OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 
Hon. LInton S. Satag*,Page B 

dred and seventy-nine (Sl,799) nor more than 

fifty-two thousand, seven hundred and ameaty' 

nine (SZ,7791, aooording to th8 last pmoeding 

Federal Census OS the UuIted States, JustIoe8 

of the Peaoe and Gonntabler *hall hare and r8- 

oslte as fees of offloe Twentyderen mha~a 

end Fifty Dollar8 ($WSO) eaoh per annum. Prorlded that aaoh JUtIoer oi the Peaoa and Ooastables 8hall al80 reoulra l x o eaa fee8 In aadltlon thereto by retaining one-third oi mob 

%xoea8 fee8 uutll auoh one-third of auoh pxoua 

f%e8, together with the 8aia amount of lbentyaeven Hundred and Fifty Doll8ra (#Z7SO), equal8 

the sum of Three Thousand Dollar8 ($SOOOl.* 

Y3X.Z. All law8 or parts Of law8 in 0011- 

illot herewith are hereby repealed. 

*fBcI. .S. This Aot 8haU beoane efieatlre 

on and after It8 paaaage. 

“8x. 4. The faot that the paaaaga of O&pter t20, AOt8 of the Regular 8eaaion of the Fortythird Legislatori, 1995, Page OM, rade.haeqwe 

provIaIon ror+be oompen8atlon of the Ju8tioer OS 

the P%aoe and Constables In 8uoh OOtllltIe8, whloh 

Oti881Qn and failure to 80 prwlde will, result in 

a rerloua impairment of the work of the Jurtloe 

Court% and Oonatablea, and Impo8e an uudue hardship on those Ju8tioea of the Pea08 and COn8table8 

in thq larger oltleo in l uoh oouutlea rho will 

reaoh their maxIam% fee llmlt8 and e~eaa fee8 of 

ofiloe long betora the end of the ourrunt ye(LT, 

and who will be expeoted and required to serve the 

publla In thsir many dutIe8 without ramnorutlon 

thereafter, and tha iaot th a t l uoh offloiala are 

oalled on and required to perform m%uy dutloa for 

?hIoh no fee or other oempenaatlon Is provided, 

oreate an emergenoy awl an lmperatlve publlo neoeaslty that the Colutltutiotml Mule requlrl.ng 

bill8 to b% read en three soreral Qay8 be, %ad the 

same 1% hereby atuperidetl, and this Aot 8hall take 

%?feot and be In Soroe tr%m aad after its passage, 

and It Is so eaaoted.* 

The aboimentloned Ast was finally paaasd In Yay, 

lSSS, and iIl%d with the Saoretary of State on M%y 17, 19SS. 

Naturally the queatlon %rI8e8 wðer Or uOt It ti WIfe8t 

from th% langosge in the Aat It8eli that it was Oh% &Etultlon of thu Legislature to Iaore%%e the rarinuu allewaaoe 

to auoh otiloura for the eatlrs year, lSJS, aud all futum c 

_~ 
Hon.L¶.ntonS.Ekva6e,Pye 8 

years, or whether it raa th8 fntutnt o m& a 8a bl pplf- a 

sable only to the&portI~O? tie p~1@355oh solla~ 

sd the effeatlvm date 0r t&a Aot. 

Tbs eater&pnoy 8lau8e olearly IndIeatu an l tt 

on the part of the L6gfrlatacre to make the fnareaae in 8 2: 

aryt0 applytbroughout the l urr0atyearo?l935~ The me 

oftbword~ourrent~aar~ la IndIeatIrs oftbe lntontof 

the Legislature to treat the allmauae to the Justioea o? 

thePea and oormablea as klngona ymrlybaaie, t&at 

la,?romfauuaryX toDeoamber 32. The rrauneratlonfor 

these offf sea was treated u being 011 a parly ba618, a~%d 

the inoruao proilded for in the Act wa8 elearly lnteaaed 

to emer the entire year ior which the nxlatum See limit 

was ptorid8d.’ It la true, aa a 

apuak &WO8QO8tiV84 alla mot 

a oontrary IatsDt on the 

feat either br aprua 

implidation muah laws 8ay have a retroaotirs l ??eot. 668 

the 8~08 Ot CUX ~a. Boblaoa 3.W 8. 1. ll49* &8riOan ~UXF 

sty co. or P. T. vs. Axtell 60. 8s 8. w. (8aj 9l5. 

