THE ArroRNEy 

## GENERAL OF TEXAS

Ronorablw Y. L. Eoberson county @Ammy arinklwrcounty Keridt, ~wxns

and r&ain fess ESregistrar8 ror of Vital Statlstios, on to their annual

,

ine to plaos the justices on a salary basis the he pea08 shall receive in areto a11 roes, comllisslolis, tar performing ;Parria+3 OSandror aotlng anRegistrar s Botlrdof vital Statlstios and -haa aotfw as ieofrioi0 Iiotarjr iablio.

“Gginion go. O-419, Attorney General of Texas, we rind the rollowing:
Vhere justices of thwmaoe aot as local registrars oi vital ststistlos, and areHonorable H. L. Roberson, Page g

oou&nsated for the tiaoal year on &IObe818 or lpes same&~ by than in the performa or their orrioial duties, ruoh fee8 oolleoted as cogistrais of vital statirtiss u5der Rul0 %a, ~rtlOle 44777,as m~~d06 by Aoto or 1929, Qlst LOS., 1st C. 3;. Chapter 4, are to bo reported and inoladed in the maximum oompensatfon allowed suoh otiiorrs.

.’ .Vn your opinion 0419, you ara referring to Justioes that am compensated ona fee basis. In our oaso the Suetioes of the Pwaoe are oompwnsatedon the ntaximuasalary basis
or ~s,400;00 per yam. mRerer&g baok to &tioLe 39124, aaotioa (o), Vernon's, It is the opinion of this otrics **that** the Juatlos can retain hisfees oollwot**ed**as registrars of vital rtatistfoa, over aM

. ,above his &‘400.00 per year ~1s~. %hst is the opinion of ‘your deppart?neattr” Pli5klei County bar a population of 6,168 ‘inhabitants aooordlne to the 1940Federal Ce~eus. You rwrer to hrtlole 2*12ej Seotion .(aI,. Vornon~s Annotated Civil .Stbtutes. Apparentlp you haye rerirwncs to paragraph (01 oi **Section ‘** **19 oi**  lirtiole 39124;.;V4rAoA’s Annotated Civil 3tatutes. This provision is only:-applfoable to o-ouatlssharlnq a populatloo In exo4as or 190,000~inhabitants aooor&lnJ to the last preoablng

--- Foderal Ceasu8;a. Tner(efore, this provision of.thm statute is not applicabls:t6 .\Fsinkler Countya8 said oounty doss not have a population i5 :0tos;ss, or 190,009 inhabitants. :

ieoti& 2,&~&&014’39l24, Vernbn’s ¬ated Civil Statutea, is appllosble to oou~tlws having a popul8tloA Of less than 20,OIJOinhabitants acoording to the latit praaedlog Bederal Census and reads iA p’art as iollowtit

Vhe couiieeionsri~ Court of each o&tf in t.ha~Stato of ToXas; at lts rirrt rrgulqr m&#i.U&~~+,Januaryor. each calendar year, shall, byr;OrdOr'm&e Andyentered 15 the mioutss or. said ‘~oug$i: dotsmine whather pree’lnet offioers or suoh county, (oroept pub110 wefghsrr and registrars or .~l+al 8tatistlos) shall b4 009- pensated 05aI%r&arrbasis as provided for inXonorablo H.,L. Robersan, Fapag4 3

this Aot; or whether thsp shall reowirr as thrir ootipwnaation,~suoh tees of orrioe as MJ be earned by themin the p4riom4504 of the duties of their oiiioea, and it shall bo the duty,of the.?ountp olerk of eaoh oountr to forward to the Comptrollsr or Pub110 Aaoountr dr the State of Texas on or berorr the 31st da$ or January a oertirled copy or euoh order.

. . .” Seation 2s of Artiole 39120, supra, prooldsst
"x5 all OOUAti48 Of thftts&&to OOAbi5- ing a population or lass than 054 hundrolland ninety thousand (190,000) inhabitants, aooording to tho last preoedlng Poderal Census, wherein ths preoinot ottiorrs are oompwsated una salary basis under the pro?lsloas‘ or this act such prwoinot orriosrr shall reoeiva, adtfoa to the salary fired by thr Commlsin eionerr Court, all r9e8, oommkasio~, or payments ror perrorasng marrlago oeremonlws and for aoting as ro@.strar ror thtt acard of Vital Statlatios, **aad** ror aotlng as OreOrriOiO notar puDll0. w Seotion 1S or Artlole 39120, supra, providas.:in gnrtr The hXa!Bh9iOAoM' Court in counties bariA a pOpUhtiOA 0r less than twenty thousand (20,000) inhabitants, aoooFding to the.last preoeding Federal Census at the first regular meeting 15 January or eaoh oalondar your, may pass an order providing ror ooPrpensatlonor all ooutttf andpreolnot orricers on a salaa-7basis.

. . .Seotion 17(a), Article SOl23sitpra, rqads in part ss rm0tf8tVhe term *Preoinot Ofrioers*as~uaed in this Got asans justiowa or the paaor wndeonstable u.

“(b) In oountlss whore it 8hal1 bavr boon datemined t&t prooinot offloors rim11 br don-_. 

## 218

Honorable B. L. Roberaon, Page 4

pensatstt onan annual aalav basis it shall be the duty of the Comnissioner8 ’ **Court of**  auoh county .to fix the salary allowed to suoh orrfoerr. moh **or** said orriaerr #hall br paid in moneyan wmual salary in twelve (16) equal incrtallmata or not 20~8than the total 6umearned aa oompsneation earned by himin hia offMa qapaoity for the flsonl p%r 1935 andnot more than the mrirnumamountrlloued suoh orfiosr under lawn existing Awp uat24, 1935. , . ,” Sustloos o? ihs paroe am rsqulred to aot ao r8- &mars ror the B&ml or vital Statlatioa, in oertaln instrmoea, by Article 4477, Vfwnon’6 Armotatstl Civil Statuteo, and amendamts thereto.

In vi6~ 0r the roreguing statute8 you era rerpsotfully advisdd th&t it iS th0 OQflliO!lOr this deQEUtrk&tthat where Just&oar OSthe peaos..arr compsnaated owfin annual saley basis, auoh justlose~df the psaoe are authorize6 to oollsot andretain 

### reerfor noting as registrara for the Board or Vital Statirtios, in addition to their eumual salaries, whioh hem bemi,ilxed bf the Commi~ioner8 Court8in conpllanos dth the above mentioned statutes.

We are en.olo~lng a oopy oi our opinion Nor O-419 and a oopp or so ppinion written by Honorablr J8me.rN, Neil, Assistant Attor#ep O~naral, addposaed to Honorable TomC. King, Btats Auditor, oonmrnfng the qriestioa dlaoussod in oljinlon NO. O-419, for pour fnrormation. ~.

Trustin that the roregoing fully~~anensn your inquiry, we are. -
.._,.., .: : Yours wiry truly

AWaG ATlDR?ZTMiERALOFTEXAS

ArQell williamr As8iatant