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OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

ionorablo Joe C. Rtmphrey, Ctmirwn 

Bouro OS aeprssent8t1rer 

49th Legirl8ture 

bl8tiU. ?U8S 

Ieglsl8tlOn, reIon 28 o? Artiale 

8titutlon. 

Committee on Contriote, I would 

you in reterenae 

d8tive Iledi#trlotd by the HonorsAle 

0 given 0merEenoy rtatur by 

oor Of the ilOUse t0 t8blO 

tion 08rried by 8 rate or 

*The question whlah I 8m direotlng to you 

is this; C8n the te~e~rtlwo t8blo 8 bil? Whiab 

the Constitution roqnlroo the Lsgi818ture to en8att 

Beotlon 28 of Artiole 3, of the Conmtitutlon 

of %x811, proridem for the re-8pp0rtionmont of 

the Legi8l8tUre into fJen8torirl 8nd Reprement8- 
Eonor8kle Jos Enmphray - p* 0 

tire dlstriot8 iu 8OaOrd8uaa with the provisions 

at Seotioas 22 8nd 26 of Artlole 3. Sinoe seatlon 28 st8tas. 'The Legisl8ture sh811, rt its 

first session rttor publlo8tion of e8oh United 

St8tes deaenni81 aensus, 8pportlon the State Into 

68n8tori81 8ud RepresOnt8tive dlstr~eta, 8gree8bly to the provi8ion8 of Seatioam 88 8nd 86 of 

thlm Artiole* l a+, ’ I would like to 8sk of your 

dep8rbent 8 oeoond question1 n8melyr does this 

Mot&On Ete8n th8t th. Oblig8tiOn Of Hdi8triatin6 the Skto rest only 8ad OutirelT 011 tbo first 

MsdOU 8ftor the United Sktes d808uni81 eenmr 

h8s bean taken, or 1s it 8 aontlnuing obligtlou 

at SPah session ot tbe Legisl8ture, 8tter the 

aensus h8s been t8ken, to redintriat the Bt8te until awih tire 8s the St8te h8s been redistrlatedt' 

Artlale III, Seotlon 11, of the Constitution of Tex8s 

is in part 8S t0110ws: 

"'&8Ch Rouse may determine the rules of its 

own proaeedlngs* l *a" 

Seotionm 26, 28 and 22 of Artfcle III of the Constltution 8re pertinent to four Inquiries, and 8re as fOllOw8t 

“Sea. 211. The Btste sh811 be divided into 

Senatorial Dlstrlats of aontiguous territory aacar&ink to the number of qualitiod eleotors, as 

nearly 8s may be, and each dlstriot shall be entitled to eleat one Senrtor; and uo single county 

sh811 be entitled to more than one Sen8tor. 

“Sea. 26. The members of the louse of Representatives sh811 be 8pportioned 8mong the several 

oountlen, 8aoording to the nUISbOr Of popul8tioa 

In e8ahr as nearly as m8y be, on 8 r8tio obt8ined 

by dividing the papul8tion of the St8te, as 8soert8ined by the most reaent Dnited St8tos aonsusl 

by the number at members of whiah the Bousa I.8 

aoarpasad; prorlded, th8t whenever 8 8fnglO aounty 

h8s mtfioient popul8tion to be entitled ta 8 

2epresent8tlrer such aounty shall be farmed IntO 

8 sep8r8te Represent8tlVe Dirtriot, 8nd when two 

or more aountles 8re required to E8k8 up the r8tio 

of represent8tion, suoh oountles shall be aontie 

00~s to e8eh other; 8nd When 8ny one GOUntJ h8s 
Honor8bl@ Joe numphrey - P* 3 

IbcO th8n sUf?iOibnt pOprl8tiOU to be ontitled to 

oue or more Repreaent8tires, suab Representative 

or nepreuUt8tiYos 8h811 be 8ppOrtiOned to wOh 

OOUlltJ, and iOr 8II7 sUl'p1U8 Of J'OJIU'l8tiOn it m87 

be joined in 8 ~epreronktire Distrlat with 8ny 

other Oontiguoam oouatl or ooantlss. 

’00s: w. th0 ~e~Sl8tUWb sh811, 8t its 

first wsmfon 8tter the publication of e8ah Unlted Skte8 deoenni81 eens~a, 8ppOrtion the St8ta 

intO &tl¶8tal'181 8nd &3pl'@s~t8tiY@ distFiOts, 

8groerblf te tha prorldon8 of 8e0tiono 96 8nd 

26 of this Artiale; 8nd until tho nsltt deaenni81 

oensus, rhen the firat 8ppartionment sh811 be 

m8d9 by tbo Legisl8tur4, the 8t8tO sh811 be, 8nd 

it im hereby dirided iuto Sen8tori81 8nd Represent8tiTe dlstriatr 8s pratided by 8n ordtn8noo 

of the Convention on tb8t aubjeat.’ 

8aoh of those prOYisiOus is m8nd8tOry in tom 8nd in 

substanao, iOr tbeJ use the f8mili8r 18IIgU8ge Of OOm8nd. In 

the nurture of the thing to be done , hoverer, the Constitution 

1s not self-en8ating, nor could ft be, but the duty of re-8pportioalng the 6t8te Into Sen8torirl 8nd Sopresenktire distriats 

is expressly Imposed upon the Legislature. It Is, of aourse, 

true the ConstitutiOn prorides no pW8lty or aonsequenae whatoYer for the f8llure of the Legiol8ture to ober this m8nd8ter 

yet the Legisl8ture is powerless to 8bsolYe itself from the 

performance of that duty by 8ny 8at Wb8tsOeVer. 

SO th8tr you 8re respeotfUl1~ adrfsed the Legislature. 

under Its own rules of proaeedlngs ) I!I8J t8hl43 a r8dfstriOting 

bill, but it oannot bl muoh p8rli8mentary prooedure deprlre 

itself of the power to oomplf, nor rellere itself of the duty 

Of oomplylng with uld prorislons of tho Constitution other 

th8n by p8ssing some tom of redlstriatlng bill. 

IOU 8re further 8drlsed with resgeat to Your seoond 

quastion t.h8t the 18ngurge of 8eatiOn 28, fbo bgisl8tUro sb811, 

8t ita first l emslo n 8fter the publle8tioa of e8oh United St8tes 

beaennlal aenwn' is not 8 liniktion upon the power of the Legis18ture, but r8ther is 8n 8ooentu8tlon ot the iaportanoe of the 

rubfeat matter of the Section. In 8nswer to your soooud question, 

therefore, you 8re 8dYised th8t this SeOtiOtI mean6 the redfstrlatfng of the Stata is 8 continuing duty of the La~isl8taro until 

such time as the Stata hns been redlstrlated. 'I8 also refer you 

to our Opinion Ro. O-4899, 8 oopy of whlah JOII eridently b8te. 
Boaor8blo Joe Iismphroy - p* 4 

379