Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

TTOBXNEY GENERAL CD@-%-EXAS

l4Juch l&1949

?Iwa Durwoed Maniwd, Spe8ker OpLdon N& V-768. Howe of Repremeatmtivem 51rt Legielature Ref QwmhdmUmageud Awtin, Texu pm? diem of holdover memberofWLogtmAm- two.

Yopr reqwdfor u bpidou la bawd ?m tke fm&w- lug fact8 which are recited in ltimiaacm la you? provlouo ~iettor of J~uary 24019498

Mro W. E. Heatiy warn elechd end qualified b topa remeqt tke 104th Dimtrict in Ucr 5otl Legilb*oo 1947, Mro A. A& Eaaem warneloctod te ht offbe low the 51rt Legimlaturo, 1949, Eues b ec a me ser io wlilly mndlubnalbed h&r *a-b8 to Uu Governor after the election bat before m for the office. The Governor immedh l td y the romipu(lmaa mad fomib cceptmd called a Special Election for February 10, I94)o to elect a lucce~- ur to Eaws. In Opinion No. Y-760. in awwer to your farmor queatien, it wan held that Mr. Heatly lhould coatinw t# repremmat the DirtrictM him wcceuor wu elected and qualMid 'The boldiap wae made pursuant to Section 17 of Article XVI of the Taam Conetitutkus which provides that .All officer8 wi* thle State lhall continue tc pedormtha dutiem of their of&em uaUlthoii mwcem- sore &all be duly qculified.9

Your presentinquiry ir whether Mre Iiertly, who har now boea succeeded by a newly electid Repreaenhti~e~ im (YII- titled to be paid from the firet dmy of tLlr memmhn, $tiam?y U, 19490 or,from the day on which he Was 4mtnirtmred tha utL on Jlr~y 26,1949. You further ark wbethr Mro Hafly Im matitled to die- ag* in coming to the meat ef govb?aaneSat madreturlhgb

The fundamental Coaet&t@ionaI ptovieion in queetto8 im Section 24 of Article III which reads in part8 ,~

lMmmbo*m mt Wm Logim’lm~o lbmll so- cdve #rem W *lie boamy a pw diem of wt lwuding $ 1 0.00 p er d8y. ,. “Ia addlitoa to &a pmr dimr tk anma+ bets of e8ch Xowo ehdl be mW8d b d&a~o in goiqto m8drhard~~from~ loa4J Sew ,. M a mea t.. l

Whilm @ h o c 0 im lo mo dlrnqree in o&w rntdom u 90 whothu ihe iwumboat (HeaUy) hoidm over w&r M 08tma- rim of lam tmrm~ oi by walua,*~ 1 5 g P M Wo t Qht ~‘& uth o r i~ mdo r b a lLvio wm, am -rit in Ojdmin I@. V-760, h@dm Wt the iwambod (HoMy) cantied b ace 4th aU i& powwr, du- Uorr'mdrompmdbl~~*r ckrnb 8ttyshmdudilYm 8weo1mw q&Me&f TLU Wn. C. h& Quo* am Irirmt kmidutt AWrnmy Oaaarll”Cblof JwUw of tlu Suprozw Cow& of Tesam, rrr*k in 1914:

’ State v. For#uaom, US Ohio St 51, 76 N.&Zd 3t3 (197); Stata v. Stafford, 99 Monk 88, 43 P.Ed 636 (1935), Wood v, Wep, l54 Ark 318, 242 S.W. I73 (192S)t St~ta v, Bewdoa, 92 S,C. 393, 75 ,S.E. 866 (1912)t Bmber City v. Murphy, 30 Or, 40s. 42 P. 133 (1895); 22 R.C.L. 555, Publia Officerm,i 2%

2 v. Mw8, 214 Ky. 764, 284 SW. ll3 (1926)r Side v, Cu- ~3ullerkm roll, 133 Waa& 459, 234 P. 22 (i925); Pooplr v.,Sweiber, 2IO I& 436, ll7 N.E, 625 (1917)t State vo Youaq, 137 Lmo 102, 60 So. 241 (1915); 46 C.J. 963, 971, Officmrm, Smcffoa 96, ll6, 1,

