369 

CL 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN , 

-.- 

Eonorable John Et. Shook 

CH.m.lnal DlstrIot Attorney 

Bexar County 

&n An~oQlo; Tex68 

OplAloa 80. 0 -7535 

Ret ConflIetlng rovIaio33 of 

House Bill 8 f 9 and Senate 

Bill 246, Acta 49th LeglsIatuFe, as applied to 

Bexar County 

In your recent letter to this dsparkmut, you 

made the followi~ request: 

"Xour o lnioa ia requested whether or not 

ustleoa of he 

d 

e pace and oonatableo of this 

ounty are eatlt ed to a maximrpl salary 0r 

Forty-five Hundred ($45ioo.O0) Dollar8 per year 

under House BIXL 241 or Xouse BOIL 849, sad 

vhether or not suuh pro~lal~nns are in lrreoonallable oonfllot with the proHsIons of S. B. 

246.' 

8Inoe lkuse Bill 241, Seotlon (d) read8 the m?ae 

823 Rouse Bill 849 Section (h), Ye shall ooneider only the 

latter vhlch Is the later.aot, In connection with Eeuste 

Bill 246, f5eotiou 6. 

We quote the two bills f'or reference: 

House Bill 849, Sea. (h): 

"All Juatloee of the Peaoe and Constables 

of mloh oountles YbO are compens6ted on 8 fee 

basis 88 provided by law still be entitled to 

retain annual feee not to exceed Forty-five 

Sundmd Dollar8 ($4500) eaah. All Juatioos of 

the P~aoe and Conatxblea of such oountiea vho 
EIoaombla John It. Shook - Pqe P 

are oomp%naated on a ealary baela as pmrlded 

by law rhall reoeloe an mrmal salary OS aot 

to e%aeeU Forty-five Kumimd Dollam 

eaoh rush salary to be flxed by tba 

$4500) 

cmrpisaloners 

Cc&. ?rorided,trove~r, t~t~ltetr~nd O(Palrslons whether ourrent or d8llnqu%nt WNoh are 

oolleoted b the lacu&ent durlng hi8 t%nure OS 

oifloe 8ha d be applied tint to the payment of 

Nr deputies, authortied expenses of his offioe 

Mu to mke qp tho M%lmn 0aspeRaatloa prorldod 

for in tNe mbseotloa. No suoh offleer rhll 

be entitled to reoelvo for an7 purpose any fsss 

or ocemlsrioa that are oollected d%er he ceases to 

hold suah office.* 

Senate Bill 246, Sea. 6r 

'All Juatlcas of the Peace and Constables of 

euoh oouutlee vho are ooprp%nsst%d on a See basis 

&all be eatitlti to retain 

of Forty-seven Badred 

each; provided, however, 

that all fees and oomlaslons, whether ourrent 

or dalinqumt, whloh (LLYI oolleoted by the lnombent &wi~ his temare of offieo shall be &pplied 

first to the psp8at Of US deputies, aQthoriMd 

expanses of Nr orfloe aad to make up the maxinnoompensatlonprov&d for in t&is 6eotlon. 

No suah offlaera 8bsl.l be entItled to zweiro for 

tmy purpose any fees or -otiesloas that am 

oollected arftir he a%8888 to hold such office." 

held thatbenateBill246 repealsEou8e BUl 

our Opinion No. 0-6728, approved Jul g3~L~~, 

d 

88 the tuo sots am fn lrreconoll&le aontllot. 

House Bill 849 applies to oountler ha&i&g a population et 225,QOO lnhsbitaatr or me6 aud leers thatr 

500,000 inhabitants sooomllng to the i&at preoedlug Federal 

a0asu.a . Senate Bill 246 8ppli06 to oountlee having a 

population of not less than 3C0,000x,, nor Bore than 500,000, 

kOO0rditi.g t0 the l8St pXW0diD.g yS#derIIl OQI18US. 

Sinoe the population of Bexsr County auoordlng 

to the laet prooodlng Federal emam, vas 338,176 in.habltints, the provlslons of Senate Bill 246 vould a ly knd 

vould prevail ov%r any provisions IQ Row.se Bill i&J ;rhlch 

am in Irr%ooncllable oonillct. 
. 

Hotmrablo John A. t&took - Pago 3 

'on thooe "vho are oonponeated on a fee baelr*. 

8eknat.e Bill 246 clemly predlcatem ltefgr~~mL&one 

uot be ooualateat with thlr open1 

follovlllg phmee, *annuel feer aa3 

PO to 8ap the 

or sa15rym, meant anythlag but aompaasatlon or rfmuneratlon resulting from fees. 

House Bill 849 refere tc precloot oS?loere aomwenmted on either a St30 basis or i salary barir. 

'fhel"BfO~, it 10 OUl' OpiAiOA that iUSOfPr 88 

justloos of the pea50 md oonstmblea who are 5OiupenSated 

on a foe bsels lo comtlaa vlth a populatlou of not less 

tbtbn %T,ti&OTnor &tore than 500,000, ev%ndlng to the laet 

p?ecedlug Federal oaneue, the tvo aote are in l~reconallsble 

aonfllct and the maxlms~ componsatlon of imch officere km 

governed by the provlsloas of Benate Bill 246. 

In OOwtltieS h8Viqj 8 W$R<iOU Of 225,000 int??bibats or aore, mad lass than 500,000 it&nbitmta, aooordlng 

to the laetprecedlng Pederal aenm38,the m4&5m1 ca4a~tm8- 

tloa of justices of the peace and constabl~r vho are COUP 

saaeated OA a 

of Howe Bill 

&is, are govemed by the provisions