Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1940 )

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OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
BOnOr8bh Charles R. Martln
County Auditor
Harrison county
Marehdl, Texa8
leer
vfe quotr from
adrlrlne me a8 to
anor ceasmsbsooma
tin0 of tha trial ooust aonviation,
beocmr earned artm rinse notion in
rt? In other words, rherm 8 prty
in the County Court ot a niW¶~eUIOr
year 1939, and the Oauee appealed end
ater by the court or criminal A~paals
the par 1940, an4 tti Constable did not
report the rare a~ hatlag been earned an4 unool-
liotml 4uring th year 1939, would he now be en-
title4 to retain mm when oolleoted 4urin1.3
the
year 19407
,
Honorable Charler R. Martin, Page i?
ArMale 3899, Vernon'8 Annotated Taxar Civil stat-
utea, read8 88 r0ii0wrt
*Eaoh dlrtrlot, ootmty and preolnot offloar,
at the olore of lauh fircal y6ar (Deaamber Slat)
&all mke to the dlrtrlat oourt of the oountl in
wMoh he redder a 8worn statement In trlplloate
form (on rormr dealgned and agprored by the state
Audito r ) l copy 0r whioh lta tementshall ti ror-
war4ed to the stato Auditor by tha alerk oi the
dlrtriot oourt 0r ~814 county wlthln thirty (30)
dayr miter tbr mm ha8 been ii186 In hi8 oftloo,
and one oogy to bo filed with the oounty auditor,
II any; othertice said aopy rhall be filed with
the Commla8loner8* court. sat& report hall rho*
the amunt of all faaa, oomml8rlona and oompnma-
tloar whatoror earned by said offloer during thr
fi8aal yerrl an4 8eoondly, rhall rhor the amount
0r fee8, aommlssionr and oonpsnsationa oolleated
by him during the fiscal par; thirdly, said ra-
port ahall contain an ltemlzed statement of all
foe8, aommlsrlonr and oonpwatlona earned dur-
ing thr flsaal year wh$oh wure not oolleoted, to-
gether with the name of the party owing raid feeI,
co88l8rlonr and aompen8atlonr. Said report 8hall
ba flied not later than Fabruary let following the
olore or the rlsoal year an4 ror eaoh dal efter
raid date that raid report rma1r.u not riled, 8ald
offlorr rhall br liablr to a penalty Of Twenty IIre
($85.00) Dollars, whloh 6ay be reoorered br the
oountr in a ruit brou&ht for ruch p@rpO8e8, an4 in
additicn 8816 offloer ahall be rubjeot to removal
fro8 0fri0h*
Artlole SSW!!,VernonL'aAnnotate4 Texas Oirll Stat-
uto8, read8 a8 rolloraI
MAny offlaer lwntloned la this Chaptar who does
not oolleot the maxImum amount 0r hi8 reer r0r 8ny
rlwaal par and vk~oreport8 delinquent roea ror that
s, rhall be lntltl 4 to rotain, when 0011 t d
part of ruoh de&pent fser a8 18 8uf&tt to
complete the maximum oompatmation authoriaed by ArtlOle8
3883, SASS-A, and 30886for the yaar In rhloh delinquent
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Xoaorable Charles R. Martin, page 0
ree8 ware ohnrged, ratI8180 retain the amount or
8x0888 reer authorizaa by law, and tb remainder
0r the dell uaat rers ror that rfroal year Sh8l1 be
paid as here“p n provided rOr when oolleoted; prcw$dod,
the ~Oti8iO~8 0r this Artlole shall not apply tc
say orrfo8r after one year rrom the date he oeaaes to
hoia~tha ofrloe, the amount 0r raer oolleote4 rhmll
br pal6 into the OMlnty treABt&ry. Prorlded, haatez,
that UsthlILgin this AOt preoluder the gaysant Or u-
ortlolo reer la aooordauae with Title 61 oi tha Re-
vised Civil Shtratea or Texas, loea, as part 0r ths
8nxlmm 008 a8atloa. ProrlUaa, that any ohaa&o nde
In this Art rale by thl8 Aot ahalllnot a ply to rear
heretoron earned.* (under8oorl~ ours P
hrtiolm 1045 ~*snon~s AMOt8tad Tuar C444~3otrOr&m- ’
-Gai.~~ooeUruo,
..~, TSSdS In prt as rOilOW81
,’
*The follewing tees ahall be allowea the rherlrr,
or other paoe orrloer Darfonning the same renioea In
miadez!mMor Cases, to be taxa@ against the daiendent
on oonvlotlonr . . . m
~Opinfon HO. O-703 Or thi.8DepWtWllt holds that the
provlalonr or Artlole 3897, Vernon*8 Annotated Texas Civil
8tetutea requlriag that fess earned but not oollaoted by the *
0rri08r &arLng tha rir0dl year ho reported .*r mandatory and / * ~J~
=St bo aom~llsd with b&ore tha uatfoq 0i t-2 l paoe 18 en-
titled to ret*ln under the prorlri .bns 0r Arttale 38893,Vernon*8
Annotated Texas Clvll 8tatuta8, delinquent eXamln$u trlal reea.
