i,?-i 1 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Honorable L. Y. V8nce 

C0u.nt.y AttOl’My 

Tit&r CoulU,J 

nt. Plearant, Texao 

Dear sir1 

and crrafull~ 

follover 

conaldered . 

aud vrter bill. m 

an eleaLlve Office, 

he city Camlrrlon. 

e Art. 38orl of the 

hlr ho1dingthlr poetother etatute, la 

p htr from boldot Jutstlce of QUJ 

ticle 16, section rr0 of the COML~L~L~~ of 

Texa s reada, p a r t, l o i01 1 0Vrr 

*no p er so n l hell hold or exeralee, 

8t the 8-e time, mre aihu~ one alvll otfice 

of eaolument, exaept t&t of Jwtlce of the 

ze, cyuaty cd88loner, lotrry Public 

. . . 
Honorable L. W. Vance - Page 2 

Under the expre88 lenguage of thl8 aonsLituclonal provision, a person msy hold and exerclae tho office 

of Ju8tice of the Peace and at the 8eme time anoLher clvll 

offlce of emolument. O-1 v. Tovnaend, '77 Tex. 64, 14 S.N. 

355; Luero v. State, 63 8. Y. (2) 699, 

We can aonaelre of no ba818 upon which it 

may be maid tmt the office of Ju8tlce of the Peace 18 lncompatible with tb8 office or pooltlon, a8 the cane say be, 

of City Tu Collector. In thl8 aonnectlon 800 Opinion 

no. 0-2184 0r tbi8 Dopartmont, a copy of whlah 18 onclosed 

herewith, wbiah bold8 that the office of Jurtlce of the 

Peace end City Rearetary of the City of Nule8hoe are not 

lncompetlble. Al80, 800 Opinion lo. O-2055 of thlr Department, a copy of vhiah 18 enalo8ed &rovlth, vhlah hold8 that 

Lhore 18 no lncompatlblllt~ in the office8 of Justice of the 

Peace and racorder of a corporation court. 

Artlole 3608, Vomon’m Ilnnotated Penal Code, 

18 a part of R.B. 63, vhich va8 onacted by the &let Leginlature of texa8, Regular Re88lon. 1929, vhlch arid Rouse Bill 

road8 a8 follov8r 

"PRoHIBITINff CNRTAIN OFPICHRS ?RoX AMINO 

AB COLLEcTIN(I AQEms. 

"LB. lo. 63 Chwtor 227 

"M aat to prolllbit Ju8tice8 of the Poaao, rherlffr, 

aon8trblee and other paace officer8 from taking 

for aolleatlon ury al&l= for debt exaept br 

the proaua of lav pre8crlbLng tho dutle8 of 

8uoh offloora ti preroribing a panalty; provldlng for contlnguacy ln ca8e any 8octlon 18 

doalared unoon8tltutlonal doom not affect 

remdador of 8ald Aat; and declaring an emerg-y. 

"BH fTlUIACTED~THELBDISLATURE OFTBB STATEOF TBXABr 

"8ectlon 1. Any Jurtlao of the Peace, 8herifr, 

con8table or othmr poaao officer in thl8 State, 

vho ah811 reaolvo for aolleatlon or undertake 

the aollactlon of w alaim for debt for other8 

except under and by v&rtue of tho proaermeo of 

lav pre8criblng the duties of l uch offlaer8 or 

vho rhell receive aomponaatlon therefor exaept 
Honorable L. U. Vance - page j 

as premcrlbed by lav, shall be guilty of a alademeanor and upon convlctlon thereof shell be 

punished by a fine of not 1088 th8n Tvo Hundred 

Dollars nor more than Five Hundred DollarI, and 

in addition to much fine may be removed from office. 

Provided, hovever, that nochlng herein abali be 

construed to prohibit my JUStice of the Peace 

vho 18 authorlmed by lav to act for others in the 

collection of debts fma undmrtaklng SUCh collections 

vhom th8 amount 18 beyond the jUrl8dlCtlOn of Lhe 

JUStice Court. 

"Sea. 2. All 18VS 8d wt.8 Of 18VS 

in aonfllct herevlth am hereby repealod. 

*Sec. 28. If any meatlon or part of this 

Act 18 held t0 be UIXCOUStitUtlOti it Shall not 

effect the validity of thm reuulning portion of 

this Act. 

%ec. 3. The fact tiut there is nov no 

lav prohibiting peace officers from aatlng am 

COll.eOtiOZi 4CUkC108 &Ud Using thir OffiCid pO81- 

tiOA8 t0 OXtOrt l ney On WljUSt daSnd8 and the 

crovded aondltlolr of tha~caleadar cr8at.o an 

iBpOmtlV0 public nmCe88ity that the COnStlLUtiOnd 

Rule mqulrlng that bills bo read on three several 

days be 8nd the same is hereby suspended, and that 

this Aat take effect frop and after its pa88age and 

it 18 SO onactod. 

I 

. . . 

"~~provod march 19, 1929. 

'ltffectlve $30 days after 8djournMnt.a 

AS 8h0VX1 above, the title to the Blll 1s: 

'PROMBITIUO CERTAIB OPFICERS FRON ACTIIO 

AS COLUCTSNO AOXNTS." 

The c8ptlon states anong other tbingsr 

"An Act to prohlblt JUSticOS Of the Peace, 

SheriffI, COn8t8ble8 and Other pO8Ce OfflCOrS fmm 

tekm for collection eny claim for debt, except by 

the uroaemm of lav Dremcribinn the dUtiO8 of suah 

Offi&rS, etc." (Uixdoracorl~ ours) 
Honorable L. W. Vance - Page 4 

Section 3, thm emergmncy clause of &he ACL, 

clearly l hovm the intent of th8 Leglmlature and the evils 

which the Legirlature v88 lntendlng to curb, tovit, the 

lmpmper use of jwtlaem of the peace and peace offLcor8 

Of thO6ir Official pOSitiOn in 8CtiIIg as COlleCtiOn agenCl08 t0 OXtOrt mm07 on Un&ASt demndm. 

IOU m FO8pOl3tfldl~ tiVi8Od th8t it 18 the 

opini0nofthi8 departaentr 

1. The Jurtiae of the Peace can lawfully 

hold t& offlae or pomltlon (vhichever it YJ be, a 

qu88tion vhlah ve am ROt given 8UffiCiUht fact8 in 

your letter to deolde uad one vbich ve also deem unnecessary to deoide for the purp08e8 of tihlm opinion) of 

City Tu Colleator of Talco. 

2. Xavlng deolded that the Justice may also 

lawfully bold the office or,pomltlon of City Tu Collector 

Of Talao, it 18 Our fUPthOr OpiniOn thBt hi8 8C.U in 

colleatlng taxes srrd Vater bills for the City of Talc0 

vould not be ooatrary to the 8pirit and p&WpoSe of the 

8alUt.q p~OVi8i0~ Of E. B. 0, mupm, and vould IlOt be 

in rlolatlon of Article ma, VerItOIa’S Annotated Texas 

Penalcode. 

YOUPI VOFy t.l’lllJ 

-.-2n ATTORHBY OERERAL OF TEXAS 

By I WiJ.Flnninp v’ 

ASSiStUXt