848 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

tionorublo C. J. iiilldo 

County Auditor, X~ooer County 

Corpua Chrlatl, Tsxas 

_.- 

ihar Sir: 

of thla departa~ r0n0w8: 

beroto find oopg OS lot Lor fr0.a City 

Singer, addrossod to C. 3. Hilde, 

Nuooos County Toxarr which sets forth 

Nuoaas County rhould gay to tbs City 

1 tbo mm or fifty oonta for eaoh b:rth 

ed tn tho offiae oi the City “negletrar, 

Corpus Chrlsti, Torar. 

“Thir offiuo is of the oplnlon that rhfle tho 

ordinanos as passed by tho City Council oi Corpus 

pristi did not spscirically sst forth a stipulated - 

salary nor zrorido any ooaponaatloa for ths City 

Ragilltrbf, would not tho oonolu6ioa be, that ths CO&tpenaatlon aa Citg Socrotarp was such aa to make lt 

utmocoreary? Or would Rule !%A whioh reads, *Unlas8 

J,ocal Registrar should ba sating as Rselstrar of Births 

and Deaths in aa inoorporstod City *hero tba oompeautlon of the Registrar is otherwlsa flxad by City Ordln- 
an00 , ’ >e ccnstrwd as :xmi~y tk;t tke .:c~n;:e2s2tion 

reoeived :;3 City &crat:,ry should co-7;)t~‘~:t-s fcr the 

Qu’ti~~s perf.:.rtaed 4s Legistror oi !;irtt,cr Y. d ikqths, 

snd for thl; reason no CO.apen8~ltiOn ma set out in 

the ordinance. 

"In the oveot gOilT Opinion was that the City of 

Corpus Chrlsti is oAtitlad to 6 fee or rirty cant8 for 

eaah of the above roglst.ratlOm, shsuld gayneAt be ado 

ior such registration &or to Bebru,lry 9, 1943 the date 

said ordinance was pseaed by the City Coumil, also be:wing in mind that the 0rdina:Loo did nothing racro than 

m%i?%Ts? 

arwte the 0rfib0 0r City Registrar 0r Vital 

alw would the payslsnt bo made (if a+, all) 

to the Local Registrar or to the City 0r Corpus~ Christ;, 

aosuaing ttmt tho nogloot of mentioning ~8 sp~o1~io aalary was for tho roaaon thut tho 8alary paid tho City 

Seorstary ua8 considered eurrlolant to take car8 of the 

duties ad ircegistrar oi Vital %atiaticr?* 

Rule 36ii 0r ,Artfcl6 4477, Vornon*a ;Inuotated Civil 

Litututa(l, bororo bolng azonded by Rouse Bill !?o. 821, Hcta of 

the 47th Legislature, 1941, Regular Soosion, mad as Pollows: 

"For the purpose of this +?t tho Stlto shall he 

divided into prt?lary registration dlstriots aa followa: 

'Taoh justice of the peace preoiaot and eaoh 

Zncorporated town of twenty-five hun\irod or more 

population, aooordlng to the United Statea Census, 

shall ccnstituto a primary registration diatrtct, 

provided the Jtato Board of Xealth say oosbfne two 

or more registration districta, or may divide tho 

primary registration dietriet ihto two or mre part@ 

80 as t0 faoilltato reglstratioae, and in citfes of 

We&y-rive hundred or raoro, aeoordinq to the last 

United States Cemx~~ roQOrt. where births and deutbs 

aso re,@stared in aowrdaucc with the oity ordinance 

not to ooAfllot uith thin Aot, tho City Clerk shall 

bo the looal registrar of b1tih.s aad deaths. 

*It is hereby doolared to be tho duty of tho 

ju+tior, Of the peaoo and justice of tho peaoe preoinct, 

and tho olty olork or aity 8ooretsry in a oity 0r trentg- 
VHonorable c. J. Mlde, p~ige 3 

850 

t 

five hundred or mom population to iaeaum a oompletr rooord of rash birth and death that oooura 

wlthfn their reepaotive juriedfotion, and fe required by thir Aoli* 

Xodse Bill 20, 621, supra, beoaae effeotivr June 17, 

1941, and prOvfdW,iA part,64 fol10Ws: 

*That Srotlon 3 of Benate Bill No. 46, Chapter 

U, page 116, Aots Of the 40th L6gielature, lQmt 

Called &mpI@n, a8 amoaded by Senate Blll No. 20, 

Chapter 4, 

P 

ago 7, Aot8 of the 4lrt Lagiela ture, Plret 

Called Seea on, be unended 80 as to hereafter reed ea 

fOllO~r, 8 

*3*0. 3. POT the urp08a of thlr A& the State 

shall be divided into gr P mery rrglstratlon dietriatr 

ee r0110wrr 

Vaoh justice of the peace preolnot and eaoh 

inoorporetsd town oi two thousand five hundred ( 2,!500) 

or aore population aooording to the la& United Stats8 

Cenew ahall ooastitute a primary re~iefratlon dlstriot, 

provided the Stat@ Board of Xealth may oomblne two or 

more registration dfstriots, or map ditide a primary 

rrgietratlon dlrtriot into two gr more partr, so aa 

to faOilltato re2lstratlon. and in the justior of the 

peeoe preoinot the jwtioo o? the psaoa 8hall be looal 

registrar, and in oitiss of two thousand five hundred 

(2,500) or more, aooordlng to the lest WAfted States 

Consus Feportr, the oitl olerk or olty reoretary shall 

bo the looal registrar of birthr and deaths, 

“It is hereby deolared to be the duty of the 

jwtlor of the pesos or the juetioe of the peace pnoinot, and ths oity olerk or oity 8eOretary in a Oity 

of two thousand five hundred (2,800) Of mr. ~PUlStiOA, - 

to aeouro a ooaplrtr reoord oi oaoh birth anb death that 

oooura within their respeotive jurisdiotlon, and hsvr 

aSa reoorded iA the OOUAty alerk’8 offior in their 

rea~sotiva aountisa on or before the 10th of the following moath.n 
iionoruble C. J. Nildo, pago 4 851 _ 

