OFFICE **OF** 

### THE An’ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS **AUSTIN**



### Ronoralile

WY, C. Ruffakor 

### county**Attoraof Lynn**  **ccnmty Tahoka,**  **%xa#**
**Daar srr**  Oplnlon No. O-3912 

### Ror Whenl 

### parson 19.941, was rlor to Juno, 

### aoav oted ! or &it

### lnga 

### motorrrhiolo

uadertbb lafluanoo

of lataloatlng 

### llpuor and thhrroaitsr

and alao prior to Juuo, 19941 omBitted the offense of Crjrinl a mtor t~hlolo under the Iaflueaoa 0r Intoxloetlng ' lIc;uor, mar ho now ba ladlot04 an l idon 6nd tried In the dlstrlot oourt?

ma 18 to 130kmil0dg0 

### rmipt 0r 00~ 

### r800nt tagraE! In uhloh you propouml the puestlon stated abae.



### Thartatuta

In &foot k!mdIatoly prior to 

### tho errootlve

date 

### or Bouse Bill No. 

### 73 or the Fmty-•eteath tcgi810tm 

### ~08 mi0i0 

### 802or 

### thePtrm cod00r 

### m~08 aa amandod 

### by theAot8OSthe Yorty-,-iitth Legislature, 1937, 

### Chapter60, p. 108, rhloh boome l ffo otlva

on Varoh 22, 

### 1937. 'Ibis

statute read 

### as r0u03m *Arti. 802. .4ny prrrop who drlres or operates an l

utcanobila or a4 other motor rehiole 

### uponany

### rtreet or alley, or an7 other phoo wlthla the llmlta 

### 0r 04 Inoorporeto4 oltf town or villago, or 

### upon8x1~puhllo road or h&m, In thir 

### State while suoh 

### !mroa 18 Iatox3oata6, or In my dagnr uador the‘lnrlueaao or intorioating Liquor shall upou boarlotlon 

### b6 001Uined 12 the pdtentiar, rcr. 

### not, mom thentwo (2)years or 

### be oanfinod in the oamty 

### jailr0r not 

### ieats than 

### rive 

### (5)

### H~&ab.la U. C. BiUS&ar, 

### Pega 2

I .: cam nor core than Ilbatx (900) 6aya end 

### rh0d

not leaathanYlrt Dollars ($W) normora than Fir0Huadrd 

### Lara ($500).*
PO proaumethe abwr la tha 

### atatuta undo]:

### wbioh the coatlotion **refemb to**  **by you**  

### was **obtained.** 

### Xi oarlicr .thrm liaroh 22, 

### 1937,offrotiro date of the e-8 quoted 

### atp.tute, the 

### lo@ questIona **ralaad** 

### herein nalfi ba the 

### aaaa, alnoe all statutory

oondrmtlon or 

### thm **orbs** 

### mdo the oirmae l roloa rroa the earllost 1ogIal~tlan on the sub oat. Tee Aota I935, 44th **Lag., lat**  **C. C.**  ch. 426, 0. 16 4; Art. 002, 3 1925 F?wIa~d Pinal Cod.; A&a 

### 1423, 38thLog.,2nd 

### C. -., Ch. 23, pa 56.

FUSS MU 

### ~0. 73 

### or the 47th 

### Lcgmt3t~ti,RS~U1U ~eaaI~t ~WIU# 

### OfrOOtiW 011 JUJO 17, 1961. **Attorno~** 

### tW~ral*a OpInlan

No. O-3740. 

### By ltr 

### prwlaiona,Artlob 802,PenalCoda,supra, **was amended** to read ati followat

~ArtIol* 802. “Auy person who drltaa or oparataa 

### an 8uttnaobIle

or any othermotorrehioleupon any puU10 road 

### or highwayIn this 'tats, or upon any 

### streetor a 

### 'logwlthln the 1kIta or 

### an lnoorporated 

### olty, town or tlllab, 

### ~Mla such parson is IntoxIorto4 or unCar t!m Influonae OS 

### intorloatlng liquor, shell be 6uilty 

### Or 0 -Iademtanor, Slid 

### UpOnOOWiOtlon, ahall ba pamiabed **by** 

### oonflnoment In the 

### CountyJail ror not 

### lea8thsn tan (10) days nor core than, two 

### (2)pars, or **by** l flno or not less than Fifty Dollars ($50) nor mre than pin Rundrrd Dollara (SWO), or **by** both suoh tins aa6 

### ImprIaommnt.w Soctlon2 of saidHouavBillHo. 73 oroatad a new irtloleof the Penal Code, and reads as 

### iollowar

"!?oo. 2. The4 PM01 cod* or Toxaa 

### or 1925 is amoad~d harrbr by midin a sow aeo- ~f~o~~,knowa 

### asAstlola 802b and 

### nadlng

“‘ArtloU 802b. @J*Any perron who has been oontlotad 

### or th6 mladamoanor ofrena* 

### or drlvbg or operat-Eonorabla tl. C. Nuffakar, Paga 3

lng an l

utmoblla or 

### othermotor 

### rahlola uporr any publlo road or hlghua 

### la this Cyata or **upon any**  **rtroat ae**  al f.8y 

### dthln an Inwrpuratad altf, town or rlllaga, uh:la **lntaalortad** 

### or u&or the lnfluonoa **or** lntoxloating liquor, and who ahhill tharel l’tar 

### drlva

*or operate aa l

utmoblle or o.thor 

### motortahlola upon auy pub110 

### road or highway la thir **rtata** or upon say 

### street or l l1e.y ulthln tha liorita or UI Inoorpoxmtad oltr, town 

### or vlllaga, uhllr auoh parson 

### Ia'IntoxIoakdor 

### under the Influano@ of 

### In+&xIoatlag

‘Liquor, shall be gulltr 

### of~a felony, and upon oonvlotlon ba punI8hod by oonflmmant In the paaltantIary ror an7 tam of years not loam than one (11 nor more thau 