We lnolose herewith a copy of Op$nlon ?io. O-703 whloh aontalna
a ruii diSOU88iOn 0r the m8tter.
Webater'a Hew International Dlotlouary, 8roond Sdl-
tloa, 48rin88 the nor4 *earna as rOiiOW81
*To mo?lt or dS80~0, as by labor o r l~'VlO0i
to do that whioh entitled onr:to a reward, whothor
tha:: mt?ard 18 rOaOive& Or ItOt.'
Artfole 1086, 40&e or crhlzml zvooeaure, pmrlder
rees r 0r aon8kue8 In ml8dema a noa ss
resr o r ler vio es
p er r o r a a a .
There tees are taxable agslnat the 4Mendant upon oontlotlon.
We think the oonatable luna an arrest fee rhea he aaMe8 thr
wa r r a ont
r lrraat~ tla twb nho 8ummon8 a witness ho earn0 the
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Honorable. Charlse R. Martin, Page 4
fee for auoh service; that he aerna the other fees outlfnaa
by tha statute when ha parfoxma the earvloaa required. Bow-
aver’, these fees, although earned at the time of the perform-
anoa of the aervloa, are not taxable and oollectlbla against
a defendant until the final oonvlctlon of the defendant. The
final oonvlctlon of the defendant determines that the constable
wlll hare a right to oollsct or attempt to collect the fsea
that he earned. We think that the constable’s fees Should be
oonaldsrsd earned as of the tlma he perfonasd the larvloa.
Statutes protiding r808 ror pub110 OrriCOrS are
atrlctly oonatrued. Under the provialona of Artlole 3897, supra,
the OfflOar la required to make a sworn report at the aloes of
eaoh flaaol year and the statute requlrsa, among other things,
that the report shall contain an itemized statement of all
fess, aommlaalona and companaatlona arrnsd during the fiscal
year whloh wars not oollauted, together with the nema of the
party owing sald reea, oommlsafona and oam~nsatlons. Article
3892, authorizes the officer to retain delinquent fees for one
year oollected In a subsequent year provided ths delinquent
faea bra reported for ths year said feaa were earned.
We quote from Oplnloa No. O-709 of this Department aa
rollowa:
“It la our view that the requirement that euoh
fees be Included in the offloar~a s11~rn report, being
mandatory, is a oondltloh precedent to allowing hlm
to retain such fees aa allowed him by Artlola 389Z end
falling to do ao, suoh orricer has not met the requlre-
menta or the statute.*
In enswor to your queetlon you are reapactfully mlVlesd _.
that it la tha opinion of this Department that e oonatabla’a
roes In misdemeanor cases baooma “earned” when ha perrorma the
orrlclal aerrlcas as outlined by statute, but that auoh uaarnadW
fees do not beoome collectible from tha dafendent until ha is
ritim convlotsd. gt la ths rurther opinion 0r this Dapertment
t-t wKame a defendant la convlota4 of a mla4amaanor In CoUtY
aourt in 1939, tha ceuae appaalad and affltrmedby ths Court
, of Criminal Appeals in 1940, ~4 where the oonatable did not
report his fess aa having been same4 and uncollected In hi8
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Honorable Charler R. Martla, Paagr 5