, 

. * 

. 

OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

, AUSTIN 

ho.- 

-em 

Honorable &nmr Oarri8on. Jr. 

Direotor Dspartaent of Pub110 Safety 

bUStAIl ( Texas 

Dear'Slr:' 

This Xvlsion 

Safety would great1 

your orfioa on the to 

ent oi Public 

ving while intorithe assessed penalty 

% llol?nes was not am20, the new DriYer's Lloanse 

olguatnrr of 

amending Art24. paragraph 

that in ease of 

enumrated in 

24 of this Aot, and the 

senteaoe of the oourt harfag been t?uspsndQd as 

provided In the Statutea, suah suspended seutenoe 

shall not mitigate mJalnst the suspension of the 

operator'n, oomerolal operator!Q,: or ohauffew18 lioensa of the person conoiotod.' 

616 
Xonorsble Romer &.rrlson, Jr., ?ace 2 

Ye are in reoelpt o? a report fro3 the 

Cregr, County District Clerk ahouing that said 

defendant oomitted the ofionas o? dririn& whila 

intoxlaated on data a? April 22, 19&l., and was 

convioted ?or this of?ense, a charge of drlting 

while intoxloatod, on date o? Hay. 3, 1941. being 

assessed penalty o? 2 years suspiaded santenoe. 

“1. The oiianse ~:a$ co.mitted hsf?re tba 

new Law beoamemiivc 

*2. Conviottd for said oiiense after the 

new Law became e??eomeT 

yuestlon: Is ths driver's license BUspend- , 

ed as provided in Section 24 paragraph (o)?” 

‘The 47th Legislature enaotcd .::ouse Bill :,I:,. 20, 

&c. 24, Auto=tlc suspension o? lloinse: 

“(a) The lfomse of any person shall be 

automatically SUSpended upon rinal Omviction 

of any or the ?ollotvlni; orrensos: 

‘. 

“1. . . . 

“2. Driving a motor vehiole while under 

the lniluenae of IatorfoatinC liquor or narootio 

drugs; 

0 

. . . . 

Yea. 25, (0) For the purpose o? this Act, 

the terni *ooniriotion’ shall mean a rinal aonviotion. .&JO, for the purpose oi this Aot, a furfeiture of ball or aollaterel deposited to seoure a dniendant’s appearance In court, whioh 

?or?eiture has not been moated, shall be equiralent to a convlotion. 

“Provided, however, that in mat o? aonvlotion ?or any of the oticnses emmernted in paraiTrnph (a) of Section 24 of ti:ls tct, 
Eonorable Honor Garrison, Jr., Page 3 

and the sentmoe of the court heving been 

suspended as provided in the Ltntutes, such 

suspended eentenoe 4hall not mItIfxts af&ust 

the suspension 06 the operator's, comercial 

operator's, or ohaurrenr's llcenae or the peraon conv1ot4a. * .i 

“Mitl‘:>ats’~ is derlned by Nsbster'a ilm Intarnetioual Dlotlonsry, 3eoond Edition, as: 

"1. To render or beooze mild or zIl.ier; 

to i30niry. 2. To noderate; t0 mak8 or beco56 less severe, violent., fleroe, cruel, Intcnae, halgh, rigorous, painz'ul, eta.; to 

soften; oqmx+e; zlioratt; dl~lnish; lessen; 

ts?per; as, to xltlgate hoat or cold, grief, 

I ..a puhIshm8nt or nn r?ffenss.W 

'. 

Your letter edvlscs that the defendant comitted 

th3 orrense OG April 22, 1941. ti:i ,iprll 23, 1941, :;ousc 

i3ill :I?. 20 becam ef;'aatIve. 

Art. 13 of the i'enal Code of Texas reads: 

"yihen the penalty for an Off8n4e Is presaribed by one law and altered by a subsaquent 

law, the penalty of such seuond law ehall not 

be infllated ror an orienoa oomittod before 

the eeoond ahell have taken effoot. In every 

case the aooueed shall be tried under the law 

in force when the Orr8n48 was oomltted, and 

If convlated punished under that law; except 

that when by the provisions of' the second law 

the punlelment I4 meliorated he a:iall be punIshad under the eaoond unles4 he elect to receive the penalty presoribed by the low in 

force when the offense was comalttod.* 

It Is clear to us that the legislature intended 

thst the license be suspended If the d8fendant is OxWiCt8d 

and draws a sus?end:cd .sentsuou. 'This , '~8 believe, is true 
Xonorable E0ner Garrison, Jr.,'Pa&e 4 

des ite the uce of the wxds "final aonviotion" in Sea. 

24 P a). 

The penalty Is not aaallorated by the smandzent 

to Art. i%f37a, but on the oontrsry ia iuoroasad. Applyincz 

:Lrt. 13, supra, your question must be.gnswered that the 

detendant's lioanss Is not suspended b‘bcause of a oonvlotion art8r the 8ff8atiV8 date 0r the amendment ror he must 

Lava been tried und8r the law in foroe at th8 time the 

oftenee was commItted. 

APFEOVED &A' Yours v8ry tNlY