882 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

&onorable U. A. Davis 

Btats Registrar 

Tour State Board of Health 

Au&in, Texas 

You have ro of this department 

ou a:ix questions r tion of llle$itlmate 

rsoordsd or aevti- 

“(2)L..iIkthat provision retroaatlve, and doer 

It apply to a birth rcgfstsred prior to the paarage of H. is. 1977 

“(3) Shouid the County Judge, In aoaslderlng 

a certificate ftled under the prorisrons of Sea. 

15, as amended, (1943), asoertaln whether the ohlld 

was or wa8 not legitfmate prior to the approval of 

the cortificete? 
885 

Bonorable Y. A. Darla, paBe 2 

‘(4) Would the provlalona of this Amendment 

be tiolated it the item of legltimaoy be marked 

out on the present form and used for the reglstration of an illegitimate birth. 

'(5) Slnoe more than 95% of the blrths that 

are reglatared are legitimate, would a birth oertlfloat4 upon vhioh no atatemeat 0r the legitimaoy 

appeared 5.ndloate that the birth was lllegltieete?" 

(6) "Should a birth reoord rhiah does not 

make rry l tateaent aa to the leg~timaey of the 

ohlld, and no name or other item8 IdentlSylng the 

rather, be accepted by the County Court, and ii 

aooepted by the Court and forvarded to the State 

Bureau, should a oertlfied 00~9 of that reoord be 

iaaued uhen ordered b9 a Distriot Court?* 

We believe that that ortlon of Xouse Bill Bo. 197 

at the Regular Seaalon of the 4 8 th Iagialature, quoted by you, 

la so olearly unaonatftutlonal aa to render uaeleaa sag anaver to four queatlons relating to it8 appliaation. 

Prior to the paaaago of thla Aot, the only proviaion of the Vital Statiatlos frv of Texas aontalnlng an9 reatriotlon oimparable to the one quoted by you Yea aa follovar 

%elther the State Registrar nor any looal 

registrar ehell issue a certified copy of an9 birth 

or death ‘eertlfloate wherein a ohlld or en adult 

la atated to be illegitimate, unleaa such aertlffed 00~9 la ordered b 

ladlotion.' (Artiole 1 

a oourt of oompe&ent jur477, Rule 47a (25), V,A,C.S.) 

But this new provfafo5 goea moh farther, aud even 

prohibita an9 indication of lllegitiraaay ln the reoord itself. 

Seatlon 35 of &tlole III of the Constitution of 

Texas provider ; 

"Ho bill . . . shall aontain more than one 

l ubjeot, vhioh ahall be expreaaed ln it8 title. 

But ir an9 aubjeot &tell be embraoed in an l ot, 

vhlch ahall not be expreaaed 1n the title, euah 

aot ahall be void only ar to 80 muah thereof aa 

shall not be 80 expreaaed." 
Y - 

884 

Xonorable Y. A, Davis, page 3 

The title of raid blouse 8111 197 la aa fOllOQ81 

“AH ACT to amend Section 18, Chapter 41, &a 

of the First Called 3easion of the Fortieth Legislature, aa amended~by Seatloa 2, Bou8e Bill Ao. 

614, Aots of the Regular Seaalon of the Portyalath Legislature, as amended by Seotlon 1, Rouse 

Bill Ho. 974, Chapter 564, Aotr of the Regular 

Saraion OS the Forty-seventh Le 

? 

tl.dcre, as 

emtided by SeutLon 1, Eouae Bil- Ho, 624, Chapter 525, Aata of the Reguler 3esaioa of’ the Bortyseventh Leglalature, l o as .to provlda for unliora 

fees to be oharged for the laausuae of delaytd 

birth and death ~ertifluatea by the Probato 

Court, Clerk thereof, arrd the State Reglatrar~ 

aml to provide ‘Wet my cltixen of’ Taxer wishing 

to file the record of any birth or death ooourring 

inside the State of Taxaa nob previously reglatered, may aubmlt auoh record to the Probate 

Court in the county where. such blcth or death 

occurredi to provide 4~19 aftisen of the State 

of Texoa wishing to file the reoord of any birth 

or death ooourring outside the State of Texas 

not previously registered may submit such reaord 

to the Probate Court in the county where he realder; and deolarlng an emergenoy.’ 

