OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Beaonbl~ fobn A. Shcrok 

CWmlral DIrtrUt Atkmmy 

Raur Oeuut~ 

Ban Aamtoalo, Tua# 

Attentloaa Mr. 1. J. Oltblager 

/A ,v 

Doar 8lrt 

oopy of letter MFmnk Bau&hea, D&e- 

#l, Bexar aoust~, 

vikkire l slom herewith copy of 001 reqtmt to you far an 6,pinloa o a a l lmilar qubrtioll, dated J antmy 88, 194e, and mmr pm to 

your oplnloa 150. c)-43TR in aaemr t0 OUT F8- 

quart. 
Rbnerabla Johm B. slhoek, Pago 2 

0 

I 

ve rlmo hand year copy of mu opinioa 8e 

r. Judge Vau&aa 6ated mroh OI, 1948. 

wa know of no r wtmr l mterltlea fm the 

qw8tlon submitted, o-t that n~opaper l eeo untl o taak that th a sBp r em* a o ur t, is p a ..- 

try on tho quootloB af the mmerohlp of ia*. 

in the oaoo of Rueeeo Ooolrty vo. OwWoa, 

Taxoolloetor,ioropertodtohow lmuthat 

mush tioo klended 00 BTueoeo OouatJ. I hrvo 

a0 0epy or tk ap4a0n. 

"It la JwS@ Vma&mn'r rontontloa tht & 

la atltlaa tottbr ieor,aemlu1oBa uraprp 

wato wrwd at hir ior a o tla @ l 1 R86trtrmr for 

the Baord’oi 'liti1 btatlotloo uabr tho provll iOBOO ? th8 1 O.t 

1 9, 8Ub dittOiO (0 B 

l o&rmph Of & t. 88-. 8.0. 

7 . 

W now doolro to pawpmad tbroo ~aotloao: 

*(a) X0 t&o Jwtloo a? tb Peas., eotin 

a. Re~lrtrar far tha BoaPd Of ato f 

8to~lotlaot ocltherlsmd to 6ollwt 

~oeowborethore 4o no foa f4xed b 

law for the owvloa puformod br h L 

aI ouoh Ro&lot,rrm*l 

“(b) Ia tha *rent it be held that tlm ‘rw 

woo oellootod ritheut eutkwitf al 

low, ~Ohoul6 tha f*e k mtUXB& to 

tho parer, rolrinod W tIm Juotlaa 

af the Peaoo, or pold owr to tha 

cowtJ1 

"(a) Xo tho Jaotiee of tha PwW uitlt1.d 

to tempt aad nteh ioo Mmmst 1F4fkoa OeBtO ia POySWlt Of -oh ProOf 

of death trawalttod by hla to tha 

8004~~ sooarity Basrd ogoa 8 fora 

l ubritted br oha Board where prorieion ha. b4.R ma. sor the so&e1 

soour4ty R o a mI to nk e l mh payamtt? 

=A Mb ewww lo reqnwted oa the 9motioaro l ubpftted." 
Honorsble Soha R. Shook, Page 5 

The latter of the juatieo of the p..oe ad&roooo& 

to you, montlomd in the iirot paraeaph of your l.tt.r, 

amittinp, the r0mi part8 read0 am r0ii0w0t 

wAttached hereto la a oh.ok in the ma8 

0r #LOO tendered to PO by l!r. Ralph 8. Cadwalleaer on bahalr or one or hi8 aliento for the 

r0110win& purpose: 

%aU the 181~ Of the BMCO Of uBW0 

one mar .ot.blloh h4. noord of birth br prol entiq4 to that state a eortirloota of tb 

l.oo8l mgiatrar of tha Count7 of tha 8tato in 

whloh tb eroon rroldoo, stat 

ff 30 

iB l ub.t.aro 

that auoh .giotrar bad viewed t f.dl~ bible, 

iBOlW.ilP OlO. ~O~O Or OthW l tat.d bOtm0BtO 

and that auoh Snotrumeato and blblo ooatalnod 

fret8 ngardlng the bSr%h oi maid party. Mr. 

Cadwalladu promntad to me &w&h dooumantr and 

i.aquir&d am to tha rem. I latonrd hlm that 

I did not know ofan~ proorrlbod f.. but no 

aura that it rortld not .x.md $1.00 for l aoh 

proon upon ah0m information u80 aought. 

wlmroupoa ha pnoented the wooooary lnatntmrato ror two people and tan&red thm attaohed 

ohaok. 

