OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

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Honorable Km. 2. Tucker 

Iixecutlvs soaretary 

0~88, #%3h & Oyrter~Cozmlarlon 

Aaatla, Texar 

Dmr Mr. Tucker: 

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344 

"i;e hsve et hd your opinion lo. O-578. 

"Some aonfualon hle arlsen in refersno* to 

tkn collection of fine0 in pollution ease8 under 

Houmii Bill 439, became duly elected sherfrro and 

uountg attorney8 nc0 Olahlrg to48 or rive per clent 

and ten per cent respectively, of all flnss oolleated.' 
‘Lloiue i5lil HO. 439, .cta or tbr 4&h kgish*ura, 

gegular b$ssioa, 1843, is: 

*;,N AT provldsg t,i~.t it eh&ll be unlawful 

for tiny ;trreon, tlm, eormr?9tlon, hasociotion, town, 

oit,y or other yolitlcrrl subdivision ot this State or 

any agent, arflcar, e.mploges or representative o? 86~31) 

tb pollute my publio body ot 8srvLc.c~ wat%r o? thie 

state; de?lnlng the term ‘pollut6; uerimg the term 

*public body o? oervlce water a? this x%tatei’ @rotidleg oertaln exceytlone to thle~.kct; pr%eoriblng ~%ncrLtlee tor tk% vloiatlsn of thle ;.Ct; pmvldiq, tot tbo 

sliorcazent o? thie ,ct; preeoriblng certlpin dutise 

ta &tit% cS?ioiale; proVld1~ IOF the diepoeition ai 

fin%8 %nd ?%ue Under thle .c.Ct; ~XpX'O881~ repallna 

lirtlclee 997 und 698 a? the Penal Code of Tarbe o? 

1925, and Chapter 42, .rota of the tlret Called t3eeeion 

or tb ( 2nd iaglslatum; providing that a ny l eotlon, 

a snteno e, clause, phrcise or woml of this I;ot ehf~ll 

bs eev%r%bl%; and declarlnp, ntl e.xerpznoy.* 

section 6 or the roregolq mt ;rrorideer 

RInsotar aa Qonoerna the protaotlon o? ?ieh 

In& oti;%r edible aquatlo onlnmle, the Gem, Fl8h 6 

Ogeter Comiselon or the duly euthorfted deputiee 

thr-reef, %r% eep%oi%lly c~rgod. rlth an?orcemato? 

this iictt nnd all ?iu%e iwoe%d for vloltrtion o? thie 

not, md any fe%% of the errssting ofiicore shall be 

rezitted to the Case, fish & Oyeter Comcaieelon and 

e!lall be deposited in th% 

o? the General &nd.” 

date Traaauryto the aradit 

.irticlee 960 and 951 or Vernoo*a amotated Coda o? 

Grialnal Zrooedurc irre general statrlt;ee oonoemirq "oo~balo~ 
,011 0011BCtlone." These articlea rsad 88 romws: 

“hrt. 960. The alstriat or CouUty attmLWY 8&U b6 Ontitlad t0 ten pm Odnt Of all iifle8, 

r0rr0iture0 or money colieated for tb &do or 

eaunty upon jwltywnc~ rooovered by him; sob tbo 

olork of th8 oourt in whioh raid judgmmt8 arm 

rondrrad 8kiJl.l b6 eatiti6d to rive per cent or tba 

&EOUflt Of 8aid jujgPleIit8, t0 k paid Out Of tho 

amunt r&n eollwtod.” 

*AH. 961. Tim 8hrifr or otbr offloer, 

oxoe~t tho jtUtiO8 a? the poaoe or him alork, rho 

OOll8Ot8 s&XIOy for the b%ato Of 6OUIlt~, 6XOOpt 

jaTy hO8, under 8nJ proTi8iOa O? thin Code, 8b11 

b 6 l atlt&cI to r8t8in iivo par oont tkeraof whoa 

OOUOOt8d.* 
tIea I;J~cG~~ by ;lny co!.~rt fx violr."l"t", yJa:3ny 

of tha 12b44 0r thl.9 3tat.e pertaini? 

