OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
-04-A-aHonorable B. F. ?JboKse omnt **y** Audit**or riitlalso**  GouJlty Edlnbur&, **‘ pszps**  **Eear sirt** 



### Yourletter0 opfaionofth5rr

departannHonorable E. F. &!olCoe, Page 2

swantsen thousand, 6oven hundred (17,700) and in any aounty In this State having a population of not leea than seventy-amen thousand (77,000) and not mare than wvoaty-revan thousand, one hundred (77,100) and in any oounty in this Stata hating a population 0f not less than seventy

## BOVO~ thousand, rite bumma(77,500) and not more than 

### l

oventy-seven thoumid, 61x hundred (77,8OO), aooordlng to the last prmoedlng **Fod** aral COMUB, the CanmIssioners Court ia hereby authorized to allaw eaoh Uaremiesiont~the PUP 

## 0rBirty Dollms (850) per 

## monthtar traveling ~xpsnee~ and depre0iatlan on bii~aut0mabflo while oa 

## orriaial buaine6a. Eaoh #U&I 

### Commleeloner shall pay all expenoer in the operation of euoh autaobila and keep 886x1in repair irae or 

### any other charge to the county.
*. . ." Article 2540, t’t6Vi66d Civil Statutes, 1925, provldoa .U rOuOW6t

*mrtam entering upon the duties 

## 0r their ofriom, tha oounty jadgr and saoh ooauntm~ionor 6h6l1 taka the 

## obri0id oath, @nd l&all al60 take a writton oath that ha will not be dirrotly or fndlreotly latere6tad in enr oontraot with, or olaim agalmt, the oouaty In whiah he reBid66, UOOpt 6uoh Warrant6 a6 Playi68U9 to him a6 isO6 0r orrice. Za6h oommisoioner mball uooute a bond to **be** .SDQrOVedby thmmaty judge in the mUi8Of three thOU6md dollar6, payable to the oounty treasurer, oonaitlonrd ior the faithful performmoe of the duties of ,hi6offloe, that he will pay over to hi6 oounty a3.1money8 lll~gall~r paid to hianout of oountr rum, aa voluntary paymat* or otherwise, ana that he will not vote or give his aoneent to pay out aounty funds oxoept **ror** lawful purpoa08.~
It is assumed in your requoet that oao or athor 0r the thma dates 

## =mii0ma by you is the **oorroot** date rpiti which to oalculate refund6 **due** te the eountr U~&OP th@ AOb in quutioa. Your raqw6E raim6 tha point a6 to whet&r

tHonorable B. 1. bWCee, Page 3

a OOUlltr OOSUEi66iOfBr Who Vote6 raS Md l-OO@iV@SOOUnt$’ funds a6 traveling apen6e under an unoonstitutlonsl statute 16 liable thsvsror.

We intend to deal prIaoipally with this point, 

### althou& **und6r** our OpInIon **#o.** 

### O-414& **addre66ed** to **you** and approved April 9, 194l, It Is olear that suoh OcPmi86iOaer6 would be liable ror a refund 

## or all payB8nt6 reeefVe& 

### rr0m and artsr the data or the ofrloial prrlImInarP annouaaamsnt oi~the 1940 Pederal Consus, whloh aaoordlng to hour letter, 

### wasJune $38,1910.

In our opinion Ilo.048ll approved Ootsber 16 1940, thlr department held Howe Bill So. EW Oh. 194 &t6 1957, Forty-il?th hegl6lature, unoon6tIt'utIb~ end Void as It 