It will be noted that, vhile this title goes beyond 

a mere statement OS a purpose to amnd the previous acts of 

the Legislature named therein, and attempts to specify the 

things for wbioh it provldea, yet it la not ao uritten aa to 

put a le~iafator on aotlce that one of the speoliia provisions 

of t&e Act (and one new to the 1aU of Texas) prchlbita the use 

of a form for reaordln$ births whiah mey indicate thet any 

such birth was lllegttimate. 

In our Opinion 80.0-25, Ye held uneonatitutlonal 

en act vhloh provided for the payncnt oi half-fees to “off+ 

care and vltnessea” in eertain mfsdemetior aaaea, because the 

title o? the Act stated only tbet it related to rcea paid 

~conatablrs. ” That opinion, end the authorities therein oltad, are, so applicable to the instant ceae, that ue take the 

llbertq of quotintog from it St lengtht 
ass 

Honorable N. A. JBvl8, pago 4 

" 

. . . . 

"It ha8 been aon818tently held by all of our 

appellate oourts that a tit10 or oaptlon exprersiq 

8 purpore to 8mend a rtatute in a certain 98rtioulu 1s deoeptioe and Isi8leadlng in 80 tar a8 the 

body Of the aOt purport8 to amend the prior &V in 

other partlaularr. 39 Tax. Jur. 104. While it I8 

true, as stated tn paragraph 48, p. 102 or 39 Ter. 

Jur.2 Wm title or an aaendatory l ot 18 ordinarily 

8urriant to allow an 

8ubjeot 0r the origina I 

naendment geman to the 

rtatute, ir it pro9erlr 

rpeallleo the ahapter and 8eatlOa. or the revl8lon 

and srtiale, to be 8awutod;~ the 88ma authorit 

further 8tater the lavt 

**speoirloatioq 0r rmd 0r atmndrPsnt.- 

“‘In addition to~h?i?it%iiient Of 8 pwp08e 

to amend a given lnu or provlrion, a title m8 agp 

OifJ the nature of the amendment nna vheFi doe. 

80 thfi?itE m murt oonfo='-- - - -- -- 

‘Among the many oaror alted in rupport of the 

text 18 to be round the ease or Katl: V8r state, 54 

SW (2nd) 130, In that 0186, the aaptlon read8 as 

r0ii0w8 t 

“An aat to amend Se&ion 14, Artiolo 7047, or 

the Revlred Civil Statute8 or 1925, relatln to 

bnd imposing an ooaupation tax on money -----Id-- n era and 

darinlng wuw and providing for Qartain erasptloru, 

and declaring an emerge:.oy.’ 

“The body of the bill propoasd to plme a tax 

on Boner lender8, but the 8eotlon ot th8 rtatute to 

be amended vaa one taxing ‘loan brokerr’. The court 

held the amendatory aat void. In tho oourao of the 

oplnlon othe oourt 8ald; 

*‘In rtatlng the prlnolpler from vhiGh ft my 

be detormlned whether thr tltlo to a bill meet8 tho 

requirement 0r neation 35, drtiala 3, 0r th0 con8tltutlon, YO 6re not to be underrtood a8 holding 

that the titlo or an aot amendatory or an srtlolo 

in a oode, such a8 our Revired Statuter, 18 inrufridea ii it doe.9 no more than rarer to the oodo 
. 

Bonorablo U. A. ~vir, p6go 5 

and the nuab~r of tho brtiQl0 themin. Tha OOUPtS 

or thin Stat0 have hold that a r8forenoo to a number ot an artlok in a Code, Such 88 Our Revlssd 

StatUteS, I8 SUrrlOiO5t ~JI th8 title Or a%i 4Ot 

aamndatory thOrooi, to allow auy aemndwnt ger~mbn0 

to tho 8ubjOOt troatod in the art1010 rorerrod to. 

