Hon. Jep S, 

### Puller

Crlmlnal Dlstriot Attorney 

### Cpln%on No. V-919. Beaumont, Texas Be: Constructlon of Art. 

### 974a, V.C.S., as D4ar sir: amendedby H.B. 158, AatB 51st Legislature
Your request for en opinion relative to the oon#tructUm ot &z#olei 97h aa amendsd by the gist I&girldw4 **baB** h%@&W@%qUent~y liartt%d by you **t0** the i?llow~ que*bion:

“If the Cou@y Clerk has.preoented to 

### h5a ror rwordet2on ambdlvlrrion plat, WiGh

### ilathe rroope 

### or 

### Art. $##a, a&awxled, which plat ha6been sqqmbv4dby the #aper authorSttle!u but W&eh doee not looaf% such subdiviaion by a corner of the original survey, would it be the duty of suoh clerk to reCelve and reoord such plat or to refuse to 

### do 805 ” Sectton 

### 1or Article 974a, V.C.S., prior to Ita ull#wLplentby the 51st Le&slature provided:

“That hereafter, every earner of any tract or land a3tuated within the corporate llmlts OFwlthm five sUldrP,~~oi th&

### coryate limits of any city

. . . which aon-, a&ustwenty-five thousand inhabltant8 or more,

. . . whomayhereartezy aW&vlde the 

### rra#Wintwo or more arts 

## ror the purpose 

## or ittyag 

## OUT

utp **.5d&.w~.~i0~**


### . **~haii** 

### o&w-a plat to be madewhleh oh&i aeourately deecribe~ all of the subdivislim i **0r** such tract **or** parcels. 

### 0r land, giving dimensions 

### thereof, and the d+~~%nslonsof all the streets, sll%ys, squar%s, parks, or other 

### psrtimw 

## otreuse

## Inten%%% to be deWdate% to,$ub$lc we, or ror the uee or .~himm or amers 

## or leta rrsntlng there

### on@radjacent thbreto.”Eon. Jep S. Puller, page 2 (v-919)

HouseBill 158, Act6 of the 51st Legislature, 1949, prevldes as rollows:

“AnAct to amendSection 1 of Chapter 231 or the Act8 or the Regular Session of the Fortlet~.Legislature In 1927, mpear&g a8A&icle 974a of Vernon's Revised Civil Statutes, relative to the approval of subdlvlrion plats within the corporate limits or rlthln rive (5) aZlee of the corporate llm%lzs, **0r** certain cities so as to provide that the benefits andthe terms thereof shall extend to all cities; repealing Sect;Pon 10 of Chapter al, Acts, Regular Ses-~ NoA, Fortieth Legl$l~ture; and declaring an amargency.

“BEIT RNACTED

BYTRELEOISLATURB OF TRESTATROFTEXAS:

, “Section 1. That Chapter 231 of the

Acts of the Regular Session of the Fortieth Le islature In 1927, appearing as Article &a of Vernon's Revteed Civil Statutes (Section ?,.$hemeor honever, appearing as Article 427b'-&rVern6n8d Revised Penal &de), be amended &x-the, following particulars, to wit: "(1) Section 1 or said Act, nowappearing 61)Section 1 or said Article 974a, is hamby amended$o that itshall hereafter read as follows, namely:

“‘Section 1. That hereafter every ow& er of any tract of land,sltuated within the corporate limits. or within five miles of the-corporate lfrhfts of any city in the State ZTexasp whomayher- .+ Mtoor more parts for the purpose of lagIng out any subdivision De Dshall cause a plat to be madethereof which shall accurately describe all of eafd eubdivfsion or add%- tion by metes andbounds and locate the 8-e with respect to an original corner of the orleltnall survey of which ‘it is a,Dart, glvfng Be dim&slons theFeof of said subdivision or addition, anddlmenslons of all streets, al

### lws osquares, parks or other portions 6fHon. Jep S. FuPler, page 

### 3 (V-919)

saae intended to be dedicated to public use, 

### or ror the use of purchasers or oun%rs of lots frontfug thereon or adjacent thereto; provfded, however, that no plat Cf any subdivision 

### of a.nytract or land or any addition to any town or city shall be recorded unless the mimeshall accurately d%rcPObeall of said subdlvialon or addition **by** aetes **and** bounds and locate the samenith respect to an or--

Sectiion 

### 35 or Article III, Constitution **or** Yeam **pro7laer** UIfoluwe:

*Hobfl1 o 0 eshall contain more #ban on%

### Bobect,

t uhf&h shall be expreusCQinltstlle. Butiraap subsect shall Be.embraced,Qn an sot, ihlch shall not be bxpressed in:the tftle, such act shall be pbfd 

