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 When l parson 

19.941, was 

rlor to Juno, 

aoav ! oted or &itlng a 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 a n 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. 

Tha rtatuta In &foot k!mdIatoly prior to tho 

errootlve date or Bouse Bill No. 73 or the Fmty-•eteath 

tcgi810tm ~08 mi0i0 802 or the Ptrm cod0 0r m~08 aa 

amandod by the Aot8 OS the Yorty-,-iitth Legislature, 1937, 

Chapter 60, p. 108, rhloh boome l ffo o tlvon a Varoh 22, 

1937. 'Ibis statute read as r0u03m 

*Arti. 802. .4ny prrrop who drlres or 

operates an l utcanobila or a4 other motor 

rehiole upon any rtreet or alley, or an7 other 

phoo wlthla the llmlta 0r 04 Inoorporeto4 

oltf town or villago, or upon 8x1~ 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 then two (2) years or be oanfinod 

in the oamty jail r0r 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 leaa than Ylrt Dollars ($W) nor mora 

than Fir0 Huadrd Lara ($500).* 

PO proaume the 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 o ir ma e l 

roloa rroa the earllost 1ogIal~tlan on the sub oat. Tee 

Aota I 935, 44th Lag., lat C. C. ch. 426, 0. 16 3 4; Art. 002, 

1925 F?wIa~d Pinal Cod.; A&a 1423, 38th Log., 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, Penal Coda, supra, was amended to read ati followat 

~ArtIol* 802. 

“Auy person who drltaa or oparataa an 

8uttnaobIle or any other motor rehiole upon 

any puU10 road or highway In this 'tats, or 

upon any street or a 'log wlthln 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 UpOn OOWiOtlon, ahall ba pamiabed by oonflnoment In 

the County Jail ror not lea8 thsn 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 

Soctlon 2 of said Houav Bill Ho. 73 oroatad a new 

irtlole of 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 as Astlola 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 other motor rahlola 

uporr any publlo road or hlghua la this 

Cyata or upon any rtroat ae al f.8 y 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 motor tahlola 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'IntoxIoakd or 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 ~8 pub110 hi&my, or atrmt 

or an Inoorporatad olty or town, while under the 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, makes the oiianaa a nladaaraanor. ArtIolr 802b, l upra, does not ohanga thfa, but oreataa a naw 

offsame, making it a felony to drive and 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 triad under 

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 one gcnrictad under the 

felony atatutaa oondamnlng drunk drivers. III thb 8Vbnt Oi 
Honorable :i . C. Nutfaker, Paf5a 4 

an l x p r aaa l laotlon, we oan oonoalva 

a oaatlotlun under &tlala 62 0r tha 

tidel s a@aaaod puulahmant ror ao?ond 

(but la ianoy only) or 

Penal Coda 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, prior to &u&a 17, 19W. WI oonrlotad oi drlvlag a rotor vahlola uhlka under the Influanoa 0r Intorlootlng liquor and 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 Art1018 5, 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 

order of transfer Is nada. In other wor’ds, that the diatrlet judge, barort transferring the ccac to the count8 

oou&, should re@.re the accused to atste whether ha 

w$mhad to be triad under the 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 event aOCUS0d 
O.K. 

*.R.X.