~~1.80. %aSorm mo whether OY not I hothe rl&ht to oecnpt mash tOn6ar and if so, io 

it aoooantmble.w 

Rule &3a ) Art lolo 447’1, Yeraeat’O AaaWated 0 1~1% 

Statut08, aO ~sz@ndeU, AotO 19U. 47th &gi818tW., peg0 788, 

0hapt.r 406, providea 4~ part 88 fo~ow0: 

". . . . 

"That each 10081 re&lotrar oh811 IM paid 

th. .UPL or Fiftr (50) O.nto ror *aOh birth and 

death 0Ortirioato propetl~ and oompletely aada 

out ana regiotored with h&i, and aornotl7 raoorasd ana promptly roturwd br &la to th. 

State Bureau of Vital Stntlti00, a@ r0qUiOd 

by this Aot, URUOO OUOh We.1 8’B@.$Ot~r .hSll 
Eonorable John R. Slwok, Fag. 4 

b. stating ao Registrar Of Birth8 end Doatb in 

an lnoorporated afty where the oompenastioa of 

the Rogiatror is oth.rwirr. riad br city Qrdi041108b 

* 

. . . .* 

Tb 188t 80nt8n0. in #ub..Otlon (0) Of motion 19 

Artiolo b9lf!8, V.rnon~o Annotated Citil Statute., apply,iog 

to oouotl80 h8rlng a population In axoe80 or 0.8 hundred end 

BiWty 8boumand inhabitanta aooordixig to tb last pr...din(l 

Fbduel Oewua med. a. follomoi 

*In oouatioo whore tb oamml8alonua~ aour 

dekalw to plaoo the $aotloe8 or the poaao on 

a 8alary basis tb juetioo Of the pseoo .h.lL r.- 

o.ir. in addition themto, all fe.., oou.nl..i~no, 

or payment0 ror prforniog murisgw ouemonloo 

and for aotlng 80 reqglotrar for the4 Board or Vital s8at4otloo and wbsa aotiug m ax 0fric40 notary publlo.* 

whuo juatfaeo 0r the pasob are oompemaCed oa an 

l naual aalarl baa5.8, ouoh jtmti.80 of the p08oO 8r. authorlmd 

to oolleot end rataln ?..a (whioh are author&red and provided 

by law) ror sot4aq eta nglotraro for the Board of Vital St.- 

tiotioo, in addition to their annual BdlOrie8, whioh h8r. boon 

?I..6 by th. ~is.ion.ra* oaurt. In 8o~lf.noo with th. Offlo.ra Salary Law. IJI oonnsotion with the forogolng w dlrvot 

four attsntion to our opinion Ho. O-/Z25 and 8801006 a eopr 

or tim maw h4rewlth. 

Th. abor. matloned OpinlOn d080 not h01d that 

jurtio.0 0r the psao. aotlng al reg4otraro for the Board of 

Wt.1 Statietioa are outhorltod to eoll.ot snd r8t.i~ fee8 

where th.zy io no r00 rird or .uthorlmd by law ror the s.rvi008 8njoS.n.d oa thm b7 statut8 ana parotid by thaa as suoh 

Zooal mgietraro. 

31th r.f.mnoe to your rirot quest4on, it io 11811 

88t8b11sh.d that em offloer my not olai~z or retain w money 

without a law au8horiring him to do .oI end ol.erL9 fir* 

the amount to whioh h. i. antlt1.d. To entitle an OffiO*r 
Iiolwrsbl* ;Tobn R. Shook, 'Pa@ 3 

to T~OOiVe fees cr o~n~&Isai~na, the reobipt thereof mt 

haV0 bOOA FT0Vid.d for and the aaount fixad by law and he 

must her* priorwed the servlcea ror ~tioh oompnsati0n haa 

bwn oertiried. Ao. otflaer la not entitied to any OoXIpenSetfou in addftiGn to that whioh haa been fIxed by l&w for 

the prformsnae of the duties OS his ofiioe, even thou& 

the oompanaation SO firad is uareaaonablo or inadequate. 

