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-.OFFICE OF THE Al7’0RNEY **GENERAL** OF TEXAS **AUSTIN** i-o.yuuc ,-salau - Eonotisble Shelburne ii. Glovor : county Attorney, Kayion County J6efSePson, Texas

. . . : p2sr Sir: Opinion Ho. o-4141

. ‘: De: Doos a court or jury have the right, as the Lawnow stands to suspend or revoke the driver’s license of a person who is con-
.. .vlcted of the cisdmeanor of ’ ’ drivln~ while intox:cateci?
_. Uo quote fro3 your recent letter askin our opinion on the .qucstion as stated above:

!In .a recent case ln 0Ur County Court, oz& Hill6rd D;ivls, plcaired guilty of drivFn,; while intoxicated, en& was flneO $50.00 and costs, and his Driver’s Li- “tense-suspended for a period of six nonths, the Court takm the view that the. suspension VIS mn?lstory -under : . the statute.

“From a review of the authorities, I have concluded that there 1s no law presently in force pemittinS the ‘suspension of a Driver’s License bccsuse of a.con- ’ ‘viotlon under the druu?c-driv3xg law. Lo&, ‘Un&er Article 802s, Pens1 Co&, Acts 193i, &a ’ P. 26&Ch. 162, Sec. l;it 1s provicied that In all ceses vhere a defendant is convicted of driving a motor vehicle whlle’uu3or the Influence of ZntoxicatlnI liquors or nsrcotics, the Jury at the ssme tine shall add to their verdict-the length of t&!c thst the defcndent shall be prevented from &lvinz sny notor vehicle on the highways of this State, not to exceed tFo;Te,srs. leg ly?e iizzediatelg above is quote3 fr.ox Arbsole aa 9 l, 1925. ., ._
“Article 6687r, Acts cf the 43th Legislsturc, repealed Article 802a of the Penal Code. ‘Then, by Housa..’

._ Ronarable .Sholburno R. Clover, Page 2

._ Bill Ho. 20, Acts 1941, 47th Log., Sec. 45, Article 66873 was repealed.

‘1 take the nosltion that the repeal of ArtLolc 802~3by Article &@a, R. S., 1925, had the effect of destroying Article 8028, Penal Code, an0 It could not be revived except by a subsequent ‘act of tho Lesisls- -ture. . _. _ .

.. “House Bill 73 of the last Legislature retiuccd the penalty for drunk-driving as to the first offense to a misdcnoanor. Article 602a 0;’ the Penal Code wxs not referred to..

‘It 1s my conclusion that a Court 011Jury under the law1 as it now star&+, has no pover to interfere vith a person’s right to drive slnply because of his conviction for violating the law.” **-We** thtik gou must have overlookod the p:ovlsions of Article Iv, Section 24, Subd%vislo2 2 of IIouse Bill X:0. 20, as enacted at the recent .rc&a~ session of tho Party-seventh Lagislature. See page 253, **Vol.** 4, 1941.Vcrnon’s Texas Session Law Service. 4l-mpertineht language reads as follows:

‘Sec. 24. Automstlc suspension of license. ‘~(a) The license of any person shall be automtlcally suspendea upon final conv$ctfon of any of the Sollowin~ offenp3s:

,. “2.’ Driving a motor vehicle while under the lnfluence of intox$cat%ng liquor or narcot:c drugs;

“(b) The suspension above providecI shall in the first instance be for a period of six (6) nonths. In event any license shall be suspentied under the provlsion of t%s Section for a-second tine, se.16 second suspension sh?.ll be Sora period of one (1) yonr: in + s +bi n =

:. The above enacttient, hsvinz received the required smbor’of votes in csch,Rouse OS the Legislature, and approved . br the Governor, became effective on April 23, 1941. .:

. ‘While it is true thhrt”Articlo 802, ‘Pen21 C&o, ‘hosbeen bended’ severs1 times, znd the lsst enoniiment mde the firstofSensea misdemcsnor, at ,a11 tties since the last codification of the Pens1 Code .in 1925 we hcve had a prohibition egainst one .&ivinI or opereting a motor vehicle upon enI public rosd or highvsy in this St&e, or upon anI street or slleP within the limits OSen Incorporated city, town ,or villa&e, yhilo such person is intoxicated or under, tho influence of in.toxicetin~ liquor. (See penal Code, 1925, nev.,~kjrt. 802; Acts 1935, 44t3 LcG., 1st 0. s. “.Ch. 424, p. 1654; Acts 1937, 45th Leg., ReCI Ses.‘Ch. 60, p. 108).

