Court Opinion

ID: 4142210
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2017-02-18 03:19:21.268926+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:30:45.111610
License: Public Domain

OFFICE   OF THE AI-I-ORNEY     GENERAL    OF TEXAS
                              AUSTIN

Honorable I?. L. Washburn
County Auditor
Harrle county
Houston, Texas
Dear   Sirs

                                        n of the county
                                           8 which are
                                           lthln the Acta
                                          ure, page 759,
                                         led a8 Sections

                          Juvenile    Board duly appointed

              "In a list aubmlttsd to me for      approvals
       vere   the salaries of three assistant      probation
.

    Honorable   H. L. Washburn, Page 2
                    .

          for under a subdivision   of Seotion 19, Chspter 465,
          as amended. .The aeoond two positions,    as depsrtment
          heads, are not provided by Artlole ~3902 in the emount
          of salary requested,   but are so provided by Chapter
          465, as amended.
                Yfhe question arises in detemlnlhg      the oorreot
          a&arias which may be paid to.aaaiatsnta       to the ohief
          probstlon   oirioar  In Hsrrls County.    la Artlole  3902,
          as it now exists., the yardatiok by which asld salaries
          are to be measured? Or, may the provisions        of Chapter
          465, relating    to deputies  and aaslatsnta,  be Used as
          the basis or determining salaries      to be paid to pro-
          bstion offioera?
                n* * *’.

                 We     have a similar situation  with reapeot to
          Artiole     669Qb, Vernon* a.Anuotated Ten-is Statutes,
          Page 120, Pocket Part, conoerning the salaries         of
          county    trarrio   orrlaera.   As will be observed from
          Seotion 2, the’salarlea       of suoh deputies ahall be
          the asam as those rixed in Artiole~3902.         Thla aot
          was gassed at the.~Regular Session of the Torty-fourth
          Legislature,      1985, at Page 711.
                 *In approving r0r paywent wsrrsnts Issued for
          the salaries    OS assistants     to the juvenile offloer
          ana highway him0        orficera,    am I to be governed aa
          to the maximum by the provisions        of Artiole 3902, or
          by the provisions     of Chapter 465 as contended by the              ,. ..*,,~~..~I’I..,~;~
          offlolala   presenting    such pay rolls and wsrranta for
          my approval?”
                Artiole   5142a, Yectlon     1, Vernon*a Annotated      Civil
    Statutes,   provides:
                 “Seotion 1.       Provided that in oountiea having
          a population     0r more than three hundred and fifty
          thoussnd (350,000) ‘inhabitants          aoooraing to the last
          preaeding or any future Federal Census the County
          Juvenile Board shall appoint a juvenile              offloer  for
          a term of two (2) years at a salary not to exceed
          X’ive Thousand Dollars ($5,000) per aunum, to be fixed
          by the County Juvenile Board aubjeot to the approval
          of the Commlasionera Court to be paid monthly by the
          county, whose extra duties will’be            to make lnvesti-
          gations for the Comlaaiouera            Court on applioationa
          for oharlty or admiaaion into- detention homes or or-
          phan homes created by such counties.              Suoh juvenile
          orfioer     may seleot assistant       juvenile   officers   aub-
          jue3t~.          .,. .,i  : --., ~:- ~~
                              ~C ,..~,
                                    ,.                    .
                  ., .~”                   ..._~
,

    Honorable   H. L. Washburn, Page 3

         aubjeot to the spproval of auoh Baard, the number
         of auoh assistants      to be determined by the Juvenile
         Board aubjeot to the approval of the Conunlaalonera
         court.     The salaries   of auoh assistants    shall be the
         asme as that fixed in Article       3902 of the Revised
         Civil Statutea.of      Texss, of 1925, and as amended for
         sasistsnta    to other offloials,     exbept that the head
         of a department need,not have before served for any
         psrtloulsr    period’ of tlma; efflolen~y‘belng      oallea
         for in auoh counties.        Suoh juvenile ofrloera    may be
         allowed expenses not to exceed Two Hunarea Dollars
         ($200) a year each.”
              Article 3912e,    Seotion 19, Subdivision      (h),   Vernon*8
    Annotated Clvll Statutes,    in pert, provides:
                R(h) Whenever any district     or county. off her,
         or precinot   offioer  when such officer    Is oompensatea
         on (I salary basis, with the exception of district
         attorneys and oriminsl dlstriat     attorneys,   shall re-
         qulre the aervioea of, deputies     assistants,   and em-
         ployees   In the performsnoe of his’~dutlea he shall ap-
         ply to tha Coaaniaaionera* Court for authority to.ap-
         point auoh deputies,    assistants,  and employees, stst-
         ing by sworn application     the number needed, the poal-
         tion to be 250 S.W. 159, that where an sot Is amended
         as to only one aeotion,      the original provisions  appearing in
         the amended act are to be regarded as hsvlng been the law alnoe
         they were first     enacted, wblle the new provisions   are to be
         construed as having been enacted at the time the amendment
         took effect.     Also, It was held that when new provisions    are
         introduced into a statute by amendment, the amended act and
         all its seations,     new and old, must be construed as a harmonious
         whole.
: I’.                  It will be noted that Artlole      5142a, auprs, provides
        ,. that the aslsriea    of such assistants     shall be the same as that
          ~rlxed in Article    3902 of the Revised Civil Statutes of Texsa, ;.
           of 1925, and as smended for assistants        to other ottioials,    ex-
           oept that th he a f a department need not ha            before served
           for any psrt~oul%~erioa      of time.    This langulie we think is
           olear and unambiguous and can refer only to the general law on
           the same subjeot found in Article      5912e; Seotion’lS,     gubdlvl-
           aion (h) and its subsequent amendment, which with Artiole 3902
           roundre-enaoted and set forth under Se6tlon 14 0s said Law,
           is applioable   to all salaried   counties.
                ‘.’  We note that you mentlon”Artlole     66SSb ~Ver&n~a A&          ‘-“‘_‘-‘.
          notated civil Statutes,    relating   to oounty tFarri0 officers.
          We oall your attention    to the oaae of Anderson, County Judge,
          et al, vs. Wood, Sheriff,     152 s. W.    d) 1064, wherein the        .~.
        ./Supreme Court strikes down this sta          as unoonstittititinsl.’ .
          It this beoomes necessary that this opinion deal with those
          oounty treSSlo offioers    whose appointments are authorized un-
          der the provisions   of Article    6699, as amended, Aots of 1937,
          45th Legislature,  Page 438, Chapter 225.
                      Artlole 6699     Vernon’s Annotated Civil     Statutes,   re-
         lating    to oounty trafrio    orrioers, provides:
                       “The Commissioners Court of each oounty, aotlng in
                 oonjunotion with the Sheriff,    may employ not more than
                ‘two (2) regular deputies,    nor more than two (2) addl-
                 tlonel deputlea-for   apeoial emergenoy to aid said reg-
                 ular deputies,. to be +wn as oounty trsfflo     offloera
      Honorable   H. L. Washburn, Page 7