## l ppllsd to Camsron Oounty. 

### A6applied to 

### Wlalgo Oouutr, youwere6imilarly advlsed 

### byouropinion Ho.Sa7dapproved 

### mroh al,lml.. The rlrst abovs #atIsned opinion IS

## round In tb 

### monthly x-sportsor the Attorney 

### General, Volwie 1, Book 10, pago SlE?.

Judge COOleP, In hi6 rrOrk6on OolutItutI6aal lImi**tatlon6,** 

### Voluu 

### 1,EI65hth MItIon,atpag6ma, saP8: 

### "Whena cktute 16 adjud@d 

## to k **unoonrti** tution61, it ir u 

## ii Ithad asve~ been. Right6 oanaat be built 

### up under 

### It;)~6mtraots nhiah depend upon It for thslr mn6IdoratIaa an voidj it bh6titUt66 

### a prot6otloa to no on6 Iho b66 

### l oted under it, 

### cad ao oas 6an be 

### punI6hed tar hatinsref

’u8ed obedienor to it before the deoldon 

### wa6made. 

### Aadwhat l6 true Of a6 aot 

### void in tot0 is true 

### alsoa6 

### tosaypati 0r 

### aa sot 

### whlohI6 **round** 

### tobeunaon6tItutlonal, and

### uhioh, oon6eqruatly, i6,to be 

### regarded u havlag **never,** 

### at any time, bass 

### possessed Sa any lrgal imae."

The 

### Supreme Court 

## or T-6 in SeISWnS v. 

## Bowsi, 34 Ter. 33!540, did not oonstrue'tho above autharIt7 

### as announolng a dootrlne that sn unootititutlonal law soul& be no 

### proteatlan to offioers or aitl6en6,bsfors the sams had be6a 

### pamed klEon and adjudged invalid. The court in 

## its opinion raid:

Ve 

### arenot wIllIng to endorse the propodtfon, in it6 bmadert ssnle, that 

### amI6I8tsrIalHonorable 

### B.F.

### UelCoe, Page

### 4

oftloer has ths ri@t and power to deal&e upon the aoastltutIonallty or uncoastitutloaslIty of a5lotpas6ed withallthe r0rbdity 

## 0r law. It 

### 16 ths duty 

### or such orriioersto exeoute 

### andnot dm par8 jw&smn$ upon the law, aad we ars or the oplnloa that the olerk 

### 0r t&43di6triat amart 

### 6hould have 

### rdu0a 

## tohsvs Issued l xeoutioa In vlolatlon of what **appearrd** to **be** a **valid and**  binding law, Until the ssue had 

### been deslarsd void by the tribunal properly 06nstltu8ed tar that purpo6s.s
The 

### oatart or Tgxa6 have never dlreotly pa66sd upon ths question rai8ed by your requert, t+wlt whether
a county 

### 6om@l66loner, voting for and moeitiag &n&s under aa A6t orths Leglrlatum, pa6sed with sll apgesraaoo ot a 

### raZldlaw wloh benefialal iaterert6 Imru rolely to su6h offiaer6 a6 provided la SeatIon l* Houss Bill S&3, 4Sth Ze&rlature, I8 llabls.

A2%101* tMQ, clupra,appear6 to ml60 a 70x-y6drong Iniennoe or 1IabIlIt.r**usdsr** 6uah an @at,.-however, **br** 

### l ettla& roxth 

### as a oondltlon of eaoh oo6ml6sloner!s bond, %hat h6

ars Illegal aad ior 

### 50 Lawful pUrpos@, eanuot be qusrtIoaed. Su6h ssndltIon of the e6s?6ilesionerts bond, hmrwer, applie6 

### with equal 

### roroe uxd dignity to all 5.Uegal paymentr, whether to the aoaPi6aIonrr6 th?m6elver 

### or mds to other oirlaerr.

The Su rwe tmrni Court of Oklahma In the 

### ease si Wade v4 Board or 0, rslonsrs or Hamon Oountg, 17 Paa. and cl00 held that ths %#ard of qbunty SO6WI66isn,r6 Oi a smnty Wd not bs penalinred~uadsroortaln 

### sots of the Legislature far p6pauat of 6alarie6 to oouaty offiarrr 

### under 66 unoonotltutieail losal l

ot where rush psyasats were made in @ml faith and berom the law Is doolared uaaoa6tltutIonaX, or berore they 

### am adtired 

### by ths proper aifIola1 as to Its 

### unoon6tItutianaltty. /

< SUppOl%@d by later deolsI6ns I6 that 

### 68ah, ths Supruse Court of Oklahoma rscogaIse8 au& view8 ths er *&%d faith*~,Iathe lI@t ot a legal.duty mlai6terI6l offloerr **under** oertaln aatr

## 646

ELonomnblsB. F. YoKea, Pwa 6

bare 8 t&sot personal intorent distinguiahhable from thoao requlrlng them to 

### performmini8tarial aotabanaliaial to the publlo.
It is the duty of thencrountrend dlstrlot attornaj8, upon nqueet, to give an opinion er advloo in nrlting to v Bounty or preeinot offloor of their distrlot or oounty, **touoh ing**  their o~flalal duties (Article **558, Rerinad**  Clril **Btatu@m,** 19CS), and It has been the poll02 of the bttornay General of 

