Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1939 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEir GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN ZIonorable ikrl L. Coleman Aaelatsnt County Attorney rienton , Texas ymnt and the era, althou& tei and 86GOlld, 06 by the 46th an hct amondin~ Art. ia OOAStitUtiOIld; &her the half-foe8 Art. 1055, C.C.P., ia by the eoupty to tfro by tke latter Usposlted e ISalsry~Zund in a y where the ofrloere are ofam- tad on a selary basis. bycafp~k& gotar latter rjfJune 17, 193%. where&s iA rWJpOAS+2 to three qUaSt~On6. YOU t%dViOe 1 Mstriat. 19 a rural consolidated awmwn That et e L?iCOtiq otdhd for mvan memberrr were present. mat teaohqr, two rrT the nslaber0 present voted a@dARt suah.mploymont 6md the rez&nf.ng tro mu&ors, althou@ preamt, did not vote. Yom 3rst qusstlcn 1s whether under the oiruumatanoe8 the ection of tbr::e mrabers upon the contraot was sul'$ioiant. Your aQoond tpestion is khcthm xowe Mll t;Q.l%X3, emoted br the 46th Logic- laturc of T~xm3,'whioh is an Aot amcandlng idAale 1055, Code oi CriMmil i+ooadure, le conatitutionel. your third questton requesta BOA. Zerl L. Colemee, Page 2 our O~IAIOA es t.cwhether the half-lees yrooidsd to be seld by Oounties under certe:r; cirouatitenots es set fortt. in hrtials 1055, Code of Criminal krocedure, mhould bs paid by the county to the orfl- am-u out of tho Koad and Rrldgo Fun6 or the courty and then bepo6lted by such oifloeru in the OitIcsrs* Salary Fund In a county rharo the orficere are oorcpensetsd upon a aelary beaia. Article R779, Revised Civil Statutes, speaking probably of boards cl independent sohool districts oniy, providea thet: *n mejorlty 0r eaia board shall oOAStitUt8 e quorum to do business." Art1010 14, Rerised Civil Btatutea, provides that: "The majority of any legally constituted board or 005mi~elo~, unless otherwise epecielly provided, ehell aonetituts a quorum for the trenseation of bus1nsse.v Such is the general rule in the absence of statute. Mo- Eufllin On NI~iCipal ~O~l'lBtiOAf3, 2nd :.d., vol. 2, p. 440. It 16 thus apparent that IA the case pr&iMIAted to ua a eu~ilalent Amber of the trustees to oonetitute e quorum voted one ray or the other UFOA the teecher'e oontraot. If the tro members urkodid not vote had not been present, there can be no qus8tlon but that the otbsr five would have oonstttuted a quorum for the transeotion of buslnsse end that ma efflrlMtlvo vote 0r three out of the rive preeent would have beeA SUffiOieAt to b:nd the sObOo diEtriOt iA A OOntl?%Ot wlth e teacher. Cnder such clrcweetences We do not believe tbet the action of ttsiejority of those present and voting. end which aleo oonstituted a eaajorlty o t whet we8 neoeeeery to eonetltute l q u o r um, 00u 1 dLiedefected and nulllSIcd by the ectlon of two menbar rho appeared at the metine but sbatnlnad from voting. There lr eo5e c0firifct of aam0Tity OG this point but the zejority vfemeAd the better rcescnine it see=:8 to us supports the ooncluslo~ whlob we heve Just expressed. Dillorton KmlOlpel Corporations, 5th d. Vcl. 2, p. 851; j’c,ulllia on kunicipal Corpcratlone, 2nd EEd., vol. 2, p. 44~0 tlo'449; ;t.usi;villc h3.s co. Y. City~ of iLushvllle, l.E.1lnd. XX, 6 Y.Z.A. 515, 25 I;.%.72; iaunts v. Teople, 11.3111. 137; State Y. Yates, 19 kont..239, 47 Fat. 1004; ;tate v. City of b'ckllen, 91 ;;. t.. (2d) 06Ej (Bictum); notes tc the COSD 0r Lowrerce v. inFersol, 6 L.i;.i.. 306. Yntier tLe facts subc;ltted to us, our answer to your rirst cjunstion ie tht the 6rfir;totive vOte of three of the five trustees vttfng ws suZflcIent to enter into a 0oGtract employing a teacher, Eon. Enrl L. Coleman,Page s kddreaalng oureelvea to your eecond question; we beg to. advise that our opinion So. O-23, being oonfarenoeopinion MO. 5032, addressed to C. Burtt Potter, County Attorney ot gan Patriafo County, on January 11, lSS9, hr.ldlne that Bouee Bill No. 727 of the Rq@.ar Sssalon, Chapter 488 of the General and !:poaial Lara of the 435th Leglelature, bsine an amondatorp act to Article 1055, Cods or Crin- lnal Prooedure, 1926, ma8 Invalid, was based purely upon the fact that the onption or said bill did not conform to and WINI wholly lnetiilolent to aU6tain the body of the act. The caption to Souse Bill No. 205 ea pamed by the 48th Legislature of Texha, read8 aa follows: "An Act amending Article .lObS of the &de of Criminal Procedure of Terra; and deobrlng an emrgenoy.a Such oaptlone a8 t?As am tmlformlly held to be auffioisnt. Iomaok v. Cardnor 80 8. k. 589, Sl S. il'.S581 Cemoch v. Golomdo co. 48 E. PI.(24j 490; &3we v. Camlm3loner8~ Court, 69 8. W. (2dj 15s; Katz vs. State, M S. i. (&I) lS0; 39 Pox. Jur. 102. Our anauer to your aeoond question therefore 1s an arfiruativeone. In our oplnlon No. O-807, dated Nay 19, 1939, rrittOn by, ffonikrdsll ;Plll.a~ to l&r.L. P. Eesud, County Auditor, %r1t011, Texas, ln wsponae to the question a8 to what fees, otir810M and 408te county and preolnot ofglonrswho.am oompensatedon a ukslary bas3e are mqulrad to oolleot and pay to the Offloers~w Aurd, we expraaaed the vletwthat the aostr In alvll oa8e8 by tha stat8 end all faem, eosmlmcrlonsand cods oolleotsd from private parties who are required by law to pay euoh iem, oosmlsslonsand aorta whan oollsoted by 06un&y or praoinct oftlosrs oompensatad on a -Law baels mast.be depoalted In the Oftloers* Salary pund or euoh oouaty. In aooordanoeaitb that opinion, our armwor to your third question is in the negative. Tours very truly ByLkc GRL:lU GlLsanR. L-l@ AsslEtMt APPROVKNUN 24, 1939