OFFICEOFTHEA~ORNEYGENERALOFTEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Eon. Thomas A. :;hsat 

county Attoraoy 

Liberty CQunty 

Liborby, Toxas 

Deer sir: 

la this lat, whera 

mpeawktien fer ,hls 

red aau 

1 

amltted ’ 

geutaPEm?unty 

neeosaary Is the 

at hIA6 off~oo, preB premlus OR fire, 

r&bbery .aw~no. gaw.eotI: and iimludZ~ the aost of 

t hie deputies, clueh e*ge&teee * 

OR, pre-detmwlaed aad elIewe 

amouzits, w nearl.9 an poerrlble,. 

by k+e,&miseiooclre* o@wt mmb cwah month 

for t6e emming pponth upon the aypliaation,, 

of eaah affioer, ata& the kisd, probe 

aaiount of expeadltwe 8, 

7 

Ye 

the expea8eiOf tris orri 

the neaeaslty fo' .; 

a for UWh easu%n& 

month, whloh ap 

sentat5oan to P 

liootiorr crhall,~ before pmaa d oowt, first be eadarsed by 
Hon. Thomas A. Wheat, Pa6e S! 

the county auditor, lf my, otherwise the 

oounty treasurer, only as to whether funds 

am arallabls for palms& of suoh expensse. 

The oomls~lon~rs’ court of the oouaty or 

the sherIif*s resldsnoe say, upon the written 

and sworn application or the sheriff stating 

the necessity theretor purobsse eqgipasrit 

for a bureau of orlmInal Idoatlfloation, sush 

as osmeras, finger print oards, Inks, ahemloals, ~orosoopos, radio and laborstory oqulpment, tiling carda, flllng cabinets, tear gas 

and other equlpmsnt in keeplng with the systsm 

In use by ths Departmsnt of Publlo Safety of 

this State, or the United Statom Dspartment 

or Justloe and/or Bursau of Cr~ninal IdentIrIoatlon. 

*&oh purchases shall be mdo by eaoh 

offloor, when allowed, only by requisition 

in men&or provided by the eopnty auditor, If 

any, othsrwlso by the oom~I88Icmers* ooart. 

Eaoh ortloer shall, at ths oloss of seoh month 

of hI8 tsnurs or Offlae, rake an Itsmlsed aad 

sworn report of all approved expenses Iaourred 

by him and charged to his oooMty. l ooonpanylng 

nuoh report with in~oloos oerering suoh pm?- 

ahases a&d requisitions Issued by him in support or such report. Ii such oxpenses be tin- 

~ourred In aonneation with any psrtlwlar oaso, 

auoh report shall nares suoh aaseb auoh report, 

Inroloes and repulsltions shell be subjest to 

the audit of the sounty auditok, If aw, othsrwise bp the tmmmlssIonorsl oourt, and If'lt 

appears that any item was not Inaurrod by such 

officer, or that such itern was not a necessary 

or legal expsase oi sUC$i OfiiOS; or plrobsaed 

upon pm&cti requisition, suoh Itrn she+11 be by 

said oounty auditor or oourt rejeoted, bn wbloh 

ease the paymsnt of such itan my be adJubioated 

In any oourt OS oompstent jurladlotlon. AU 

suoh approved olaine and account8 &all be pa%d 

from the Orrfoere’ Salary Fonfl unless othemlse 

provided herein...." 
Eon. Thoaas A..Viheat, Page 3 

Artlole 26 of the Code of Crlnlnal Procedure 

reads as rollows: 

*The county attorneys shall attend ths 

terms of all ccurts In his oounty below the 

gM40 of dlstrlot court., and shall represect 

the Stats in all orlmrnal oaee8 urder oxaaIn&Ion or prosecution In said oarnty; and 

la the abaenee of the dI8trIOt attorney he 

shall represent the State alone, or when requelrted, shall aid the dI8trIot attorney In 

tho proseotitIon-of any oaeo in behalf 0r the 

St&e In the dlatrlot oourt, mad 1.n mol., 

oamos he shall ~oolfe all ~.onbbair 0r 

the rees allowed by law to 018trIot l ttoraeym, 

rooordIai& as hs aotod alone.or Jolatly. fn 

suoh oases he shall reoelvo al.l or ome4U.f 

or the rees alloued by law to the dirtriot 

attorney whose Uutles he perfOrms, or assIs8e 

ln porrorniing, but shall reoelm no part Q? 