### Texas to 

### 80 adrlea Slid offloer8 upon 8uah queStioa8 touohing the publia lntereat, or oonoarning their ofrialal duty. (utlela 4999, Retired Civil Statutes) Tha Oklahoma authoritia8 appear to mooanita and be Inollaad to follow the supr~0 &Urt Or lliiO8OUri ifithe OR80 6@8ail08 1. 'Willial~II, 183 8. W. 1, trap whleh 6pinion, on PYJO 6;we **quotet**



### “In **the** 

### @aBeat bar, it appears itom the NOOrd that the Attorney ‘@~nOrdL Or the 8tata wa8 oalled Upon Andygave awritten opinion to the aounfiraoul'tof ~&t&W&y oounty, whloh WO8 the fiSOil 0gant thereof, 

### tethe 

### affectthat the aot In qUO8tiOB Was UBOOI¶8titUtiOB~, Ftil Snd Void, and 

### that86id oourt Informed ro8pOndant of 86113apinian, U~Q mtiri0a kia not to WY tbo w-at PLOLLtioned in the p1Oadfl&-8,aa4 that ii he did 80, he nuld be 

### held llablo upan hi8 bond for the emount a0 paid tbereoni *In the li@t of those diooJ,o8urem, 

### thera**8pondant**not only had the lag&k rigbtto rai8e 

### the oonstitutionalitg of the aat, but **under** tho8e faots It beoama hi0 Is&al duty to **do** 80; other- ~5.88he would h8vs paid the warrurt at hi8 peril. We therefore hold that fn tiheoa8a at bar the rerpondent had the right tOmi the oonstituti0mitg 0r the 06t M 1907." 

### Se are not hare 

### daolaring that **a** legal **duty** wa8 iniposedupon the county 4olEi018SiOIl0T8to lUi80 Wij QueSti@ au to the aoMt~tutlonalltg 

## 0r the aot at tiw time ihny voted to **pay** themselves Under ita pravisione. **Momove~,** t&r0 is a pro8umption that they,

### in goodraith, aotad under the belief 84110wan 4onatttutiormL

As pointed out in 

### Wilea 1. Wllmum, supra, auoh, orfioero ware not 

### l ppolated (Praloeted to pa08 upon @On8ti-IionorablaF. T. HaKea, Page 13

tutional questions 

### andit 

### Is 4omon lsnowleUga 

### thatoounty commissioners are 

### notlearned fa the law, ooneaquantly, not qualified to intelligently pass upon 8ubh questions.

The ocndltion of the eona;issioner% bond, hwatar, leads UB to believe that the &pm60 Court of Oklahaaa announced 

### what would be the corm& rule Tollow~ping Wile8 v. willi6ma, eupra, to the sit4ot that under euah 8n aot of 

### the X.agi8laturawhose ~rovieions 

### are colaly t.~the personal and 

## bswi0frrl interests 

## 0r the 

### oiriaar, 

## kn0ub~6~eonthe part 

## 0r the obfioar 

## 0r it8 unaonstitutionctitp, rooafrad tibnwgh adrioe givan him by his county or diotriot attorney or indlraotly fmn the kttornag Saneral or Taxas, Is 

### ayfrlcfent to deprive such orfloor al any aquitios antlfix liability 

### rr4i0that tiv on

## r0r illegal papment8 voted 

## r0r and.maelrad under raid unoonstitutional law.

In answering the above question, thorarora, It la 

### the 

### opinion

of thfa departniontthat 

### the

## time fromwhioh **to oaloulate**  

### rerunas **due** r0r illegal 

## pay303nt8 **under the**  **Aot8** or 1983, 45th Lsgiolatcra, Ch. 194, i8 the 

### data08 whloh 

### the 

### countyoanmissloner raaeired authorltetivo 

### advioathat ruoh AH was UIlOOll8ti tUtiOll&~. Wore ths **above Act**  aonrtitutional, it 

## woulAa0

longor l ppll to Hidalgo County after the off%oW prolhlnary publieetion 

## orth4 **1940 Federal**  Canouo, hum0 patwnts made thereafter wow clearly illegal and shauld be rofundaclto the countAT.
Youm 

### vary truly ATWIWEY o]EIJERAL **OF**TIZAS

ATTORNEY GENERAL BY / i