            to enforoe the highway laws of this State regulating
            the use of the publio highway by motor vehicles.
            Said deputies shell be, whenever prsotioable,       motor-
             oyoles riders,  and shall be assigned ~to work under
            the direction   of the Sheriff.    They shall give bond
            and take oath of offloe    as other deputies.     They may
            be dismissed fran servloe on request & the Sheriff
            whenever approved by the Commissioners Court, or by
            aaid Court on its own initiative,     whenever their aer-
            vices are no longer needed or have not been satla-
            faotory.    The Coaanissionera Court shall fix theirs
           .oompenaation prior to their aelection;     end may pro-
            vide at the expense of the oounty, necessary equip-
            ment for da     otrloera.   The pey of said deputies
            shall not be lnoluaed in the settlements       of the Sher-
            iff in aooounting for the ~teea or orr:ice.      For the
            purpose of thla law, the Comnlssloners Court of ooun-
            ties whose funds from the motor registration       fees
              rovlded herein amount to Thirty Thousand Dollars
...
          .s $30,000) or over, may use not exceeding rive (5)
            per cent of a&d tunas; ‘and not to exoeed~ seven and
            one-half   [7*) per oent of such funds In oountlea re-
            oelving a lesser amount from ardh registration.         Said
            deputies shall at all times oooperate with the po-
            lioe department of each olty or town within the oounty,
            In the enforaement Of aald traffio     laws therein and
            in all other parts of the oaunty; and shall have the
            same right and duty to arrest violators      of all laws
            as other Deputy Sheriffs    have.=
            ‘\    The’foregoing   statute ‘makes no referenoe to Artiole ‘*’
      3902 or its aubjeot as a general law Siting salaries for aaaiet-
      ants to other oounty orflolala.       It expressly provides that the
      pay of suoh deputies Shall not be inoluded lnthe settlements
      of the Sheriff in aooounting for the rees of offloe         and that
      for the purpose of the law, the Commissioners’ Courts of ooun-
      ties whose runas from the motor registration       fees amount to
      Thirty Thousand Dollars ($SO,OOO.OO) or over, may use not ex-
      oeeaing. five (5) per oent or said funds; and not to exoeea
      seven and one-half     (7+) per oent of suoh funds In oounties re-
      oelving a lesser amount from such registration.         Suoh provl-
      alon fixes the fund and maximum expenditures for the pupurpose
      which of course inoludea the salaries      of the officers    named
      therein.    As provided in the Aot, such oifioers’      salaries  are
      to ba fixed by the Commissioners ( Court prior to their aelec-
      tion.                 .-.-
                  Anawerlng your request,. it   is therefore  the opinion
      of this   department that the salaries    of authorleed assistant
     Honorable   H. L. Washburn, Page 8

     juvenile  ol'fioers of Barria County are detenained by Artlole
     3912e, Section 19, Subdivision'(h),    Vernon's Annotate6 Civil
     Statutes,  rhioh latter provision   is to be construed as a part
     of the general law, Artiole   3902, Revised Civil Statutes,  as
     amended therein.
                As to the Waffle  deputies authorized by Article   6699,
     Vernon98 Annotated Civil Statute&, it is'furthei   the opinion o?
     this   department that the order of the Commlsslonera~ Court Six-
     ing their salaries within the limitation   of funds therein pro-
     vided, entered prior to their seleotion,   will govern the county
     auditor in approving warrants for payment of their salaries.
                                               Youreivery    truly
     APPROVED
            DEC.31, 1941                  ATTORNEZGENXRALOF TEXAS
     /s/   Grover Sellers
                                          BY
,'   PIRST ASSISTlUJT                             /s/m*     LsA*K.w&
     ATTORNBYGBNBRU
     WJRK:RS
     APPROVEDOPINIONCOBMITTBR
                            BY B.W.B. CHAIRMAR