the ocnstltutlomal salary allowed to 8oeh 

dlstrlat attorney, acoordl~ o#.hs aOted 

,x&me or *JoIntly$ provided that feoa oolleotbd by the ooonty.attorney fron tho stats for 

suoh nnlaes shall be deduoted by tho Camptroller 0% Public AQOOUDtS imrtho.fees whioh 

otherwise wculd have been paI tc the dIstr?ot 

attorney had he represented the State alone; 

provldsd further this article shall not be ooastrued as InhlbItIng any OaUnty l ttoraey from 

voluntkrlly, with the otmeent 0r ths diatrlot 

attorney, asalst1n.g the district attorney In 

the performmoo of his reapeotlve duties, tithout comp0nsatIon.~ 

nrtfols 6 section 21 of the state COnstI~tIOn 

reausi fn pert, ao kcllcws: 

* . . ..The ccunty attormeys shall mpnrnnt 
Hon. Thomas A. Fheat, Page 4 

the State in all cases lo the dlstrlot end 

Znferlor courts in their respective oounties; 

but ii any county shall be inoiua0d in a dietr:ct In whloh there shall be a distrlot attorney, the rO8peCtIve duties Of district attolc 

neya and county attorney* shall In such ocunties be ragdated by ths 4gislature. Ths 

Legi8hiture IMP, provide ror the eleotloa or 

district attorneys In suoh dlstrlotr, as ray 

be dewed neoesssry, and sake pxwIsIons for 

the aompensstlon or aistriot uttorneya, and 

county attortiys; prorIde4, dlstrlot attorners 

shall rsoslte an amual salary of fire hum&red 

dollars, to be paid .by tha State, as4 such 

foes oomlsrdoar and perqulmltas as'auu bo 

prodded by law, Co uml tttorrwp y ahaLl toosl~s aa~o’oapsnsatIon en4 rueh fess, oaw4lrrlau 

and perpulsltes as may be prsaorIba8 by lsw.* 

Se are infonred by the Comptroller% offlee that 

Liberty coumty 1s ln the aerenty-fifth judlelil tllatrfut 

rhloh 18 oomposed 0r rour ocunties, an4 that srroh jmllolal 

dirtriot has e duly eleotod, qualltled and actlo dlrttlot 

attoqwy. 

In the &se or VO$M tar 3heppard;M Sr Bad 856, 

It was held that ths county attorney ,$.JP judicial dI8trIota 

oompooed of two or more oounties was wt entitled to fee8 

rorassistlcg alstr~ot attorney in4 obtainiag final eoomloflon ror felonlerr In dietriot oourt, nor for represeatIng 

state, d,uring district attoraey's absence, In habeas oorpus 

prooseillngs. 

Artlole es, Coda or Crlmlnal Prooedme, reads a0 

follows: 

*Each district atterPay shall repressnt 

the State In all criminal asses In the dietrlot ocurts of his district, exoept In cases I 

where he has been, before his eleotion, employed adversely. T&en any ariralaal prooeodIng IS had before an examining ocurt in hla 

dlstrfot or before a judge upon habeas oorpue, 
Hon. Thomaa A. Wheat, Pap 5 

and he 18 notitled or the 88m*. and 16 St the 

t:me 

had, 

within the OouAty rzlem &oh prooeodlng in 

18SS 

ho Shall reprmemt the 3tato therein, unprevented by otimsr 0rri0m dutls8." 

8Upr8, aa 

~0 quote rr0t74 th0 01~8 0f v0ge8 ~8. shbppafd, 

r0il0r8: 

*It 113 at on00 lrgpmmt that a purpoao 

Or ml010 1026 ~8 t0 Terrpond k, the OdLi 

or Artlol* 66 rw oolopeMatlon to the ooulbty 

attorney for the 8OtilriOO8 m8OrfbOd by tb. 

latter 8tatutS a8 a mbjoot for 86qmmatloa. 