English & Boottlah-Annrioan MOrt. & Inv. CO. v, 

Rardy, 93 Tex. 289, 55 SN 169; Stato v. #oCrscicsn, 

42 Tex. 334. Tho reason ror th0 holding appears 

to bo that th0 nAming Or the artfalo to tn rprSiIded dlreota attention to all Or th0 ~l’OVi8iOn8 

therein, aa the rubjoat of the amending l ot, and 

that suoh provl8lon aan b0 aroertalned by readlng the artlolo to bc amended. However, when the 

bgirlaturo rortrlotr th0 title 0r an ammdator 

act by reiorenae to tho number in the oode ot t 

Srtlole a?86 UOd. and anuounoo8 Its Durpo80 to deal 

with th0 o~k.inalbill in re8Doot to Dartlaular 

matters therein it 18 bound to gwern itself 

oordlnnly. and koeo within what itself dOalar$ 

- 

would be tho liIIlit8 Oi LtS D,rODOSOd a0tiOIi. gutherd Statutory Conrtructlon (2d Ed . J V 01. 1. Sea, 

553, 

3tate v8~hmrioan bkigar~Rer93& Co., 106 La. 

31 so. 181, 106.' 

. 

. . . l 

“The trU8 rUh in ruoh OaSOS a8 Y8 have here 

pre8OatOd is ruaoinctly stated in Texar JurlrprudOnae, as rOliOvS$ 

‘Wwther a tit10 18 oompr8hen8ivr or rortrl.ated, OXprOSSOd in gcnoral +aPS Or 111th partiaularlty, it must be in agroomont and oonforralty, and 

not at V’Wi5~Nrs, with the SUbjoCt Or th8 hgiSl8- 

tion. . . i h tit-l, 18 dOOeptiv0, ial oP PLiSleading ii lt dirguiser the tru0 purpose or the 

not and ilnpOPt8 l SUbJOOt dirrOr0nt rroa that to 

whioh the aut rOlatm. and uhether or not a title 

StOtSS the gOIiOPa1 9UP908. Or tho aOt, It 18 Piaidbg ir it 8t8bIB8 SptOiriO pUrpOOO8 in Such 

lMIllk8r 88 to dOnOOal Othbl’ 9lW908OS not Stated.’ 

“(39 Tox. Jur. 100, citing Bitter v. Bcxrr 

County, 11 BY (la) 163, and OthaP CaSeS.) 

886 
goaorable U. A. Davis, page 6 

"The original 0 inloo in the ease 0r ltr parts 

E$ut8111, 38 SH (2d? 803, held the attempted amondstory SOt invalid, and on SUbSOqWot motlOM for 

fzpv~8ing 811 tWbO~8 Or th0 00-t OXp4JSSOd them- 

. Said tho oourt through Judge I&timorol 

"'hll -VA JMSSOd by the k@ShtWe Or t.hiS 

State orLglnat8 la blllr, Upon l aoh oi whloh must 

appear a aaption or title, and Seotlon 35, hrt. 3 

of out Coastitutlon iorblds that any bill, vith 

oortah oxaoptlona ohall ooatala aoro tbm on4 

SUbjO%t, vhioh Sh8i1 b o~orood ia it8 tith. 

It has beoa held br the court8 that whoa the ex- 

~e88 vorbiaga Or such tit10 linrit8 onb r~Stl“iQt.8 

tho 9W9080 Or the bill, q StteIII9t to lOglSklt0 

OtherWi8~ Fn 8Uch bfllmriant rrofa the pW'pO80 

prerorlbad, i8 in exae44 0r the 1egl41at1v0 paver, 

and that A 18P SUbjQUt t0 this OOm9lalnt iS UAconrtltutlonal.~ 

'The aaptlon of tho ammdatorg act hero under 

conrlderatioa lndtoatsd the 9~r9080 or tho bill 

related to ona Si.4510 thing, l.o., to the feO8 

9aid oon8tabler. The tramore 0r the bill thus inrormed the publla and theLr rellou l4gi8lator8 

that the pUr908e 0r the bill war to arreot the 

feO8 of aonrtabler only. In the body or the bill 

substantial change8 vero made arrwm.0g all roe 

orflcers. All of them would be oatltlsd to hali 

their costs in all their mi8deme8nor oa868, excopt thoao di8lal88od, and mama vould bo 9ald by 

~8varlou8 0ountlO8, unla8a paid by tho dofond- 

. 

