2. 

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OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

BOnOr8bh Charles R. Martln 

County Auditor 

Harrison county 

Marehdl, Texa8 

leer 

vfe quotr from 

adrlrlne me a8 to 

anor ceasms bsooma 

tin0 of tha trial ooust aonviation, 

beocmr earned artm rinse notion in 

rt? In other words, rherm 8 prty 

in the County Court ot a niW¶~eUIOr 

year 1939, and the Oauee appealed end 

ater by the court or criminal A~paals 

the par 1940, an4 tti Constable did not 

report the rare a~ hatlag been earned an4 unoolliotml 4uring th year 1939, would he now be entitle4 to retain mm when oolleoted 4urin1.3 the 

year 19407 

, 

16 
Honorable Charler R. Martin, Page i? 

ArMale 3899, Vernon'8 Annotated Taxar Civil 

utea, read8 88 r0ii0wrt 

stat- 

*Eaoh dlrtrlot, ootmty and preolnot offloar, 

at the olore of l auh fircal y6ar (Deaamber Slat) 

&all mke to the dlrtrlat oourt of the oountl in 

wMoh he redder a 8worn statement In trlplloate 

form (on rormr dealgned and agprored by the state 

Audito r ) l copy 0r whioh l ta tement shall ti rorwar4ed to the stato Auditor by tha alerk oi the 

dlrtriot oourt 0r ~814 county wlthln thirty (30) 

dayr miter tbr mm ha8 been ii186 In hi8 oftloo, 

and one oogy to bo filed with the oounty auditor, 

II any; othertice said aopy rhall be filed with 

the Commla8loner8* court. sat& report hall rho* 

the amunt of all faaa, oomml8rlona and oompnmatloar whatoror earned by said offloer during thr 

fi8aal yerrl an4 8eoondly, rhall rhor the amount 

0r fee8, aommlssionr and oonpsnsationa oolleated 

by him during the fiscal par; thirdly, said raport ahall contain an ltemlzed statement of all 

foe8, aommlsrlonr and oonpwatlona earned during thr flsaal year wh$oh wure not oolleoted, together with the name of the party owing raid feeI, 

co88l8rlonr and aompen8atlonr. Said report 8hall 

ba flied not later than Fabruary let following the 

olore or the rlsoal year an4 ror eaoh dal efter 

raid date that raid report rma1r.u not riled, 8ald 

offlorr rhall br liablr to a penalty Of Twenty IIre 

($85.00) Dollars, whloh 6ay be reoorered br the 

oountr in a ruit brou&ht for ruch p@rpO8e8, an4 in 

additicn 8816 offloer ahall be rubjeot to removal 

fro8 0fri0h* 

Artlole SSW!!, VernonL'a Annotate4 Texas Oirll Statuto8, read8 a8 rolloraI 

MAny offlaer lwntloned la this Chaptar who does 

not oolleot the maxImum amount 0r hi8 reer r0r 8ny 

rlwaal par and vk~o report8 delinquent roea ror that 

s, rhall be l ntltl 4 to rotain, when 0011 t d 

part of ruoh de&pent fser a8 18 8uf&tt to 

complete the maximum oompatmation authoriaed by ArtlOle8 

3883, SASS-A, and 30886 for the yaar In rhloh delinquent 

---_-__--,.- - .-~- 
Xoaorable Charles R. Martin, page 0 

ree8 ware ohnrged, ratI 8180 retain the amount or 

8x0888 reer authorizaa by law, and tb remainder 

0r the dell uaat rers ror that rfroal year Sh8l1 be 

paid as here “p n provided rOr when oolleoted; prcw$dod, 

the ~Oti8iO~8 0r this Artlole shall not apply tc 

say orrfo8r after one year rrom the date he oeaaes to 

hoia~tha ofrloe, the amount 0r raer oolleote4 rhmll 

br pal6 into the OMlnty treABt&ry. Prorlded, haatez, 

that UsthlILg in this AOt preoluder the gaysant Or uortlolo reer la aooordauae with Title 61 oi tha Revised Civil Shtratea or Texas, loea, as part 0r ths 

8nxlmm 008 

In this Art r 

a8atloa. ProrlUaa, that any ohaa&o nde 

ale by thl8 Aot ahalllnot a 

P 

ply to rear 

heretoron earned.* (under8oorl~ ours 

hrtiolm 1045 ~*snon~s AMOt8tad Tuar C444~3otrOr&m- ’ 

