Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1942 )

OFFICE OF THE A‘lTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
HonorableL. A. Bauer
county AuLudltor
Cansron County
Ezuwnsville,Texas
Deer Girt
Cameron County‘?
requestingthe oginlcn
of this Dapsrtm ed therein read8
in part as $011
iral Bistrlot
il Bond was r0r-
0r the derendsnt.
me of the State
st oertsin property.
the rull amount 0r
er with oosts or the Xstriat
eztain as to the proper dia-
ls rorreiture.
e r‘iotriotAttorney entitled to
10% (Art. 950) end do we peg.hhn direot or
to the %ete Treasurer?
“Is the Clstrlot Clerk entitled to 5%
(Art. 950) oommlsalal?
Donorable L. A. Bauer, Page 2
"Is the Sherirr entitled to 5s (Art. 95.1)~
“Whnt dispasition shculd be made of the
balance of this money?-
Camron County has a populatim of apprsriuataly
81,227 knhabitantsaaao?dlng to the 19!+0Federal Census. The
COUnty OfiiOiFdS Or said Musty ara sompensatedoa aa annual
salary basis as authorisedby Ceotion 1) of krtiele 3912(e),
Vernon's Annotated Civil Satutes.
Artiole 322, Vernon's Annotated Civil Statutes,
provide8 in part:
n * * * Thsre shall alao be eleotod a
CriznlnalDistkt Attorney l'or* * *the aountles
of tiueoes,Klebarg, Bensdg, Wlllacy and Cameron.”
The Criminal Distrlot Attorney who is eleoted by
virtue of this statute is eompeosatedby the State ss au-.
thorised by ~eotiun 18 d Artlsle 3912(e), Verncn*s Annotated
Civil Statutes.
Seotlon 1 of Artiole 3912(e), suura, provides:
“No distriot offioer ahall be paid by the
Stats or Texas any tees or oommisaions for any
servioes perlorosd by him; nor shall the State
or any county payto,ady county orrioer in any
oounty oontaininga populatlca or twenty thousex
(20,000) inhabitantaor sore aooording to the
last preoedlng Federal Census any ree of aom-
mission ior say servioe by him perrormad aa
such orrioer; provided, hunever, that the
assessor and oolleotor of taxes shell continue
to oolleot and retain ror the benerlt of the
Orrfoers~ Salary Fund or funds hsreinefter
provided for, ml1 tees and oonakisaionswhioh
ha is authorized under law to aolleot; and it
ahall be his duty to aooount ror and to pay
allyoh monies rooelved ``a``o~tod$at&nd
or r nds.@raatad and Prov
pro sion~ or tNs Aot; provided further, that
the provi3ions or thie 53otion shell nut afreot
tte payment of coots in olvil oases by the State,
gonorableL. A. Bauer, Page 3
but all such oosta so paid shall be aocounted
ror by the ortloers oolleotlngthe same, as
they are required under the prorieions or this
Aot to eooount rar rem, wmmis8ions and costs
eolleoted from prlrate partias.w
SeotIon 5 of Artiole 3912(e) prorldes In pert:
*It shall be the duty or all orrioers to
ohsrge and oolleot in the manner authorized by
law all tses and oommieaionawhich are per-
mitted by law to bs aeaoreed and oolleoted for
all orrielals aerviees perrowed by them. As
and when such roes are wlleoted they shell be
deposited in the Oi:Ioers* Czltr$ fund, or
funds provided in this Aot.
The C3dWoi Criminal Erooedure particularlaeseaoh
Incidentin the oolleotion 0r rorreltsd reoognlzanoes wd
nil Zonds. Without quoting these statutes, we only refer
w them, n~oly, drtlole 424-440, ino., Pornon's hnnotsted
&de or Criminal yrooedure.
It Is stated in Texas Jurisprudenoe,Vol. 5, page 924:
The undertakingof the ball is an original
undertakingfor the appearenoeof the prinoipsl
to answer the ohurge against him. If they do
not have him In oourt aooordlng to the terma
or their obligation,the undertaking stands
forfeited, the prooeedlng to exaot iorfelture
being presorlbed by statute.
In order to oompeneato the oounty In whioh a
orImlns1proseoutionis had, provIsions Is made by the wde
(~.rticle 949.,Code of Criminal Frooedure) for the payment
to tb::t oounty or the Bmount oolleoted from forreited
~11 3ondoi the sums are not requlrod to bs paid into the
$tete Treasury for the benefit or the State at large.
