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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 

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p2sr Sir: Opinion Ho. o-4141 

. ‘: De: Doos a court or jury have the 

right, as the Law now stands 

to suspend or revoke the driver’s 

license of a person who is con- 

. . .vlcted of the cisdmeanor of’ 

’ drivln~ while intox:cateci? 

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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 , 1 925. ., ._ 

“Article 6687r, Acts cf the 43th Legislsturc, repealed Article 802a of the Penal Code. ‘Then, by Housa 
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Ronarable .Sholburno R. Clover, Page 2 

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Bill Ho. 20, Acts 1941, 47th Log., Sec. 45, Article 66873 was repealed. 

‘1 take the nosltion that the repeal of ArtLolc 

802~3 by 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. . _. _ . 

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“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 011 Jury 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-m pertineht 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: 

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“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 

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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. 

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. ‘While it is true thhrt”Articlo 802, ‘Pen21 C&o, ‘hosbeen 

bended’ severs1 times, znd the lsst enoniiment mde the firstofSense a 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 

OS en 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, 

42ud Leg., 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 

any porson 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~ : -’ 

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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.ney v. 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. 

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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 _ 

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gohyble Shelburne Ei~Glover, Page 4 

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However, as stated above; tho’quoted lmS:ua.ge (&. ’ 

24, H. B; Ho. 20, sup~a). 113s expected, ln the. s&Te bill. 

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‘. 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. 

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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. Wren . court. ‘to .roport .roport corivlct.iona. corivlct.iona. . : 

(a) Whmever Whmever auy psrson is convicted convicted of any offense offense 

~‘fop vhich this Act JE&~S automtic. automtic. the suswnslon suswnslon of 

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- 

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tion. n .*~ 

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

9 ,.~- 2: _.,,._ 1’ 

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.: Yfqrs voi-y truly . 

BVtej 

. Asslstsnt