. 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

GE-C. MANN 

Anomlmv Gil”m*L 

X’onorabla Georga E. Sheppard 

ColriptroLler ofYublic Aocounts 

Dear Clrt 
. 

Honorable George k 'heppard, Page 2 

'*(a) The informtim desired is wh~thrr 

or hot it in mcGatory thet thie dupwtmmt 

oenoel 1iOGncG to sell L6fur.d Xotor Fuel whioh 

has l>Cc!l !:GEUMI to c pcroon who ha8 been e,iven 

,. e suopcnded mntebcc under the pmmlty proVlaiou 3ct out. in %hlou 27(k) sria %kotion 27(L) 

of tho Act rdfurroc? tc above. 

“(b) Kould thla dopartrzent bs authorized 

to i5611e lio~nsct to Q person who tes bc:ec cohvloted of 6 falony undr?r the sbOV~6 Aot during 

the the the scuta;oo'is suspended? At the eli 

pir&ticn of tbe susvended sontonoe, then would 

this bepertrrent be authorized to lrsue lloense 

to suoh PttlOxkO 

*(o) Koulcl a psreoo who hsa been gi'ven R 

suspended nentenoo forfeit the right to fS1o a 

,refunG alsim for a per106 of 0:ke (1) yenr from 

the dete of sdoh oonviatlon?~ 

'M~thou~h thz obore statute has not been before 

the courts of this -"t&t8 or before this department rcr 

aonslaeratio- + we believe a review of the dooIsiana 0r 

the oourts of thin and other state8 end OS opinions of, 

this departxont upon aiailar statutes, elthougti not cohtrollit& will be helpful in arriving at the intmtion 

of the Legislature in the enaotvmnt of the instant statute. 

your gueatfou resolve6 itself to a oonatruotlon~ 

of the words nfclony cooVv!yttlon* a8used in the quoted 

portlx of Csotlon 13(d) or".iutlols 7065b, Vem on's Texas 

Clvll :%stuteo; thst is to say, do.suoh terma meen a mere 

fiadlng of the fact of ol,uiLC, either byverdiot of jury 

or by a plea of guilty, but upon whioh flnel judscnt or 

sentence bus beon euspcr:dact, u?gar the oontrollin& CuspO!ldWl .Tk3~tt?I3,Qe CUW02? e.o they man muh findfn~ or ed- 

~u6icstion or @lilt, follo:;~~B up by the nppropriate aontenoe 

of the lsw. Th6 w<>rd "conviotlonW has been used in vrrious 

legislative ennotrrc-nts, to m&n both at these phasun, ttm 

firs-t te:::r:! Iho ~~oplar ixcinin;: 6scrtbed thereto 0uZ thf;. 

h~;L~r b6IhC th6 t6oliuios.I 6W?@5 111 which the fiord is enNwd. +< 

Th$n io Illu:4ratud I&>ha folloui;lg quotetion 
Xanorable Ceorgo B:~hepparb, Page ) . 

_ Vbo tc;;rr: aonwiatian 1Pr Intlmtely bound 

up with the crl:iml luw, and It hen been cl%id 

thet iu critinal prooedure the war@ i~.of agtivocal mcml~.~, hsvlng both a populnr, and 6 teohnice1 lkqal ei~liiiic6ti.Oil, the oonstruotion not 

el\rags helcs wlforn, but hpendirrg upon en intorprcbotlon or the partloular I&w or utstute 

under oansiderntion; , . . . It may, however, 

for th0 purpose of classlflootlon be said to 

hsvs three montngo: (1) bnerali (2) ordinary; 

end (3) Cechnicel. 

"33 its genorel or ooxprehendve, alao roferred to OS its pop+&sr, 881166, the tern Ces 

been ilerinea as the overthrow or e dsfclndant 

by the eotebll0hment of his guilt, according 

to sow of the known legal mocbs; a verdict, or 

flm.?ill~, Of guilty; . . . ; 

qlAa orclinarlly employed in la& phraeeologg, 

or in ito ordinary legal aenfm, the ten *eon- 

. vlotionf is used to desii',nete that particuler 

.,:!s+5gq of a oriklnal pro~eou$lon, *:on a plea ot 

_' @lty la entered in open court, or e vsrdlot la 

returned by 8 Jury, . . . 

. 