.. In 1931 the Forty-second Legislature prosed the first ret euthorlziq the suspension of driving’ ~privilegcs. (Acts 1931, 42udLeg., Reg. sm. Ch. 162, p. 268.) In 1935, the Texas Driver’s License Lsw wssenacted; (Acts 1935, 44th .LeC.., 2nd C. S., Ch. 466, p. 1785) and Section 16 provided that the license **of** anyporson should be sutomcticnlly suspended or revo?red upon final conviction for “driving a motor vehicle vhile lmder the . influence OS intoxicating liquor or narcotic druss.” It also nsde such revocation or susponalon effective f ’0r.a period of six (6) months. ,_. 0~ : -’

.. The Court of .Crtiinal Appeals held that the Texas Drivarts License Law, supra,~‘,iripliedly reposled.the ststutc pessed b7 the Forty-second Legislature. See H3rd.s v. State (Tex. Cr. * App.) 109 s. we. (26) 201, Ibid, 109 s. w. (26) 203; X&evos v.. .- State (T&x. Cr. App. 109 Si If. (2d) 1051; Che.neyv. State (Tex. T'i Cr. App.) ,112 s. w. 2a) ‘461;. I Saying the. six months, suspension xss automatic, many csses were reversed by the appellate court vherein juries had assessed a suspension for lonser periods thsn tlx months under the old law. I -.’ 44th Lee., While’the above Texas Drlvor’s License Law (Acts 1935,. : leg., Ch. 466, p. 1785) was amended In 1937 (Acts 1937, 45th

ch. 369, p. 752), there t-as no chap .ln Section 16 thereof; 1 Ul same stood as originelly pzoscd until both acts were specifi- ’ i Czllg rep&led bj section 45 of House Dill 20 of the Porty-ceventh kgislature. c _ i 6

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. 1- . J. gohyble Shelburne Ei~Glover, Page 4 ._ t \ _i , .. However, as stated above; tho’quoted lmS:ua.ge (&. ’ 24, H. B; Ho. 20, sup~a). 113s expected, ln the. s&Te bill. / .. ‘. As, the lau’nov. s&k,’ upon. a~firat~ ~o&~cti& of ‘drfv- &j vhile dr-mk” the slz noath’s suspension of the driver’s license is autonatlc a.96 nzndatory.

-- The jury ha3 nothing to do in the prcnises; if~3~incl dekndaut guilty an3 render a verdict accordingly, the court’s duty ls.prescribed by Section 25(a) of. raid Houqe Bill 30. 20: -

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. “sec. 25. .roport corivlct.iona.

Wren court. ‘to .roport corivlct.iona. . : (a) Whmever auy psrson is convicted of any offense Whmever convicted offense

~‘fop vhich this Act JE&~S automtic. the suswnslon of automtic. suswnslon the.opcr3torgs,comerclal opoxtor’s, or chauffeur’s ++I%ense of such perscn, the court In which such convlction~iis had shall. requ:ro the surrender to ‘It of all op~zrators I, co~~~orcial. operotor3’, and chauffeursg liceqSe3 then held by the pexon so convicted and thaw clerk of said court shall thereupon forvwd the sax8 toSether wkth a recbrd of ’ such conviction to the Department, -vithln te” (19) 6.3~3 fro= the date of convlc- .~ i,.

, tion. n .*~ : r_ ..Trustlng tii,nt yoti cle’arly understand the above, vo are

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.: Yfqrs voi-y truly .

BVtej . Asslstsnt