3 S&rock v. liylba, 133 S.W.td 175 (Civ, Appo 1939)l Pldw Com- mon Conmol. S&eel Did. va Hayhurmt, I22 S.W.td 322 (Cir. App. 1938): Stak v* Jordu, 22 S,W.td 921 (Ch. App. 1930, orror dorm,); Walker v. Hoppia#, 226 S.W. 146 (Civ, App, 1920); Jkrrr v* Hellor. 152 Md. 481, UT A, ‘294 (1927): Jan&y v. Baldwin, 120 Ku. 332, 243’Pac. 302, 47 &L,R. 4760 34 Tex. Jw, 370, P&lie Officers, .Scction 31:43 Am, SW, 19-22, Public Officorm,SecU~361-1643 42 Am. Jur. 980, Public Officerm, Sectien 139146 C.J. 960, 969, Offi- cers, Sectiow 110,Illa Mechrm *Public Officera,* p1 257. &&ion 397; Throop *Public Offkerr,* p, 329, Sect&on 3281 Annotation 74 A.L.R. 486,

Hon. Durwood Manford,’ Page 3 (V-788)

Y. . . the term of office of a member of the Legislature &all be twe yurs *. * bat . . w nevertheless, afkdhe expiration ef tht term thus fixed by the CeastiWion, he l - contkue te perform the duties of his effice u&l Lls sue- cessor shdill have been duly quaIlfled.*

Consistent with such principle are holdings that an offlcer boldiug over is a *de jurc” offictr, Two Texas cases have so held. Skk Y,, Jordan, 48 S.W.td 921, (Civ. App, 1930. error dism.)l Cowan v.,Capps, 278 S.W. 293 @iv. App. 1925, rttr, on other #rettads, 286 S.W. 161): 34 Tax. Jar. 370, Public Officers, Sec. 3 lr This is ke rule l$aother skks also. 46 C. J. 969,1S16, OKicers, Sections ill and 235.

Tl& conclusion reached by the courk from the above~holdlngs is that such officer is entitled to the emolurnenk ef the office. The rule has been skkd in 46 Corpus Juris 1916 in these wards: ‘4 de jure officer, by law entitled to held ovtr until a successor has been aleckd or appelnted and qualifled , . . ia entitled to the compensatien of the ef.fice, during the peried d holding over 1* The rule is similarly stated in 22 Ruling Case Law * 325 that:

“It la a well establkhed principle that a aalryy perkining k an office is an incident of the office itself a D B Yet the right to a pub- lic office curie6 with it the right to any amel- umeuts which may. pertain k it, aud to the per- SOB legally holding the office beleng the par- quisiks ud emolurnemts attached by law k the office, as fully does the office ikclf . D 0 A pub- lic officer entitled k hold over after the erpi- ration af his krm until 4is sutkcessor should be elec may ~d c o ntinue todr a hwis llary durh the time in which he holds ever,*

4 Opinion No. 129% k Qev. C01quit.t~dated Oct. 20, 1914, and found ln Reports Md Opiniow of tit Attorney Gen@r&l 1914-16, at page 405,

EfQDnW Mdesd, Pags 4 (V-788)

Former AMamwys GemmA have held k pr4m opir- 40~s thetin erder fw newly electedmember* to qua14fy as mem- bers oi the Legirhtwc, SO as ke be entitled te per #tarn and mile- age, the claimanhr mu*t hve take.* th* crrDeMtutional oat% of offlee.6 Howwer B hokk~rw ra~#&mtab h &he by v&k&e ef &is p&agpsalee- tion and qualificatkan, anal t&err is ne necessity for him tre re$uel- ify for offkce dprin,g tke h&&w+r perked. The oMJsti)~dm t&et:

The Tea8 Sqearne Cent ,iaibe case of S Sheppard, 136 Tex, 277, 160 S,W.Zd 769 @94l;), laald that r k per dlem is not dependent 01 acti aMewMw.8 at the sebekm of t&2 Legislakre.

We tbe~ref,ore ho&d that Mr. Weatly is eRtdtled k Sk mileage in going te and rcturaSap frem the seat of govcrnmcclt U to per diem from January lA, 1949, the first day of the session, ua- til such time as his successor duly qualified.

~0%. DUZWOHI bhaford, Page 5 (V-788)