The Juatioe or the Peaoet~~38 his salary 6 8ompenaatlon otn a par4 basis. His duties carry on throughIt 

t tha -t year. At t&e end or *at o-t mar h8 

nqulrod to mke a m 8tatOM¶lt of th0 report m 

~~~t~h~~eea,aonmIaaIoaa and ~enaatlmu t&m 

. See Artlele S391,Vera~n*s CIvll8tattlt.8. 

I? aurf.ag moh year the alat1as o? the peaa h8 

rooelvad tees In exmaa oftheltita proa~rIbedbyl.am?m 

his remuneration, he has to reimburse the county. U he 

ha8 reaelved equal to or lea8 than the ~S~SWIS 

throughout such ya%r and was not pro ratable. We quote 

traanthla oa8e aa?ollmar 

Vhe fee H&ate pmvlder a 8ertala p8r 

eunt o f l aaea8bd valuation a8 py for the 

aaaeaaor~a 8ervIoea. The ooupea8at.tlon inmot 
.EOn. Llnton s. Savage, Page 4 

?or taking renditions only. xhe statute does 

not 8Eay he 8hall reaeive So muoh ror part o? 

hi8 work and something else for othar o??IaIal 

duties. I? the oampen8atfoa was dlrlaable, it 

would bs poaalbla to apply the 1930 Fee Statute 

to part o? ralator’a aoaomt8 end the 1QZfi law 

to tither portions tharao?, but, alaoa It Is Impo8slble to plsoe 

vloea, It must be 

a value upon his aeraral 8erassumed that the Lsglalature 

Intended to apply the new rate to the ~1OEs 8errloea a8 a whole. xhI8 18 all the more rea8onable a oonolualon In rl~w of ~the Saot t+at the 

Leglslnture kufiw he oould not present his bill 

for 8enIoea until the fall 0s 1985. At the 

tiae his aooouut baoame due, the new rate was 

erfeotlre. I? the Legislature had lnteaaed to 

apply one rate to part of the aooount and another to the other, then he rhould hare provided 

a method for doing 80. 1t rhould hate plaoed a 

value on eaoh part o? the work. Mot having done 

so, we hold thora was no auoh Intention on the 

part of the lawmakers. We think tbl8 o??IoIo 

rhould be paid tmdar the 19SS statute. We ha+e 

80 authority awer* thf8 8ItuatIon, and oouuy 

eel ofte none* we **awe that no ettoraey la 

thie oaae has found any authority in point.* 

We do no; pass upon the ooaatItutIonalIty of the. 

8t8tute here Involved, beaaU8e not reqmeatea. Eowawr, r0r 

your Iniormatlon, we are herewith eaolo8lng aoplea of OpInIon 1908. 7% sad 643. 

h view O? the foregulug authorities, you are rmapeottolly advised that It i8 the oplnloa or thI8 department 

that’the Juatloe8 of thm Peak and oanrtable 8errIng a8 auoh 

o??lel8la In the oouutlea that ame within tha popolatluu 

braeksta a8 above designated were entitled to oolleot a maxImum or ‘f’hrrr ThouSand Dollars (#3000) for their 8ervIoea 

throu&otit the year or 193s and no proration was intended by 

t&3 Legislature. 

Trusting that the foregoing Nip eaawara your InquIry,werueIa, 

Yours wry truly 

EDOCT 23, 1939 AT¶'O~NEY~EHSRALOTTEXAS 

A@fbdJ&Y GENERAL OF TEXAS