### THEATTORNEY GENERAL
OF-TEXAS

PRICE DANIEL ATTORNEY GENERAL

ma. John Lairhcn 

### opinioa RO.v-885
Tess8 Liquor ControlBoard Rer Authority of the Texas Austini Texas Liqpor eontl-01 Board to refire a~boer lioe~e application

vhioh appear8 from it8 raae to have beea heam% at a date 1088 than ftive day8 rmr the filing of laid aH&avit by the County

.

YOU! X'OqUO8t

fOiT - OpYhiOnpXW8ORt8 th0 fOllOWiilg qTAO8tiOM

t 1. Ray the county judge of a oount7 set for hearing an appl.taation of a p~8on rppl~i~g for a be82 license at a arts 1~8 than five clay8 from the date of filing OS said application?

2. If the applicationon it8 face shove that the ootmtg judge oertlf'led the applioation upon a hearing 8et fira day8 or 1088 fronlthe date of the filing of the appllaotion, is the Texas 

### LIQu(pr

CoatrOl bad authOPi8ed to IWtfU808uoh applieation? Artlale 

### 667-6(e),

Veznch~s Penal Cods, pPOViae8S 9he rppllaationof any person desiring to 

### be liaered to mamfa&xam3, dirbribute,or 8ell bear 8hs11be ?lled ti dtlpllOate wlth the OOPnty judge,Vhc 8h811 8Ot 8U for a heariry at L date mot 1088 than five (5)nor more than ten (10) Ia78 from the filing of 8atW."- --

Hon. John Lawhon, page 2, (V&8&%)

APP.
In an8wer to que8tionNo. 2, Seotion 6(o) of Artlole 667, provides:

Artiole 667-6(b),Veron~s Penal Code, provider: ?Jpon the filing of sny appliaationfor a lloense, the oounty olerk shall give notloe thereofby posting at the court houcre door a written notioe of the filing 

### of such petition, and the substancethereof,and the date of hearing upon auoh petition. Any oititen ahall be permittedto conte8t the facts stated in aaia petitionand the applioant~sright to seoure lloen8eupon giving secllr1tg for all 008ts whiah may be inaurred in suoh oonteet should the ease be decided in favor of the applioanti pmviaea, however, 

### no offlam of a oountg or any inoarporatea city or town ahall be required to give bona for suoh ooata." The obviouspurpose of the above requirement18 to give to the publio the right to OOnte8t the llOen8lngof persona applying for the privilegeof manufacturing, cliatributing, or sellingbeer. The stetutorylanguege Is mandatory that the county judge shall eet the issue for hearing at a aate not leaa than five aaga from filing, This i8 a right oonferredupon the pub110 and as suah cannot **be** waived by the county judge, Burthermore,the rule **of** statutory is that where 8 statute 18 same must be regarded a8

"If upon hearing upon the petitionof any applloant for a lloen8e the oountg judge find8 the faot8 8tated therein to be true end ha8 not other lawful rea8on for denying the applloetlnn, he 8hall enter an order 80 oertlfylng,and a copy of said order shallbe delfvereato the applioant; applloant shall thereuponpreeent the 8ame to the a88e88Or and OOlleOtOrOf taxes Of the oounty wherein the applioationis made and 8hall pay to the a88b88or and oolleotorof taxes the fee speolfleain this Article for the olasa of license applied for; the aaeeaaor and collector of taxes shall thereuponreport to the Texas Liquor ControlBoard upo&bs: form:.$&aoribea

byHon. John Lswhon, page 3 (V-8&)

salba Board cerUfyiag that the appliobation for lieenaehas been approvedand all required fees paid, and swh athe~ Znformation a8 may be requ3md by the Bosrd,' end to suoh oe&ifioate shall be attacheda copy of the or4gIual application for lieemmo Upon recssfrbgsuch report or sertifica%fon

from th6 a8aemor aasd collector of taxes, ft shall be the duty of the Board 

### or Adm5ni~tratorto Isrue the llmm8e amordLnglyp fJ1 it ir fouud tkmt the applioanb; is mitba to a lfoen6epwhich 1Uenee She11 show the class of business the applIoant i.s authorfmd to oouduot, amount of fee8 pea, a&e, oormat tidress of the place of buutiess, snb &&te of e;+piration, and sucsh other inforanertfon

aI the Board shall deem

detez7ucki0a

that any sfMxm0nt 00duea In the applieationtherefor 1~4 false* untrue or mi2WmdIu4z~ -. 

## ~efupaof any Ifoemm lee palid to the ccum%y a8ma8or and 0olLocto~of tues a% %he tlubs of filinghis applfeatlon." (%~is uAa0a.) 

## lh the east3of 172 3,~. 213

778 (TAX*~2% s%a%u%ory procedaupe for ob%afnWg a beer Eicen88 ooau%empla%ed an app%%aation%o %he coun%y judgea~~3 upon his approval 0% the saae the appliasnt then SWS% apply to the Texas Liquor ContaPsb Boarad The Court declared tha% the Boaz~d had %he,

powap and auty to cIe%erminae

$0~ itbself

whe%he~p

0~0 nut the permit or Ifcenae shouM be gran%ed. I% was spe~PiYo@il%y explainedthat %he fsmle a8t023md by %he oouL?I%y jUdg5w&M Wb0w0P OF QOa; the applicantbe aeeordad &he privilegeof apply&g to the Board. IQ the Ught of the abovs au%h&f%y, i% nerressax4%g fOlxOW8 tha% the par% of the applIca%.lton prooeauredialing with %ha hearingbefore the aounty judge is designed solely to govern that heapIng and has no applZcx&tion to later detertiwtion by the Boarda The Board ac%s hdepenCl0ntPy 0% the county juageati no% aa a reviewingautharfty. 1% must review the proceedings before the 6~un%y jucige to asaer%aIn that the ~equiee%equalU!Iea%ionsl ~~18%~bu% mot to determjrne whether %he county judgeacted erromously, The Issue beforeHon. John LswhonLpage 4 W3% 1

applicant shouldbe lioenaed, not erroneouslyoohcludedthat he 8hjga

. . . the Board fs whether the whether the county judge be licensed. However* the atatutorgproceaursrequuos tnat the county judgeproperlyperformhis dUtie8, and give to the public proper notice, Where the county judge fails in thir respect,the proceedings before him are In effect a nullity and the Liquor ControlBoard is without authorityto OoMider the applicationin the same manner as If no hearlng,hadbeen held before the county

Article 667-6(a),V,P.Co,makes it mandatory that a eoun%y judge se% fop hearing the application for a beer licenseat a a&t0 not 1e88 th6n five (5) days from the filing of said appl.ioationl A hearing held by the aounty judgeal; a date pPior to the expfrationof five days from the date of the filing is a nullit and the Texas Liquor ControlBoard 18 without authorftyto consider the applloatlonin the same manner as if no application had been heard by the county judge. Article 667-6(o),V.P.C.; Texas Liquor ControlBoard v* Abogado, 172 S.W. 26 778 (Tex.Clv. App. 1943).

JHR/r%

ATTORNEY GENERAL