OiFFlCE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAG 

AU8TIN 

Gerald C. !&am 

Attcrney Ganersl 

Bouorablo I. Frsdackl 

&nty Aeditor 

Oalvsntoa County 

aa1veaton, Texas 

ihor sir: 

i 

O~lnlcm KO. O-3790 

E8r cen8tltutlo5allty or seation la Of i2Xlaa Bill No. 

436, FOl%Jr-8OVOllth L&rlatura, prcvldine traveling OXl7Wb8.S fOPor OWISd88101lOr8 in counties or 08rbl~n 

porulatloa. 

YOGS latter ot July 1.6, 1%~~ asks the o lnfon of 

‘tile drpartment u 

!iOU8. 8%11 .NO. &3 % 

on the ooMtitution6lity of Swt P on la of 

,,AOtB Or the Forky-mavent& ta&l8lStUl’fb. 

YOU- l8tt.r o&i808 tbet the pula tlon o? 3slvmton 

tiUnt!i’ SCOOti% t0 th0 1940 OIMI8 18 r $&In. 

Sootion l8 ol" Houso Bill 136 n8a8 a6 rollova: 

"SoOtion la. $4 any county lo thla state 

QOAtaiIline. a pO~l8tiOll Or Slot 1888 t&Ml 38,000 

nor more than 85,000 aoeordtnpi to the lart pn- 

~cedlng ?8a8ral 08nau8, the acmia8lonar~~ oourt 

Ia hrnby authorizwl r& allow eaab ocnwi88lca8r 

not more than $50 par mnth, to be pstd out Qf 

the ma% and brld&r runa oi aaoh ropasotivlP uoipOissioner'8 precinOt, for trwallng sxp85so8 and 

depreoiation on thr automobllr wbllo used cm otrlolel bu@ina88 Oal9 arid/Or OV8XWosftyr the COndiXUOtion and iaeintonanoo of tim ubllo roads of aald 

