dlaltt&, into 

. . - -......... _ .-._.. ._.-- _- --.. - ..__ ._ . ___.__.._.-.. -- . . . . -....-- - 

-- .-......m.“w”. . . . . . ..“.“~.“.... “.V.“.T . ..*-..*. 
HonorabloA B.Hlolcenon,Paga 2 

We quot. from 32 Texas Jwfqmdeaaa, page. 6~ ud 

612, u ~fonovrt 

9aageKlwalua8s*par8onmybattclQto 

b. a ~pmtpor' rho is ~.ry pcor, but tha tmrm 1. 

ltttuall~ und.r8too6 la our eata to Rman a pmr8ca 

80 itagmat u to ba dependeat 0a the pub=0 rw 

support. Th.tialmurtuu4oaauatb.8ppll~ 

toap.noavhohualvaytlb..nablatotlupport 

himolr aad thoda dap.allaat upon him.,.. 

‘It I.8 mQ8 the dutr cf caawl.uloaan’ o&rta 

topr0~dar0~th,~upgort0+f~~~a0~ 

r.sl&nta OS the v.rlous oount1.e; but thla duty 

does not extend tc traaalant prama vho ax-u uaable to .upport themael~e., T&a term 'sup-', 

U~U8.d; a ma mm. na th aa l ttp p lyroo lng d, 

olothlng and living quartaM; it m all that 

is nwesary~to bodily heal&and ~swmrort, laaludIw propar eara W trutmttt dur~.al&ne~.. * 

Thlr, it h.. b..a uld, '1. l .upr.m. obllg.tlon 

or hrnarnitJ* itapam 0r atky 8tatt0~ mt0.t 

~O~S~I~OXKWE~ COGS t8by 008tm0t r0r lasdi~rl 

4.rYlce. to b. -Md to p.up.r., . . . . 

2r th8= 3.8 a pubu0 h06piw in th8 00ttttt7, 

It 1. the duty o? #a oomlu~Ioa.rs@ court to prorids for rcndlag tharm tha hdlgeat rlakt but thm 

oourt is not r.qtlrmd to rotnl swh parsons to prly.t.ho.plt.l. ortopubllo hoaplW.out.ld.th. 

aOuItty....w 

%43 p0v.r~ md duti0s or 00tay owrial M Oourt., atml th. obllrptloxu 0r tm countlu 

to palp.M, arm rix.4 by 8tatutc, md oanuot ba 

mahrgmd upoa by ttaamo8s~ impliaatlon. Thata 

p0Y.r. rad dutl.., In 80 ru u rppllo.bl. horn, 

ar. d.ilaad %t rrd reatrlot.6 bJ th. provl.lon. 

.I 
Yonorable A. E. Riakeraon, Qags 3 

of htiolsr 2351 and 4338, 8s~. St. 1925. IXI 

Artiole 2351 it iu prowled that each aomUsrlonem* aourt shall (subdi~l~ion 11) 'provide for 

the support OS pauper8....neldmntrr of their 

county, vho are unable to support themsmlves,~ 

and (subdlrloion l2) 'for the burial of paupers.~ 

In Artiole 4438 it 18 provided that 'If there is 

a regularly established publlo hospltal.ln the 

aounty, the eomal~sioner8~ oourt shall provide 

for mendIng the lndlgmnt alok....to auah hoapl- 

-1. In the latter provlalan the duty md 

authority of the comolsslon.~' oourt to rend 

the indigent ttlak to hoapltala 18 llalted to 

'publlu' ho8pital. vlthln the county, vhioh provision, by maea- implication, exoludes any 

duty or authority to rend suoh persona to prlvate hospitals, or to publio ho8pltals without 

the oouaty." 

The term "indigent" hu been deBned br the oourts 

on many 00cas10n.. Ve quote the following definitions; 

'A person Is Indigent vho is destitute of 

pISpOrty or moana of oomfortable aubslstence; 

cne vho Is needy or poor." junemu County VII, 

wood couuty, 85 xu 387, 388, 109 HIS. 330. 

bword ~lndlgent~, when used in oonneation 

with atlmlatllona to county hospitala, lnaludes 

inbabitaat of oounty who poseeases required 

quallflcatlon8 of residence, and hu lnaufft- 

~cient mwans to pay far hia plaintenanoe in prlvate hospital mftor provldlng for those vho 

legally claim hir m~pport.~ Ooodall va. Brite, 

54 Pao. 2nd 510, 515, 11 Cal. App. 2nd 540. 

“To be lmltgent does not meau that 8 per8on muat be a pauper, and, vlthltt the w 

of the statute relating to the oommitnmat of 

the lnune to the Government Hoapital for the 

lnune, an lamme peracn vlth lnauffiolmnt 

eatate to pay for hia alnteaance in the hoepltal after providing for those Gho oould olain 
Honorable A. E. Bloker8on, Page 4 

Me support, is indigent." -~Depree ~8. Distrlot 

oi Ooluabir, 45 *pp. DA. 9, 59. 

Thus It may be won thfit sll psupem sre AndAgent 

pemotm . Aa to vhather or not ut zndigetat peraott 1 s l pUpor 

vi11 be determined by the degree of his indlgenoy. This ls 

8 question oi Ssat for the oowift8lowPS~ 00Wt to brt8rminm 

in thmlr lloutld dia0ret1ott. If the ooamtisslonersf oourt determines that a tt lndlgent p er no n 1 s l pauper the oourt vo uld be 

ruthorlzed to rid him u muah under Artiole 2351, Sub. ll, 

supm; Ve~~kenunrb~toiirrdws~tu~~quir~ury 

putifJUb?W rod, Or ~OOO&UPS VirsFOb~ th0 OOd8#iOtWI%' OOUFt 

detomlner the que8tlon0rpsuperisnnor~8tstute requiring 

the inking up of a roll of djpdimted psupsrs of the aounty. 

You are therefom respeotfully advised that it Is 

the oplnton of this departmnt that if the ~ommf.mdonmm~ court 

determinea that an Indigent is a pauper it my Sumlah modiail rid and mdlolae8 to him u such, regaxwllma8 of vb.ether 

or not he hss beea plsaed upon the pauper roll of the county, 

iwmuahss there LsnoatstutoryreqPIIQUfrem8ntrorthe~ 

up or a oouut~ paper roll. It is the further opiaion of thzL8 

department that th. oomml.~lo~ra 1 oowt haa ,th4 authority to 

rid *indigent mlok9,.rho my or amy not be 'psupers', by 

aendIng much tlndlgent sick' to *publlo' hosplt8l8 wlthln 

the aounty. The qwatlon OS ~lndlgenoy~ ia 8180 e question 

of faot to be &ter0laed e the ooad8aionem~ oouct. 

WJFtAU