-Gai.~~ooeUruo, TSSdS In prt as rOilOW81 

..~, 

,’ 

*The follewing tees ahall be allowea the rherlrr, 

or other paoe orrloer Darfonning the same renioea In 

miadez!mMor Cases, to be taxa@ against the daiendent 

on oonvlotlonr . . . m 

~Opinfon HO. O-703 Or thi.8 DepWtWllt holds that the 

provlalonr or Artlole 3897, Vernon*8 Annotated Texas Civil 

8tetutea requlriag that fess earned but not oollaoted by the * 

0rri08r &arLng tha rir0dl year ho reported .*r mandatory and / * ~J~ 

=St bo aom~llsd with b&ore tha 

i 

uatfoq 0i t -2 l paoe 18 entitled to ret*ln under the prorlr .bns 0r Arttale 38893, Vernon*8 

Annotated Texas Clvll 8tatuta8, delinquent eXamln$u trlal reea. 

We l nolose herewith a copy of Op$nlon ?io. O-703 whloh aontalna 

a ruii diSOU88iOn 0r the m8tter. 

Webater'a Hew International Dlotlouary, 8roond Sdltloa, 48rin88 the nor4 *earna as rOiiOW81 

*To mo?lt or dS80~0, as by labor or l ~'VlO0i 

to do that whioh entitled onr:to a reward, whothor 

tha:: mt?ard 18 rOaOive& Or ItOt.' 

Artfole 1086, 40&e or crhlzml zvooeaure, pmrlder 

rees r 0r aon8kue8 In ml8dema a na or sses ror l er vio eps error aaa . 

There tees are taxable agslnat the 4Mendant upon oontlotlon. 

We think the oonatable l una an arrest fee rhea he aaMe8 thr 

wa r r a or ntl rraat~ tla twb n ho 8ummon8 a witness ho earn0 the 
, 

19 

Honorable. Charlse R. Martin, Page 4 

fee for auoh service; that he aerna the other fees outlfnaa 

by tha statute when ha parfoxma the earvloaa required. Bowaver’, these fees, although earned at the time of the performanoa of the aervloa, are not taxable and oollectlbla against 

a defendant until the final oonvlctlon of the defendant. The 

final oonvlctlon of the defendant determines that the constable 

wlll hare a right to oollsct or attempt to collect the fsea 

that he earned. We think that the constable’s fees Should be 

oonaldsrsd earned as of the tlma he perfonasd the l arvloa. 

Statutes protiding r808 ror pub110 OrriCOrS are 

atrlctly oonatrued. Under the provialona of Artlole 3897, supra, 

the OfflOar la required to make a sworn report at the aloes of 

eaoh flaaol year and the statute requlrsa, among other things, 

that the report shall contain an itemized statement of all 

fess, aommlaalona and companaatlona arrnsd during the fiscal 

year whloh wars not oollauted, together with the nema of the 

party owing sald reea, oommlsafona and oam~nsatlons. Article 

3892, authorizes the officer to retain delinquent fees for one 

year oollected In a subsequent year provided ths delinquent 

faea bra reported for ths year said feaa were earned. 

We quote from Oplnloa No. O-709 of this Department aa 

rollowa: 

“It la our view that the requirement that euoh 

fees be Included in the offloar~a s11~rn report, being 

mandatory, is a oondltloh precedent to allowing hlm 

to retain such fees aa allowed him by Artlola 389Z end 

falling to do ao, suoh orricer has not met the requlrementa or the statute.* 

In enswor to your queetlon you are reapactfully mlVlesd _. 

that it la tha opinion of this Department that e oonatabla’a 

roes In misdemeanor cases baooma “earned” when ha perrorma the 

orrlclal aerrlcas as outlined by statute, but that auoh uaarnadW 

fees do not beoome collectible from tha dafendent until ha is 

ritim convlotsd. 

K 

gt la ths rurther opinion 0r this Dapertment 

t-t w ame a defendant la convlota4 of a mla4amaanor In CoUtY 

aourt in 1939, tha ceuae appaalad and affltrmed by ths Court 

of Criminal Appeals in 1940, ~4 where the oonatable did not 

report his fess aa having been same4 and uncollected In hi8 
20 

Honorable Charler R. Martla, Paagr 5