Honorabls I. A. Baucr, Page 4
Artiole 949, supra, provide5 Ir.port:
"Sowy oolleoted by an officer upon rowg-
nlzenoo8,EellRends end other oblicqtions ro-
oovered upon in the mm or the State * * *
shell herewith bs paid over by the oiiioera
ccllootlngthe same to the County Treaeurer of
the proper county after rlrnt deduotiag there-
iron the legal iQO3 and oomi~ai~n~ Por 00ile0ting
the Lmne.~
Artiolae 950 end 951, Vernon*8 Annotated Code 0r
CrinioelProoedure,read ee follows:
"Artiole 950. The distriot ar oounty attorney
shall be entitled to ten proent of all Pines, Par-
Peltures or noneye oclleoted Por the Ptote or oounty,
upon judgments recoosred by hln; end the Clerk or
the Court in uhlch said judgments am rendered shell
be entitled to Plve .psroentor the amounts or said
judgm5nt5,to be paid out oP the amount v;hancollected."
*Art1 ale 951. The t%srlfi or other orrioer,
exoept the Juotioe oP the I%808 or his Clerk, I&O
oolleots money Par the C-tatsor county, eroept Jury
foeo, under any pr~visloM~oP thin oode, shall be
entitled to retain rive peroent theroaf when ool-
leoted.*
It in stated in Texas Jurlsprudenoe,Vol. 19, page
816:
I "The Dlstriot or County Attorney in entitled tc
ten peroent or all Porieituresoolleotod Par the
%x&e or oountp;upoa judgment5 reooverod by him.
The right to such oommlaeionehse been held to be
subordinateto the right oP the governor to remit
rim8 and rorteituree,and with them, nil olalme
and oonr;~lsalons
for attempting to oolleot the money.
Cok``isslonson adjudged Porieituree beomo due to
the ettorneysrepresenting the Ytate Only when the
zoncy ie oclleoted, and they are to bc token
out ot such money; they are oont and cannot be
taxes sa suoh.
..
HonorableL. A. Bauer, Page 5
“The statute providing that the Clerk or the
Court aball bs entitled to tlve peroent on all
-fInea,rm feituree or moneys oolleotod rar the
%ete or COUIty upOn Judgments reoovered in the
Court epplls0 only to sotlona over whloh the
Ori.tdIl~l OOUFtE hbV0 jUriEdiotion,and whiob 8hmld
be proseauted,insuab oourto, and not the Judgments
for money reowerod in olvil eotlons proseouted in'
behalf of the s!Yiete.
wPorfeitureamap be oolleoted in lawful
money rrom the United States only, and when
oaaleoted they munt be paid over to the County
%waeumr~ after deduoting the legal feee end
oollmlsalotls."
It la stated in Texas Jurisprudenoe,Vol. 34, pege
522:
R * * * To entitle an airLeer to reoeive
tee8 ar oomlaaiona, the reoeigt thereor must
hwe been provided Por and the amount,Plred by
9ma; end he nust have perfornmd the servloes
Por which oompeneatlcnhea bsen ageoifled. * * **
In view of the foregoing you are reo;?eotPully edvieed
thtit,
it Is the opinion of thie Cepastment thnt the iiiotriot
Attorney,thu ListriOt Clerk and the Sheriff are not lsgelly
atitled to personally reeoirr any oommiaslonwbataoever, but
#uehoomnl6slon8when oolleeted mist b@ plaoed in the Orrioers*
&lary Fund ea required by neotlon 5 of Artiole 39l2(s), supra.
you are further advised that no part oP the money roaeirod by
drtue of the Pnrfeitwe of the Ball Bond Is paid to tha Stats,
w suoh money lsaa the uomnisslonsauthorized by law must k
paldinto the County Weaaut-Yi.
It,will be noted that the Dietriot Attorxmy is entitled
ta ten peroent ootaxla8lonand the Distriot Clerk fs entitled to
fiveperaeut oomlssion and the %sridf ib entitled to five
proent carmfaelonby YLrtue of t!m above nentloned attiutis,
haever, aa heretofore ateted, these oPPloiale are not pertitted
or authorizedby lea to pernonally retsin these oonmi~tio~1~, but
llustpay them lntc the Orfloers' Salary Fund. The balemoe re-
nrinicgeiter the deductions oP the ao,mmieelona euthorlzed by
j@uorable
L. A. Sauer, Page 6
tro@ould be paid Into the Reed end BrSage mnd or the oounty
byrfrtaaor drtiole 1626 ana 1628, ~ernon’~ Annotated cirtl
mtutea -
Truetlng that the foregoing fully ensvmm yam inquiry,
m ara