### rlw (51.'" 

### (Emphaaia 

### ours) ha hanlnabova pointed out, the offanaa of 6rIitIng 

### a motor vahlola wer and .upon ~8pub110 hi&my, **or** atrmt or an Inoorporatad olty or **town,** while 

### underthe Inrluanoa or IntorioatIng liquor, has alwnya bean a felony in 

### Texas fzysm the tiria or the tlrat 

### lagIalatIon on the subject until the passage of Iiousa Bill Ko. 73, aupra. Artlole 802 as It now stands beoauaa of the ameudmnt Inoorporated In liouaa Bill No. 73, aupra, makesthe 

### oiianaaa 

### nladaaraanor.ArtIolr 802b, l

upra, 

### doesnot ohanga thfa, but oreataa a naw offsame, making it 

### a felony to 

### driveand operate a motor +ahIola rhlla iatoxloatad, ato . , l pplloabla only to.8 earson who has bean oontlotad oi the mIadmaanor oitanaa of drlring and operating suoh vahIole uhlla lntosloataif, 

### ato.

hm the aooond ottann ~rarrad **to** In yourbciogram 

### was apparently **otxmlttad** prior **to** 

### June 17, 1941, tha defendant would hava an l laotlon whether **tc** be 

### triadunder A$t~la 802. as the artiols stood on the data or the of-

*aa our opinion Ho. O-3760, l noloaed herewith. bella~a that opinion will an8wer your questions In avant ‘b auoh l xpraaa alaotlon should be tada by the :;urty 

### War IutaatlgatIon.

Iu this opieion wa hold that the new Artlola 802b wculd bwa no appllaatlon to 

### onegcnrictad **under** 

### the felony atatutaa oondamnlng drunk drivers. III 

### thb 8VbntOi**Honorable :i** 

**.** C. **Nutfaker,** Paf5a 4

an l xp raaa

l laotlon, 

### we oan oonoalva a oaatlotlun under 

### &tlala 62 0r tha tides l 

### a@aaaod

puulahmant 

### ror ao?ond 

### (butla ianoyonly) or 

### PenalCoda 

### whloh.prooonviotion8

tar 0 hlca%~, 

### but auoli l ppaara 80 rezzoqe m till. pratarmit a dlaiuaalon 

### or sama.

Tour question -10 l

paolflca1ly enawcrad that a parson 

### who,priorto &u&a 17, 19W. WI oonrlotad oi drlv

### lag a rotorvahlola uhlkaunder 

### the Influanoa 0r Intorlootlngliquorand thcrcaftar and alao prior to June 17, 194l, cazultted the orrena@of drlvlng a motor vehlola whlla under the .lnrluanoa of intoxloatlng liquor, mcly ba Indiotad by the grand jury; but ha niap be triad for a .ralony in the dlctriot court only upon Cl6 l laotlon se provided 

### by Article 13 or 15 or the ?onal Code, asi polntad out 

### In our rormur opInion,No. O-3710.



### I$ oonnaotlon

with the ganaral aubjbot matter Cc thla 

### opinlun,

and 

### .oplniolr

No. O-3740, w ;ilah to dlraot l ttantlon to the root thut while in aoct coutti88 the GIstriot oourt has original trial 

### jurladlotlon of telonlaa only and the ocunty court has original trial jur$adIotloa In rdadansanor caaaa, the Constitution authorize8 the LtgIalaturc to dlruat 8 county court 

### 0r its crlmlnal @rLa-

. 

### d&t:m-r,d to ooarar 

### the aaxe upon 

### the dlatrlct~ courti

or Tar 

### Art10185, taotlolrs 8, 16, 22, Constltutlm ot &caag Yore T. Xata, 9 Tax. Cr. Fr. 4061 Johaaon v. Cteta, 26 Tax. Cr. ii. 395, 9 f. Y. 611. This hes bean

‘done lr aovaral. inetanC88; acd In oountlaa where the dlatrlot court has 

### had mIsCameanor JurIadIotIon duly oonferred ’ upon it, ttw ranwal or IndIctxcanta or **treixter** of the casts **would** not only be unnaoaaaary but improper.

It hem.k:an suggested that the alaotlon or the accuaod ahould be obtained, where oaac8 sre ~anaiamd, rrar the dlatrlct oourt to the oounty court, before tha 

### orderof transfer Is nada. In other wor’ds, that 

### the **dia** trlet judge, barort transferring the ccac to the count8 oou&, should re@.re the accused to atste whether ha w$mhad 

### to be triadunderthe old law as pmvlded in Artl018 13, Penal Coda, aupra.

3’8 bUli@V@ this would be not only perminalble, but the praferabla 

### pmCtIO@~ It would enable the dlstrlct court tc pro0606 st Cnoe ‘to trbi, in tht 

### eventaOCUS0d

### O.K.

*.R.X.