Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1946 )

369 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS CL AUSTIN , -.- EonorableJohn Et.Shook CH.m.lnalDlstrIot Attorney Bexar County &n An~oQlo; Tex68 OplAloa 80. 0 -7535 Ret ConflIetlng rovIaio33of House Bill 8f9 and Senate Bill 246, Acta 49th Legls- IatuFe, 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 ehe pace and oonatableoof this dounty are eatlt ed to a maximrplsalary 0r Forty-fiveHundred ($45ioo.O0) Dollar8 per year under House BIXL 241 or Xouse BOIL 849, sad vhether or not suuh pro~lal~nns are in lrreoon- allable oonfllotwith the proHsIons of S. B. 246.' 8Inoe lkuse Bill 241, Seotlon (d) read8 the m?ae 823Rouse Bill 849 Section (h), Ye shall ooneider only the latter vhlch Is the later.aot,In connectionwith Eeuste Bill 246, f5eotiou6. We quote the two bills f'orreference: House Bill 849, Sea. (h): "All Juatloee of the Peaoe and Constables of mloh oountlesYbO are compens6tedon 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 EIoaomblaJohn It. Shook - Pqe P are oomp%naatedon a ealarybaela as pmrlded by law rhall reoeloean mrmal salary OS aot to e%aeeUForty-five Kumimd Dollam $4500) eaoh rush salary to be flxed by tba cmrpisaloners Cc&. ?rorided,trove~r, t~t~ltetr~nd O(P- alrslonswhetherourrentor d8llnqu%ntWNoh are oolleotedb the lacu&ent durlng hi8 t%nure OS oifloe 8had be applied tint to the paymentof Nr deputies,authortiedexpensesof his offioe Mu to mke qp tho M%lmn 0aspeRaatloa prorldod for in tNe mbseotloa. No suoh offleer rhll be entitledto reoelvo for an7 purpose any fsss or ocemlsrioa that are oollectedd%er he ceases to hold suah office.* Senate Bill 246, Sea. 6r 'All Juatlcasof the Peace and Constablesof euoh oouutleevho are ooprp%nsst%d on a See basis &all be eatitlti to retain of Forty-sevenBadred each; provided, however, that all fees and oomlaslons, whether ourrent or dalinqumt, whloh (LLYI oolleotedby the lnom- bent &wi~ his temare of offieo shall be &pplied first to the psp8at Of US deputies,aQthoriMd expansesof Nr orfloe aad to make up the maxi- nnoompensatlonprov&d for in t&is 6eotlon. No suah offlaera 8bsl.l be entItledto zweiro for tmy purposeany fees or -otiesloas that am oollectedarftirhe a%8888 to hold such office." our Opinion No. 0-6728,approvedJul g3~L``, held thatbenateBill246 repealsEou8e BUl d 88 the tuo sots am fn lrreconoll&le aontllot. House Bill 849 applies to oountlerha&i&g a popu- lation et 225,QOO lnhsbitaatror me6 aud leersthatr 500,000 inhabitantssooomllngto the i&at preoedlugFederal . SenateBill 246 8ppli06 to oountleehaving a a0asu.a populationof not less than 3C0,000x,,nor Bore than 500,000, t0 the l8St pXW0diD.gyS#derIIl kOO0rditi.g OQI18US. Sinoe the populationof Bexsr County auoordlng to the laet prooodlngFederal emam, vas 338,176in.habl- tints, the provlslonsof Senate Bill 246 vould a ly knd vould prevail ov%r any provisionsIQ Row.se Bill i&J ;rhlch am in Irr%ooncllable oonillct. . HotmrabloJohn A. t&took - Pago 3 8eknat.e Bill 246 clemly predlcatemltefgr``mL&one 'on thooe "vho are oonponeatedon a fee baelr*. uot be ooualateat follovlllg withthlr open1 PO to 8ap the phmee, *annuelfeer aa3 or sa15rym,meant any- thlag but aompaasatlonor rfmuneratlonresultingfrom fees. mted House Bill 849 refere tc preclootoS?loere aomwen- on either a St30basis or i salarybarir. 'fhel"BfO~, it 10 OUl' OpiAiOA that iUSOfPr 88 justloos of the pea50 md oonstmbleawho are 5OiupenSated on a foe bsels lo comtlaa vlth a populatlouof not less tbtbn%T,ti&OTnor &torethan 500,000, ev%ndlng to the laet p?ecedlugFederal oaneue, the tvo aote are in l~reconallsble aonfllctand the maxlms~ componsatlonof imch officerekm governedby the provlsloasof Benate Bill 246. In OOwtltieS h8Viqj 8 W$R<iOU Of 225,000 int??bi- bats or aore, mad lass than 500,000 it&nbitmta, aooordlng to the laetprecedlng Pederal aenm38,the m4&5m1 ca4a~tm8- tloa of justicesof the peace and constabl~rvho are COUP saaeated OA a &is, are govemed by the provisions of Howe Bill