80 may ba rsqulred by law to perform 8~oIfLa sorviaea or 

diaaharue addition& dutiaa for whiah no aompruetlou 1s 

provided. The obllaation to perform auoh eervhwe la imposed a8 an iaoldent to tin orfloe, end the offiaer bJr hla 

8eOeptan6e theroof la doomed to hv6 en&aged to have parfommd tham without ooapenution. zr there is no 8pe0if10 

statutory authority providing for the payment of fees, It 

bee been ropeetedly held that publio offiorra are not perfitted to oollsat teoa unleea the same era provldod~for by 

law and the aaount for deolared by lsn. (Texas Jurinprudonoe, 

Vol. 34, pp. 311, ss?P, 3318 Benrord la. Roblnsonn, 234 Zi.#. 

807i Duoloa va, Bsrrla County, Z96 ii.3. 4174 %&alla vs. City 

or Rookdale 866 a.'#. 6941 State vs. l&ark, 87 Texas, 3071 

Coebp County Cattle Compel VE MoDotitt, 281 S.ii. 293) 

fa view or the toregoin~, we respeetrully l na wex 

your fIrat qmation aa stated abwe, in the nagativ0. 

i;e now ooneider ycur abaoad quOOtiOn.' AS y8 Mderataad this question, you have reterenoe to the fee mmtfoned i&i tha letter of the juasi+IO of tte pee00 quOtOP 

above. The eervioee readerad or the dutieo porrormd by 

the looal registrar nmntioned IR the above quObb i*ttW Of 

tb jugtioe of the peaoo are not aervlaea or dutloe urjolned 

or requind by atetute. ThSa be* trtrw, we nre of tb eplnion, tbt tha loeel ragiatrer io peaally entitled to reoeln 

end TOtalA the above mantioaed fee. (Doeby Oaunty Cettle 

Company ve. #ro~~~t~t; BeatIon 19, Artlole 391ti, 8upTa) In 

00meotion wittt tk toregcrlag we rent to point out thOt OW 

~~SWOX to OUT rirst question a a p llea o nly ta the** l sr vle** 

or duties %a posed ugon the looal registrar by the Statut4 

for whioh A0 roe la provided. 

TI* quote from the oaem of Nwoea Oounty ya. AnR 

Currin ton et a&, So. 1899 -7-o (@PintOA d*1INMd ahar 

20, &Qi2) ba r0lbiwt 
Honorable John R. Shook, Pam 8 

(t 

. . . . 

"It may be etcated et the outset that t&a 

Court of i;iviJ Apprle oorreotly holds that a 

Zee Paid a pub118 offloes for the pertormenoo 

OS a duty enJoined by statute Is a fee oolleetad in an oCrlaia1 oapaalty. It la equally true that unless the fea ia pravldad by 13~ 

for CM OrfiO%al SerVfOe r8qUfrOd t0 b3 p0Ib 

fommd and the amount tlvareai fixed by 13x8, nom 

eaa lawfully be abarged tlmrefor. State v. 

Moaro, 59 Tsura, 309. 380, 221) MoCalle T*. 

City of Rookdale (Ooa. App.) 246 9.3. ser. xt 

does not roli03f, hovmvor, that a ocwiy wban 

ofrialal aolleota e ire wron@ully, but under 

oolor of otflao, is not entitled to have a&m 

doposited and paid over in the l amo mmnner a~ 

ia required iOr dirpoaition Of f’8e8 rlghtfully aolleatad. s~bthor l aountr offlalal ~rho 

has wrongfully 00u00tda fees 0rri0i.a~ is 

estopped to aeamt se agalnat the ootanty a 

personal olaka thareto, 18 not before W. Tha 

only que6tlona presented are those arIefn& 8 

virtue of the u;rholdlng by the 00~1% of 01~1 I 

Appesla of the aotlon of the trl3l oourt in 

sustaining defandsntla generel demurrer to the 

oountpa petition. 

“. . . . 

*It Is oux aonoluaIon t&t th fees oolleoted, whether rlphtrully or wongfully *mei 

for servloea Tendered by dafor:dant offlafally. 

. . . . 

*. . . . 

*It rollom iron what we have ateted that 

wo hold the defendant aoted In h3T otfloial 

oapaoltp in isruing tha tax oertirIa3tea and raooiving themfor the fess sued for by the oounty; ale0 that it MO her duty to 3ooouut ror and 

pay sm3 IntO tb aounty treasury Par the bWSrit of thg oirioara ml~ry Fund, and that hevins 

rail34 to da 811 and E3ving breaoimd her ofiiolal 
Honanblm Solm IP. Shook, Pago 9