OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

lonorabl. W. A. Davis, W. 0. 

state Registrar 

Jimto Board o? Health 

Austin, Texar 

Jarmary ZE, 194 

filfng the Fe00 

[under the pror 

latura, itule 81 

0 YOUP idit0~ 0r 

61 to e ooopt for 

U8lT ragl~torml* 

a leas, 46th Leglrrll Statute*) when, 

thr Pmbate Oourt 

rk or by th. Dsptntr 

e name of the County Judge ia 

er with II rtaap. 

w~reoiate your reepondlr& to oyr reqwst 0r 

January 28, 1941, for addItiona information by rupp4Ug 

1~s with ths moords in your hand@ whiti are the mbJ*ot OS 

inquiry. There an nturnod hm%wlth. 

The partianlar paragraph BZ 8. I). 614, tits 1939, 

Foptj-8ixth Legtrlature, mvmea, read0 as mmm: 

*Aa4 prerl&es¶ iulrther, that w 0ttlsW 

o? the 6t&e of Texar wishLng 0~ ill* the MO- 
Honorabl4 W. A. Davis, 94. D. Page 2 

ord of any birth or death, not previously reglrtered, may submgt to the Probate Court In the 

oounty where the birth or death occur4d, a reoord of that birth or death wrltt4n on the adopted 

forms of birth and death oertiflaates. The oert If ioate l hall be sub&ant latad by the aff Idavlt 

of the nedloal attendant present at the time of 

the birth, or in oara of death, the affldavlt of 

the phyelolan lart in attend~anoe upon the deoe&sed, 

or the undertaker who burled the body. When thr 

affidavit of the medical attendant or undertaker 

omnnot be secured, the certlfloat4 shall be rupported by the gffldavlt of soma person who was 

aaqualntad with the Iaats surrounding the birth 

or death, at the time thr blrth or death oooured, 

wlth e reaond affidavit o? eom4 person who 1s 

l oqualnted rlth the facts eurroundlng the birth 

or death and who is not related to the Individual 

by blood or marrlaga. The Probate Court shall 

require 4uoh other informatIon or l videnoe as 

may be deemed neoerrary to establish the oItIr4n4hID of the Indlviduil filina the oertlfloate. 

and the truthfulness of the &atemente made 16 

tibn 21 of thin Aot. Suoh- certLfied coplra 8hiill 

be prim& faoie evidence in all Courts and plao44 

of the faote stated thereon. xhe State Burem 

of Vital Statirtlos shall furnish the forms upon 

whioh such reoordr are filed, and no other form 

shall be used for that purpose.* (Undsreoorlng 

oure ) 

In Opinlixs Nos. o-1201, o-1203, and O-1709 we 

held that the applioatlons oontemplated In the above rtatute should be aoaorded the dignity of probate proceedings, 

th*t the oas6;e should b4 docketed by th4 probate olrrk anb 

that all proceedings had in oonneotlon therewith should b4 

entered In the minutes of the probate court. 

We held In Oplnlon No:; O-1065 that th,e oounty 

Judgs I6 4ntltl4a to a fee of Plftr C4ntr (SO+) for rntsrlng 
aonormble W. A. pavls, W. D. Page 3 

the order end the oounty olerk is rntltlad to g like f44 

for oertlfylng the order and rsoords to the Stats Registrar. 

We further points& out In Opinion No. O-1079 that 

the State Registrar Is not authoriced to refuse to rooept 

:;L;;;ing a reoord of birth which on its f&or III teohnisglly 

. 

Let us examins ths orders In qusstlon in the light 

of those oplnlonr. Th4y mre on forms provided by the Bummu 

Of Vital StPtIStIQS &IX& pMId4 88 follOw8: 

. 

f : 

1 l STA!l’E OF TEXAS a 

1 COUNTY OF BASTROP 3 

. 

1 : 

I THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE OP Aormoe Berman Yett, I 

1 l ttmohed hereto, YIS submitted to this Court, as : 

1 yo;lfl@d for In H. B. No. 614, 40th Leg., R. 9. : 

1 . : 

: : 

: It is the order of this Court that this rsoord : 

1 13E ACCEPTED by ths State Registrar for filing in : 

t the 0tmte Bureau OS Vltml Btmtlstlos. : 

: 

1 8lgmture ( Signed) 

1 D&e January 27, 1941. 

Tlirgal JoaepCo.Clp i 

Of astrop ounty. 

. 

z : 

: l * . * : 

1 : 

: ~lgnature (Typed) Floml Mltohsll ,County Clerk. : 

: O? l&nLeanan County. : 

: By (Signed) 0. w. N~Nasmrm, Deputy. ! 

: Dmte January 27th, 1941.' I 

1 I 

f 

: n* 4 4 i 

: Signature (Stamped) 0eo.~.W~:X~!Wm@%. Go. Judge.1 

: Chester Watson.~Deputr - : 

: Date l-24 1B41.(Signed) of Dallas County.*- t 
Honor&b14 W. A. Dsvls, N. D. Page 4 

4. 