### only as to so muchthereof. as shal1 pot be so expressed." (Baphasis added).
In construing the above quoted provklnn It hae been held that the objtct of this pmvfeion of ’ the -CoMtlf%tion is to compel the caption to contafn the subjects embraced wlth5.n the bill. This prevents the caption from concealing the purpose of the bill snd avoids deception 5.nits adoption. It is by means of the title that the 1egislatoP mayreaeonabfy be apprised of the scope of the bill so that surprise maybe prevented. ThetltlethatstatestBe purpose tomake a certain change in the prior law limits the amendatory act to the maicIngof the change designated andprecludes any addlttonal contrary or different aprendment. ffulf Xnce Co, v. James, 

### 143 Tex. 

### 424, 185 S*W.2d

### 96-g attle and PastuPe Co. v. Carpenter, 109 Tex. 103, w 

### 52 (1918) Bar&~$11~~ 

### 67 s.R.z& Loufsfana Power Co, v. City of (Tex.Comm,Appz 

### 1933); 39 Tex. ur.

. Wequote from the Gulf Iwsumnce case the'follOWIn&
"It fs sf@ii"fcant in this cogunectfom that the bill as orLglnally 3.Ektroducedcontafned only the matter set out In S&ion 1,Eon. Jep 9. pullet, page 4 (v-919)

of the Act, Vernonls Ann.Civ.St.art.668~, B15, relating to the transfer of the operator’s and chauffeur’s license fund. The caption to the Act was entirely appropriate to cover that subject, but was not approprlate to cover a transfer of any other mnda. Thereafter, sometime on the last day of that seecrlon of the Legislature, the bill wa4amendedby a free conference committee to include the seventeen addltional funds, 88provided ior in Section 2 of the Act, Vernon's Ann.Civ.St.art.4385ai But nomaterial change was madeIn the title to the bill whenthis amendmentwas added. This created an ideal aituatlcm whereby the membersof the ge. ,‘ltur6 might be misled by the title to 3.

“The tStle to the Aot cont8%m nothing to Indicate that the body OSthe Act purported to tr&n#fer.the seventetn special funda Pe$erred to.,in Section2cfthe Act, Vernon’@ I\nn.Clv.St.art.4385a. Section 2 of the Act ti therecore unconstitutional.

“Weby nqamas llntend to insiauate thst the fi$%le to @heAcf was 80drawnror the purpo+$ of ~tleaelving 8ny one. There la

Article g74a prior to its amendmentby the 5lst Legislature contained no provialon requiring the aubd@rlsion or adQlt$m to~be located with respect to an of which it la a body of 

### House ..Wenote, however, any reference to such adb&tlona>~

Fequiremeaft: nm do we find any provision in t@e e8ptiOn wlkich showB,that this additional Changewas to bi?m#de$4i&tScLe $‘#al As stated in the Gulf Insur@ioe c(aae, #ppr@, we do not intend to Insinuate that

‘the t$tle on $&a bJ,,JJ W&B drawn far the purpose of dacelwlng anyone. or emor. ft m$qhave been a complete oversight

wenap&@ he14 that the caption was not suf-

### Hah.Jep 8. loller, page 5 (V-919)

In view of the above quoted conatltutional prwlsion and the above holding by the Texas Supreme Court, It Is our opinion that that portion of House Bill 

### 138 requiring eub~dlvisfans or addlticns to be Pocated with respect to an orfgfnal corner of the orfglnal. survey of which it fe a part, is ln vfo9ation of Section 

### 35 of Article III of the Constitutfon of Texas.

You are therefore advised that If the County Clerk has presented.to himfor recordation the subdfvielan plat within them scope of Article 97'ra, BBamended by.Bouee Bill 158, which plait haa been approved b,ythe proper authorities, but which does not locate such sub- ~divlalon with respect to an orlglnal corner, of the ori- @ml survey, he should not refuse to receive and file .atiohpl& because of Its failure to have a 1ocatSon with reference to an original corner.

.That portion of XoudeBill 

### 158, Acts of the.$lst fR&lslatWe, placing an additional FeqrtsMpent that'plats of subdlvialons or addltlona shall locate such subdlvlslona with respect ~toan original corner of the or&pnal survey is in violation of Article III, Section 

### 35 of the Constltutlon of Texas, alnce that Dart of the amendmentwas not Drovlded fbr in caption s of E&e Bill 158~-Gulf0~ummce 

### J~LUPW, 143TAX.424, 185s w d !a6 ; m Cattle and Pasture Cc, v. Carven109 Tex. 103 200 SW 

### 521 I1918) T lana.Power CA. v. Cit; of Farmer&* W;2d 235 (Tex.Comm.App.1933); 

### 39 Tex.Jur,

Yours very truly,

John Reeves Aasintant