"The Suprome Court in the ease or Yard Cattlo 

& Parturo 00. v. Carpenter. 200 Sli 521, Wherein an 

aot Of the Thirty-Third fsgl8latkWe (1913) 188 lnvolvod, reiured to ranatlon an amaadaent to Artlale 7235, R. C. S., exoludlng Xatagorda County 

rrom a list or l aumratrd oountict8 entitled to lavoke tho 8tOGk hV. Such l o t omittsd nstagorda 

County under a aaptlon lnaludlng othernamed countiea. Chief Justloo Pht11ipS uaad the rOllOWg 

languagei 
Boaorablo li. A. DaVl8, pago 7 

888 

"'lhr purpO80 Or the OOMtitUtiOMi PrOViSlCn 

la r48peot to tho~titlo or logi8lat1v4 aotr 18 well 

und4rstood. It 18 that by mans of the title tho 

lOBiSht0~ lEaY bo rOS8OMblY aDpr184d Of the SQODe 

I the bill SO that SWDri84 and fraud in lOBiSlU- 

&on may b wevont4d. True, aooordlng to provlour 

a40i810n8 zr thf8 OOUTt, ir th0 tit10 had O&p dooluod that th4 ptlrpO84 Of the aOt Van to 8m4nd 

artlolo 7235 or the R4vl8ed Statutes, it would 

bov0 l uppor an toSot d amending the artlOlo 80 as 

to omit Hatagorda County. But with thirr tit14 

anaounoing, as it dobe, that the art1010 Was to 

bo anendod In a partioulu Yay, no lsgislator 

uould rrasonably havr aonoolved that it ma@ to 

bo amended in another vay l x8Otly contrary to 

that stated. This la a oaso illustrating the 

vlddom and Justla8 of th4 oonatitutlonal prov1- 

81On.' 

'For addltlonal 08898 and authorltler on this 

propo8ltLoa, a001 

"guthorland on Statutory Construotion (1st 

Rd.) Sea. 90, pa 99. 

'39 Trx. Jur., sea. 48, 9. 102, et 84Q. 

'H0h8an v* Widen & Sutherland (Clv. App.) 

158 sU 571 (vrlt 0r error roiured 

"Bwxusbtt v. Stato, 42 SU (26 

Rlia<on v. Rallvap Go,, 283 SU 

'Arnold v. L8owd, 273 BU 799 

75 

"Bitter v. B4x8r Cbunty (Tex. Coma. App.) 

11 SW (ad) 163 

Vulr Roduot1on co. v. 

App.) 24 SU (26) 389. 

Garrett (Tel. Comm. 

1) . . . l 

mTho Q,gtls 0r 8 statute haa no l nawzq roroo. 

Vhsn tho body and thr tltlo are in aonfliot, th4 

latter lW8t yi4ld. . . l I 

In view 0r the abovo rules, therefOre, it 18 our 

oplnlon that that part Of said HOuee Bill NO, 197 vhioh provider that 'no pr48orlbed form for reaordlng birth cartilloates 
889’ 

Bonorable it. A. ikwlr, page 8 

shall indicate that any birth reoorded or oertifhd wan lllegitimate’ 18 invalid h4vlng been pawed in oontraventlon 

or %GtLOli 35 or hrtioie III of the Texas CoIl8titution. 

Very truly yourr 

ATTaflrn o- w mxA3 

u. RI hllen 

b88i8tWlt