There 18 little doubt t&t IJI mmlng that 

oiilom, along with the d18triot l ttfmm~, 

1 

88 a b0nerioiut or the rm0 pmrib0a in 

~UMolo 10s. the Loglalature ha* in irrdleto 

.oontomplatlon ~thapmvl8l6n8 of the othor.rr- 

! 

tloh ragqrding the ompmmation 0r th8 oounty _ 

attorn8y le m0sf tXiit8, ma whloh, ln 8x0 

p-88 tOZ4I8, ibit 8UOh OGii2@@~a~O~ t0~ ‘fM8 

allowed by law to dlotrlot attome a.* 1t.b 

thue.i*on that th8 right as the m L t6r to r000 

In oas88 of ia04 ~aomiotloa, ~ru psoribra 

IQ .mlO18 io~m, dtJpMa8 00 V&,&U SW&h fw8 

are allow& to the dlStrl& attorney of the 

dlstrlot rrhioh bmbraoes W118on aounty. That 

8ald district attommy 18 not .allcmSd Said 

fOe8 18 Qhilll.y d180108di by the ~OVi8iOM 

Of AeiOi8 loa; rOr th6 b8t-iidSa titiOie 

pI’OVldO8;iIl 8Ub8tWlO8, that dl di8triOt O&OX’- 

my, in a dldriot OOm$mPOd or l%m w arosO 

oauntleS, ~ball reoelrs a per dlas oompenaatlon, dopmdln& upon h1S atteabana. upon tha 

seesion or the sourt In the ~SQSSSS~;J perfoaLLaoa of hi8 Orffolal duty..... 

peq8atiOZI rar that 0rri0er lo 8 habear, oorpue4 
Hon. Thonras A. %oat, Page 6 

on.50 inVOlViE!J a rt310ng, ala, R8 w4 have 

eKi8G, the 8tatUte mefitionsd r8bltO8 ~SXOlUS&V+ 

ly to MrV1008 for wMoh the dI8triOt attcWLISP, If he, Imtead of the oounty attorney, 

perf'ormed them, would be entltl8d to rooelva 

the rM8 them provldod.* 

On Jun8 17th qd 26, 1936, thi8 drpartment 'i&d 

in OpiniOM wrltten,<by fiOflr JO0.J. fi8w, A88i8tat AttOW 

Uey Geix8ra1, addraasrd ~to L. ,0. oreborn, County AttorMy 

CtUltOA, TeXE8, that a oounty attorney who WQI OompoMd 

on an anaua1 salary ba8Ir oould not alaimtraveliag exp8risa 

a8 a legti expea8e 0r auoh 0rri00. 

"The OrfiOeP 18 Mtitibd plo Oredit for 

aotual trna neoes8ary oxpsn888 iAOWrja'In the - 

OOndUOt Of hi8 OffiO8. Th8 tiau88 *other 

neOO88R~ 9~ll8.6’ m8A8 other 4#waZUB88 

Sitii~ t0 thO88 8XpPMd.Y 8pMiifea; $t 6008 

not Inolud0 IlOAOy expentlea ror the 88rYlO88 

Or an a8818t+t,, though 8UOh 8WViO.8 am 

n0043888ry to 0aabla the ormar tha Bmer L 

to dlsoharge hi8 dut1a8;...." .:, 

&hO 800 the OMW3 Or aWri8 cOWby V& ~~II~Lo&, 

go3 Sff 445; CankTm County v8. FOX, 46 &Vi l?nd 6%. tia8.y 

vs. State, 289,syF 4I?&!. 

In view or tho rorrgoIng authoritio8 you are 

respeottully advised that it 18 the opinion Of thi8 dOpal%- 

mUnt that the 0OWt.y aOtiUg thrOIle;h its OOti88iOatkn,' 0-t 

would not have the authority to rsiabur86 tho oountg attorney who Is OOrqpsn8~tOd On an annual scilatry bfmi8 tOr OX&'8Ma8 

Inourred while InVaetIgatIrig orlninal talOnfr oas88* 

L T~tin@, that the rorogolng fulJ.y answers yOU2 

Inquiry, we romfs1.n 

Vary truly ~OUI’8 
Ho& ThOmas A. :%eat, Page 7