.

**OFFICE OF**  **THE ATTORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  **TEXAS**

AUSTIN

Honorable 

### Joa Kuaoohlk co~~lwio~r, ~cuuw or m+0r st0tiOti00 Austin, T0x.w

Dur blk. imu0hlk:



### ttar 0f~Augwt 

### U, ln ntJpeot to the



### "Dou thephrwo, l *~llulva of md.rlteMnoe **writ,+ ‘** **~tn th**  **m~8t •W~UOO**  **or .000ti0n**  **i** 0r 

### oata law l mpt~8aoh

work irollthe Prwalllag waga Law, when mai4 w* la don. umdor oontnot7-RonOmble Joe Kunschlk, Pege Z

Section 1 of Artlolo 5159a, Vernon's Annotated Clrll statfitee,reads as r0iim:

*Not leaa than the general prevailing rata or per **diem** wage8 ror 

### work or a similar charaoter In the looallty in which the **work** 1s perfoxmod, and not less than the general prorailing rate or per diem wagas r0r legal holiday and orertlma **work,** shall bo paid to all laborera, workmen and meohanlos eaaployadby or on behaLf of the State or Texae, or by or on behalf of any county, olty and oowt~, olty, tom, dl8- trlot or other wlltloal 8&dlrlslon.of thm State, engaged in tliooomtruotion or pub110 **uorka.** exoluslre of malntenanoo **work.** Laborers, workmen, and meohanloa 

### smployodby contractors or subo&tractors in the &&xtloh of any OOLItraot or oontracts for pabllo workm with tha Stats, or any orrioer or publfo body thereor, or in the execution ot any oontnot or ooiitraots ror public **works,** 

### with any oounty, 

### oltyand aounty,'city, town, dlatrlot or other polltloal mabdlrlalon or thl8 State, 

### or any oiiloer or public body thereof, ahall be boamad to k employed upon pub110 works." (undaxWorl.n,goumj mlntsnanca work 1s oxpnu~ ompt fmm the general premalllw wage requlromwt at th stateio, The language above quoted la oleu an4 

### l xpllolt to thla effoot, and thorn oan be no doubt aa to thla 

### l xooption,
Iwr la there a&y'&abt that the removal of a 

### ooat0r old paint rr08 a prevlowly oonrtruotod oltr bridge and 

### tbs rrpalnting 6i 8w0 OOP~ within the oatcytow 0r ~~lntonanoo r~*.~~ am thom worda are mod in Sootion 1 or Article 5159a.,l we quoted. *Otis 

### and Fhramoa, ?lrst Sirlea, Vol 5, eontalnm the ?ollowing dleouaslon or the word wmalntenance" on Pm 458s:

-The ~malntananoe* of a atreot wlthln the .'ranlngof an ordlnanoe providing ror the ra**oonstruotl6n** and fialntenanoa of a stnet for a 

### prlod or years under ema oontraot praotloally baa the mimemeaning a0 tha word ~yeuPalr,q and thereforean ordlnanoo in requlrl~ a&joiningHonorableJoe Kunschlk,Page 3

owners to pay for the construction and malntenante 0r a street 1s inviolation or St. Lou18 Charter, art. 6;8 18, providing that the all streets shall be paid by the city. re;;;rto;; lmalntaln*does not maan to provide or construct, butmeans to keep up, to keep iron change, to preserve (Worceat.Dlot.); to hold or keep in any particularatate or oondltlon, to keep up (Yebat.Dlct.). In Boonv. Dunden, 2,Bxch. 21, it was said the verb vtomaln+.alrl* slgnliled to support.tiat has already been brought ln:o existence. 'Torepair'means to restore to a sound or good state arter decsy, injury, dllapldatlon, or partial Cestruotlon. Y, Hexel, 56 S. Barber Asphalt Par-Co.
FL A. 285." w. 449, 451, 155 z'o.391, 4s L.

The followingdefinition of *malntenanoeWIs given in the aase of San Francisco & P. s. S. Co. v. SOott, 253 Fed. 854: "* i * Now, the operation of a business or property lnoludeapayment for labor and materialswhich go into the actual operation thereof, till8 maintenancemeana the upkeepor preeerfi~ the Oondltlon of the property to be 0~ **erated. and**  therefore, In my **judgment,** lnoludee the **cost** of ordinary repairs necessary and prop er from time to time for that purpose. m * ln -(undersooring

ours) Words and Phrases, Fourth Series,Vol 2, under %alntenanoew ,on page 612 refers to "malntenance~as roilowe: *In the qbsenoe of any showing thatword *repairs*has a restrictedmeaning, in trade and comerce, It includes 'malntenanoepalntlng' of a ship, slnoe the words ~malnt.aln* and 'malntenanoe'are frequently used in the sense of keeping a thing in good condition by means or repaln. E. E. Kelly & Co., v. U. S., 17 C. C. P. A. So, 32." Finally, the raot that the paint job 1s being done for a olty under oontract by laborers and workmen employed and paid by contractors, or b:!subcontraotors 1s lmmaterlal to thle question. pccordlng to the expressYonorableJoe Kuneohlk, Fafy 4

wording or the statute, such employeesare deoued employed upon publicworks when the contract for publicworks 1swith the State, county, city, or political subdlrlslons thereor, and payment 1s out or publicrunes. In thepresent Instance,however, %alntenancen not "oonatructlon* work 1s being oontemplated. Suchwork does not legally requlm the prevailingwage soale.

Trusting thatwe hare fully answered the lnqulrles contained in your letter,we are Yours very truly
ATTORNEY GJCNERAL OF TEXAS