protection and coneervation OS ' '~ sf . ihi, oysters, 

* 3 * within ten day.8 rr0m ana sfter the raoeipt 

o~ collection 0r such ri,ie Or penalty, to re:ait 

1/a* to the Ga.ze, Fish 6: Oyster Co~:~~~ssion at raWtin, 

givi2g a00k8t umber or owe, ntmm 0r *rreons rined, 

and motion or srtiolo sf the law under which ooaviotlon was ISCuCeQ, whsn suell lsW8 are roqutred to 

bo suforood by ths Gsae, Yi8h & Oyrstar Go2mi~slon.~ 

Lt wI11 be noted that tlm GUS, Plsh 6. Oy8ter Coami88iOn or ths duly sutborlesd deputies thsreof , ers exyaossly 

o&,S&Sd With thS SniOmO3BUt Of LbUS0 aill HO. 439, aupra, by 

3titi0n 6 0r aftid ,$0t. 4otloa 6 also provides: 

nib11 ritlU8 Imposed ror rio:ia tion 0r thi8 

iiot and any roe8 0r arresting OrriOOr8 shall bs 

rsmitted to ths Gaao, ?tsh t Oyster Commission sod 

ohall be dsposlted in the Aato Treasury to tha 

credit or tb General Fund.* 

The roregoing hot (H. u. a0. 439, SUpr8) i.S VS&l8, 

IndoFinite, 00nrueiw aud d icrlault to InterprQt, however, it i8 

0~ opinion that the term "8rre*tIng ofricers * ~48 used Ia SeotIon 6, refer8 only to the Ga:as,Ip~i8b & Oyster 60ami~slon or the 

duly authorized dsputie8 theroof; It &or8 not apply to pseoo 

0frI08rs geenerally. %a G.;.:rt, BIsh k Oyster OoaarlssI~n and the 

duly authorized dsputfss tikreof sro qo@#gmatoQ oil a mlary 

bar1 8. Wmo the Ourno, Fish & Oystet G&msissIon or any dtiy authorieed deputy thereof, Is the amoating ofricor, than, of oourso, 

sny rem3 0r the srrestiiig orrioera must be rualttad to ths Omio, 

Fish & Oyster Comisslon, to be tiOpO8ftd In tlis 3.s'te Treasury 

to the oredit 31 the General BUna. 

Kouss 5X11 Ko. 4311, SUp$a, tkPt$cls 97&$, V. A. C. 3.) 

is a fish sud sgster iai insofar us it Ctirioefn(, thr 

fish, oyarere and other raibls apuatio anlr&1- 

nrt!X$e~;jg 0r 

supa, ;~rovlBes t&t ten per aeat. of ull tines solle0tm.i tar &s 

itiration of the flsh sod o@tss laws ShnJl 80 td tbs pr08ec~tEng 

attOrEey tid bhe r8s~dUe thereOr 8hou 80 tb t&0 GOiU3ral FUn$of 

this state. ice mm not oonoeraed hero wlf8, thw disposltlon or 

ten per cant going to the prosscutkng ettorwiyi therefore,, it 

is not necessary to ,dStErXkiS whetbr th,i8’ tan pap Qent Ia per80Rsily rs:sPned by the proseouting attorney or jðer it should 
be pdd into the OffIoerr* Jnlary Fund. The anerers to these 

qwatlons depend on the f&ate in aeoh oaw, and particularly 

whether the county ofllcera a~8 ooflpansated on a fee or salary 

baaIS* 

It is our opinion that ‘icticlo 4025, and Eiouee 

Bill so. 439, augta, muat be read and oonatruad together. 

TharsfOra , tha prosaoutm attoln0y I a ant It led t 0 tea wr 

o& or all fines oolleotad for any lntraotlon of aald H. 8. 

439, rbthcr It bo an Inrr8otion oonceralng the pmtcotlon 0r 

fIah, oysters nnd other adlblo aquatlo animals, or aom other 

riOlatiOn or t h0 iiot. It la our further opinion thnt la all 

instances whera tha prosecution is inatlgrited by the CommIaalon 

or its duly authorized deputies, all fess for inaklng tha arrest 

which deputies are antitled to oolleat from the defendant, upon 

oonrlotlon, are to be oolleoted and remltted to the Co:nmiaalon 

to \M by It deposited In the State Traasury to tha oredit ot the 

c;eneral Fund. 

It Is alao our opinion that when a oonrlctlon has 

boon obtel~ned under thla hot where the oomplaint was not rilea 

by on0 0r the commIaaion~a 0rri00r8, that the rine oolleotod anl 

tha roes oarned by local orricers are to bo diapoaed of aa provided for by tha general l tatutsa. Stated another nuy, the 

CoamIaaIon la neither intsroatsd in tha dIspoaItIon of tba fines 

aalleotad, nor tin rear earned by local orrloara when It did 

not make the case nor Its orfiosra make the arrest, exoept whore 

a person is oonvlotod under tha aot Insofar as its conoarna the 

protection of auoh ffah and other edible aquatio animals, then 

Qm reaidge 02 t&i rina collected after deduatlng oo.zaMaIona 

due loos1 officers should be remltbed to the Co~ia~10n to be 

&posed or as provided by tha *ct. 

Very truly yours