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OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AU-IN



## . . . . . , ‘\ .\ / pi. ~~0~633~.

re. ~210 9 dm tofpauparsana 8U&idiota. 8udlulFuoE $8 08nuot be 8dlaltt&,

into

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### 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.rlousoount1.e; but thla duty doesnot extendtc traaalant prama vho ax-u

uaable to **.upport** 

### themael~e.,T&a term 'sup-', **U~U8.d;** 

### a m a na

mm. thaa l ttp ply lng

rood, olothlng

and livingquartaM; 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 rlaktbut 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 owrialM Oourt., atmlth. 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. .IYonorable**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~ion11) 'providefor 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 establishedpubllo hospltal.lnthe aounty, the eomal~sioner8~ oourt shall provide for mendIng the lndlgmnt alok....toauah hoapl- -1. In the latter provlalan the duty md authority of the comolsslon.~' oourt to **rend** the **indigent ttlak**  **to** hoapltala **18** 

### llaltedto 'publlu'

ho8pital.vlthln the county,vhioh **pro** vision, by maea- implication,exoludesany duty **or** authority to rend suoh persona to prlvate hospitals,or to **publio** ho8pltalswithout the oouaty." The term "indigent" hu **been** deBned br the oourts on many 00cas10n.. Ve quote the followingdefinitions;

'A **person** Is Indigentvho is destitute of pISpOrty or moana of oomfortableaubslstence; 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 inbabitaatof oounty who poseeases required quallflcatlon8

of residence,and hu lnaufft- ~cient mwans to pay far hia plaintenanoe in prlvate hospitalmftor **provldlng for**  those vho legally claim hir m~pport.~ Ooodall va. Brite, 54 Pao. 2nd 510, 515, 11 Cal. **App.** 2nd 540.

**“ To**  be lmltgentdoes not meau that 8 **per** 8on muat be a **pauper,** and, vlthltt the w of the statute relating to the oommitnmat of the lnune to the GovernmentHoapital 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

-~Depree

~8. Distrlot Me support, is indigent." oi Ooluabir, 45 *pp. DA. 9, 59. Thus It may **be** won thfit sll psupem sre AndAgent pemotm

. Aa t o vhather or not u t zndigetat peraott 1s l pUpor vi11 be determinedby 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 **deter** mines **that** att**lndlgent** pe rn on 1s l pauper t he 

### oourtvou l d 

### be ruthorlzed to rid him u muah under Artiole 2351, Sub. ll, supm; Ve~~kenunrb~toiirrdws~tu~~quir~ury putifJUb?Wrod, 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 respeotfullyadvised 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 tlndlgentsick' to *publlo'**hosplt8l8** wlthln **the** aounty. The qwatlon OS ~lndlgenoy~ ia 8180 e question of faot to be &ter0laed e **the** ooad8aionem~ **oouct.**

**WJFtAU**