oollntlf3a. kch such oo~c~isa & nor shall pay 611 

~~~use8 in the operation of suah automobile and 

keep eai3s in repair at bia own expanse, irss of eny 

Other CkV3rg6 %bit8OaVer tD tl?e eCWt9; provided 

bovJevvor th:i t such eX~dAf3ea not t0 0XCaed $50 POr 

301m mst be ltazized, sworn to, and filed for 

roam-d wit?: the coclntg ClOlk." 
saction la or fiouar Bill 436 i8 UAOGII8ai?iUabII4i, 

b41~& a 10041 or ap4cial law r4gu1sting the 8ff4iZY of ooAAtie8 ia ViOiUtiOn Or m&i0 xxx, :3aat1on 56, or ti30 Constltution of tie State OT Taxer. IA our QplAiOA NO. O-1955, 

Cop9 Ot WhiOh i8 l olossd hrrrrlth, se held buao B;11 No. 

236, P'OTty-8iXth Lagislatun, to be a apwoial and local 14w 

ViOi8tiVi Of Arti x11, SjsCtiOa 56 Of the Ch8titUtiOA Of 

Toxaa. The Aot the33 under aonaitlantlon ~48 la 811 8ab)entlal a rpro tl r llnllar to the prov18ionr 00:a5h6a in twtioon 

la of the Aot preaantly uAd4r coraldantlon. It happanad 

that fXI tbt iIl8t4nOr the 1QW applied Od.9 to 4 8ini3h eOUAtg; 

but thl8 factor la aot e mater141 aon8268rrtlon. It IS not 

the numbor Or aOuatls8 wblch ara or aa9 be aabraard WlChiA 

ths ~lR88ttiO8tiOA 8tt~rPptOd to bs provided by 8ueh 8 law 

Whiclh, drteralmr thS qU63atlOA Of Wfiath4X’ tit0 14W i8 8p8Oi41 

Or 10-l; but MIt;b8T, thm Qti88tiOA 18 whethrr, oonaidrrlag 

thm oldrot and purpose of thq law, th4 ohanotrrlrtier aaaa 

t&a baala or the ala8aifl48tloA afford iA truth r4aaonabla 

grOWNi t0 apply tha 1aW t0 thO84 OOUltiO8 ~88~88i!lg auah 

6har44tOri8ti48 8Ad 8xc1U88 fNil! tha 8QQlitWtbl Of t!H 1Sll 

all aountlos whloh do not ptmrrr thrm. 

On th8 tb4ory that t&r qm80or tka opulotioa th4 

aoxa tvo8rou8 the iluti88 of county ofil88r8, e LoH*l.~~tura 

=9 

f 

rovld8 tnv*li~ l xp8n808 for ooantf otitorra of ecumtla8 

att8 .niag a oort4ln populmtiorr or above, 8hila &any%* 84aa to 

Obunt:? Ofl’i4ar8 Of cOURtiS Of 1a88.r ~~~1atiOA. on thr IN 

t&mot), thr Leal8lsaur0 ,say 4ll.a a lar&* rwunt 0r trav81img 

rxpaAaa8 to aoant9 ofllcwrr of oormtlra of 8 arrtaln popul8+ 

tiOA Or 8bova thAA i8 A&bWd t0 8OUAt~ OffhW8 Of WUAtiO8 Of 

1058clr poprtiatien. 

But whrn this 'kilmory la adopted aa thr ba818 for 

Cl48l:ifiO4tlon~ tha hg18hltUlY Ul8t fOllo* thm pltt6rA lOdCally. It oannot, without vlola%in% Artiala XXX, Saatlon db. tit 

the tiA8titutioA, allOW trclW1 l xpanaaa to oounty oltiorrr 

O? OOUAbia8 or 4 08ra4in While 88wlw tr8v@lN 

l ;r p 0n808 ap .tco 84ao oounty ofTlear* o? ccuatiaa of ewetar 

populatioc. #or aan it aooaotitut’%OrUl~y 8110~ a Oart8iA mawAt 

Of aH4V8iiZtg 8lpaA848 a0 BcUAty Ofthor Of miatie8 of 8 a*rt,eill pOpUiSafOA, 11fhFl8 t&a ah 8888 tk88 8llOwin% a h888r 4~unt 

of tratri~ 0ip+n8a8 to tha 8em oouaty ortiaor8 of aouatl~a 

or a gnator populetlon. The failure to follow tho lWio41 

patt4rA au&::m8t8d bs t&4 baalm 8rlmotod for omh8iiiOmtfoA rmad$$ in arbltnry U88ignathA. Tathor t&n 01468ifidtiOaBsxar ‘county v. TYMZJ, 97 8. w. fza) 467. 
;:rsvids travsling ~X;:IIC:EBB for ccunt~ co.x:isslocare traveling in the Bischargs of thlr officl21 chtiaa, fol;n~! under 

Vamon’s I~~fssd Svll Statutes, Article 235Om, rosa&a a 

lagislatlvo failure to pursue logically :&9 pattsrn aug?,,eatsd by the adoption or Fopulation RB tt basis for aheslfying 

ccuntiee far tt,ie purpose. :a 8 r0ault. arbitrary. ilrslgnaticn has resulted in allowing. con!slzsionars of counties of 

lesaar -0pulstlcns 1~0x0 travYli% ez~ienstsri than is allowad 

comlas 1 onsrs of counties of gmetsr poyl:lation, end in a 

failure In sons instsnoas to allow trovsling ex~ausca to 

comissiowrr. of counties of’ certrjl~n :mpultitlcoo srhils allowing rru,ch ax~ecses to coat:iiasioners cf ci;unttds of leaner 

~qxln ti.cms. 

As rsrpota ::actiun la of house Bill 136, Aota of 

the Forty-sarenth irgisla tCire , it will be obrertd thst by 

that law travelin& orpaasoa of 25C per ncnth an allowed 

cocmnlusicnora of oounties of 38,000 to 85,tGO population, 

while wd find no law allowing suet traveling erpans~ to 

oozd5slcners of aounties imoving a popul,atioc above 132,000 

and below 16C,o00, and nc prooleiose for tmvel.fz% ex&~neaio 

to be l llow~id tc oom&mfcners of counties havlcg a population in eaeeen of 2U~,GCO. For the reasona above etatad, 

thsrefora, &Qtion 1% Of souse ix.11 436 is uocoSatltuttoxIa~. 

Yours vary truly 

. .*:p .-, i d 1 I\,G::hT:Y gg;?J;:.,$-L 0%’ v&g-;L; 

ay (a) Z. i;~. Fairahild 

!i. 8. Faairuhlld 

&+elatnnt