Rule 32&, .=tlole 4477, Vernon’s motetad Civil 

Statutes, pertalna to fees for 10081 registrars. It providea: 

-That euoh loo61 raglatrar shall be paid the 

sum of fifty (AC$) oeata for aeoh birth e8d death 

oartlfloata properly cud oompletely made out and r8- 

glaterad with him, end oorreotly recorded end promptly returned by him to the State Buraau of Vital Statistloa, es required by this Aot, ulesa auoh looal reglatrer ahell be eotlng aa a registrar of bfrtha and deatha 

in an lnoorporeted olty where the OompeAaetlon of tha 

raglatrer la othermlrra flxad by olty ordhenoe. 

*The 3teto R~egiatrar shall annually oertlfy to 

the oounty oommfaaio~era~ oourt or oounty auditor, es 

tb aeaa aey k, thr mmber of blrtha and death osrtlfloater filed by aaoh local raglatrer at tha rata ilxad 

herein, and provided that tha State Registrar may randar auoh atetemanta monthly or quarterly at tha dlaoretlon of the State Bok?U o? Haalth, end the oommlssloners* 

oourt or oounty auditor, as tha oesa map bo, shall audit 

auoh atetament and tha oouaty traeeurer~ahell pay auoh 

faaa aa are approved by the oozmlaalonara~ aourt or the 

aourrty audbtor, et the timb auoh atetsmnt la laauad. 

“ad provided further, that the juetloa of tha 

praoe, olty olerk or seorrtary, and thr appointed local 

reglatrcrr ahell aubalt to tha comlaalonera~ court or 

oounty auditor, aa tha ease may bo, a true and aoourate 

oopy of saoh blrth end death oartltloate riled with him, 

and auoh oo~lsa shall baar hi8 ill8 data and aignatura 

$A'! t$ell b8 depoalted 1A the OOUAty olerk'a ~Pficr. 

Ii tha City of Corpus Chriati he8 aotuelly p&l tha City 

Heglatrer the teea provided by Rule 3;Jiz, augTa, th8A Nueoea County 

la not liable to the local rsglatrat or tha City of Corpus Chrlatl 

for tha raglatratlon fear. Thla proposition la disouaaad in our 

Opfnfon No. 04594,a 00~7 of whloh ia 8Attloeed for your oonvenfenoe. 

Xowover, 'if the City R8gletrer hea not been paid the 

feea provided by Hula X3.4, and ha8 logally asrved LLS 10061 reglatrar under tha provlalona of Artiolr 4477, thrn the aounty i8 

liable to aald local raglatret for auah fees. In no event 18 

the county liable to the City of Corpus Christ1 for said fees. 

The compansetlon paid to the city olerk or seoretary who aota 88 
Ronorsble C. J. Wilde, pnge 3 

looel registrar, does not oompraaet0 him for his esrvicea 88 

looal re&atrer under Artiole 4477. The duties and obllgatloaa 

oP a olty olerk or oeoretary are esperato and diatlnot ordlnerlly 

Prom those of a looal registrar, although not neosssarily laoompatlble and oonillotlngr Purthermore, the statute la explicit 

on the point that eaoh looal re&fatrer shall be paid the mm oP 

fifty oenta for each birth and death oertlPloete properly and 

completely made out and registered with him, and oorreotly rbaorded and promptly returned by him to the State Bureau of Vital 

Statlstloa, unless he comes within the eroeptlon oontaified In 

Rule 3U. 

Prom the PaOtS stated in your letter aad the letter 

ot the City i\ttorAoy, it la apparent that the alty olerk or 

aeoretary arnln6 08 registrar of Vital Ytetlatioa reorlvea a 

Plxed salary. Thld salary la preawmbly oompeneatlon Por the 

perfonnanoe of duties and obllgatlonl, of the ofiloe of olty 

olerk or l eoretary. Them la no mention 0r oompenmtion iA the 

form o? salary or fees to the olty olerk or reglatrar Portha 

performmoor of duties and obligations OS a reglatrar ot Vital 

3tetlatloa. This belAg true, as above stated, it la our opinion 

that the oouaty la liable to said rs~atrer Por fees provldod by 

Bulo BSA l u#ra, where auoh reglatrar performs all duties and requlremen~a imposed upon him as looal registrar by rrtiole 4411. 

?or a more detalled dlaousalon of this pmpoaltlon 

we rePer you to our O~IAIOA Ho. O-2308, a oopy of whloh la enoloaed. 

Yours very truly 

ATTORNEY GImERRhL OP 'pExU3 

Br Jii?A~~ 

nrdell Wlllla5a 

&aalataAt 

AU :IsP 

Enala.