: : 

: *4 4 l : 

x 

: slgnsturs (Stampsd) J. E. Abernmth~,Co.~dg4~ 

t Of Oollln County. a : 

1 Dots J&n. 23, 1941. : 

I : 

The statute 9r4vld4s that *the Clerk of ths arid 

Oourt shall forward the c4~tlfIo&te to the State Bureau of 

Vital 8tmtlstIoe with an order from the court to ths State 

Rsglstrmr that the rsoord be, or bs not, mooOpted. n We hsve 

polntsd out that ml1 proo4salags under B. 8. Ro. 614 should 

b4 rii44, 400k4t44 and 4ntar44 in the minutes. The most 

Seas5.bls msan4 for the olrrk to dlsoharge the duty lmpored 

open him by th4 statuts would be to iorwmrd to ths Stats 

R4gIstrmr a oertlfled oopy of th4 oountr Judge18 order. Inass4 M hare held thmt hs is sntltle4 to issa for suoh mot 

snd it Is our opinion that the State Reglstrmr should rooept 

for filing a csrtlfloits forward44 him ar provldsd In A. B. 

No. 614 when It 1s rooompmaled by the oounty olsrk’r osrtlfled 

OOPT of sn order of the oounty Judge. 

Th4 0141% ha6 not don4 this In the or44re vhlsh 

v4 hays numbered 1 an4 2. The first purports sot to b4 the 

or&r OS the county J'udg4, but th4 Ord4r 0f th4 oOUtit~ dllerk 

‘hlnsslf; the sooond purports to b,r the order of the County 

Olsrk through his dsputy. 

It Is our opinion mad you are mdrlsed that the 

State Regletrmr is zot muthorl~sd to soo4pt for filing reoords OS delayed rrgistrmtlon of birth when aoaompmnlad by 

mn order of th4 'oounty olerk or hIs deputy that they be 

soospted, and not aooompmnlsd by &I! order (or aertIflsd 

sopy thereof) from ths oounty judge. We mre not to be understood 8s holding that th4oounty clerk or his deputy msy 

not forward a certified oopy of the order of the oouaty 

Judge. Indssd, w4 believe this Is thr oorr4ot proosdure. 

9mler No. 3 b4arr the stamps& signature of th4 

Oounty Judge ben4mth whloh Is th4 wrltt4n 6lgnature of 8 

clerk in his offiae. Order No. 4 beam the stsmped signsturs ot th4 County Judge clon4. 
Bonorablo W. A. Darls, W. D. Page 5 

The tests the State Reglatrar rhould employ In 

Q~IIOB of thle ohraoter ehould be: Are the rsoortlr fair 

on their face and do they appmr to oome from oompetent 

l uthorltj? If ther are fair on their faor and do appear 

to oome irom competent authority thay ehould be aooepted. 

It la well settled that a printed or staaped 

rlgnaturo of a Judge or oourt offloer irruing an ardor or, 

writ Ir a sufflolent authentloatlon, fulfIllIng the rrqulmlent of a aigmture, where suoh signature har, In offrot, 

been adoptad by the Issuing offlorr. 38 A. L. R. 703; 

Wlller T. State (l890-- Slgnatur8 of proreoutlng attorney 

typed on the Indictment), 36 Tex. Crlm Rep. 47, 35 E. W. 

391; Tenement House Department v. Well (1QlB -- Bubber etamp 

rignature) 76 Xlro. 275, 134 N. Y. Supp. lOd!Z$ Loughron v. 

Bonnlwrll Ii904 -- StenoI slgnaturm of Ju@tIos .of the praor) 

125 Iowa 516 106 A. St. Rep. 319, 101 H. W. 26?i Blrder 

:: i?y$: 'i0"9 -ihhg y 374 43 L J Q B g 5 133 

Jud 4’4 slgnrturs irprr44rd br olerk), 

SO L: T. x.‘S.‘37i 22 &k. bp e iO&OOi V: &4ii (i602-- 

probata ofder of r&r and IsInute;'unaignsd by Judged 95 Tex. 

582, 60 0. w. 775. 

Moreover, while a Judge or pub110 oiilolal y 

not delegate alroretlonary dutirs, mera meohanIoa1 or mInIaterlal dutlor (suoh aa the rot of writing a nam.) may be 

delegated to others. Hoeohm, 

(1890) aeor. 667-568; Opinion 

It ir therefore our further oplnlon and you are 

6drIaed that the Btate Registrar $8 authorlted to aoorpt ior 

tiling rroordr ot belayed regIstrationa of birth a8 qrovldob 

in 8. B. No. 614, aupra, when aooompanIrd by order6 of the 

oounty Judge bearing hIe rtamprd olgnature an& the written 

rlgnatura of him olsrk, or, bearlng hi8 atamped signature 

alone. 

BY 

D. Smullen 

JD$:LW j" Aaslstmt 

~3?ClASURES