-wXn'a atrlot legal sense, or v&on uesd in 

its zor6 reotrlcte% anS teohnlaal sl6@~lcatlon, 

the word hna been Cefined so denoting the final 

judaent of the court end as'ln?portin& tbc final 

connummtlon of the prosecution, rron tbo ootcplaint to the jud@zent of the court of scintenoej 

sonfd&ms fnolud2ng, and acPr.etLmes not inoluding, 

the sentence; end in thi:; sense It is mid to 

aoncern the states of' Snfeay resultlne frorzthm 

flncl judgmnt of cnndwmtloa for ortie. . . SW 

Yhere c cuspenCed~sont%nce has been mrantsd weither 

the verdict of cmv:ctlon nor the judf.??ent entered t,barcon 

shall bccom firxl.. . . .R fi.rtiale T@,' Code of Cri5Lnal ProOBdUrC, 152 5. "i'3c:or t&e tex.xB ox- C,U.i‘ :IL~tut#c rc.:Ytipc to 

t&2 StZ3pC3SidFZG C4~Ilt~:lC>e, it has ken held that in a CDBB whore 

one receives ouch nnnt~~sco~ths judment 10 not final end oennot be ep~!ealoC l-x-cm." ~t:nt2~ V. mm, 281 r. :i. 1072. If 

by the worth "felony ccnviction~~ as used fn the quoted artlohn 
Eonorat3.e George H. rheppsrd, Pa@ 4 

Cnder atetutsa prhcre aclviotloo is made the ground 

ot come dlsabillty or spaoi~l peacrlty, itbs been gonerolly 

buld that the term ~*oonviotlGn'l mm% a fins1 edjud~ontion 

by judgment of the court retrim then a mt'r~ vcrCiat of guilty. 

16 C. 5. X266-67; i%3b@s v. :"ebian, 85 H. 7. 672, 18 L. R. k. 

(u.x.) 634. 

This idbptibn of' the strlot teahniaal moaning bf 

the terR “oonviatlon” rather then the .~opuler E~38tlilIf.& whe,n 

such oonvlctlbn io follon#d, unc‘;cr pcrtlmnt statutes, by 

certein civil penalties and aonmquenoee, Is illustratkd 

by the stetsmmt of the aourt in tb% CHSB, eupra, thetr 

". . . where disabilities, disqu%lificetions, 

and forr%"eitures are to rollow upon e cagviotlon, 

in the oy% of tho law it is thEt ccnvfcblon which 

in %vLdenaed by sentenoo and 'judgz.ent.; %Mt thnt, 

whhere sentanoe ia auopended, am? oo'tm dlreot 

oonsequttnoes ot fi.m end Imprisonmmt mm suuperndrd or postponca tfmporerily or indetlnitely, 8uT 

f&b, the indirect conoqucinoes %ro likewise postponod." ',< ?. , '.: 

. . Tids rule %ppc%re to hsv6 bcsn epproved by the: 

fer~r Texne deoisions avelleble upon this question. The Surem Court of Tezas in zhe early cene oi G%llaeher V. -tote, 

PO Tcx. ct. APT). 469, upon annctrtin~: oanntitutional and 

statutory provi~jion~ dingu%lifyfng sernons- frown voting is 

Taxes Q&O hive bc+cn'*oomioted of any felony," held that 

the word macxivictedw has a 4~fin13e si~~nlrfcntlon in few 

nnd deans t,hr:t B ~udtg%xlt of' rlnal t?c?lCh~iatiOn haa been 

pronounced tr:jalnst the acaused. 
HOnorsble George IL phsppsrd, Pege 5 

thc ouspennion WOB void and th0 vot%r WCB not qtmimd, - 

no4 heviag been pnr<oncd. yhile not dimotly 30 bald, r.e 

t.blnZ it ifi e- feir irir^erar;cs fro;rr thfa mlinr. that had th0 

auepenfdon ofsentence boec effected under &.velid suspended 

. . ssnteaoa law, the votsr vzould not htpro been diaqualifled es 

'heving been "oonvoiotod of any felony" within the monin,g 

of the Constltutiou and stntutaa. 

The courts have given a like oomt,ruotion to the 

word, waonviated' 5s mod-.in tha statuts (ainoe mended) diarson t&o hod lean aonvlatod 

or 8 foiony. . “trite, 100 3.7. 771; L;5?iQO33 0. Ytate, 

165 6.x. 208; sminnds v. ntate, 175 C.VI. 1064. 

fn sppsrent oohflict with the above suthoritlea 

am aerteln deoisione of the Texas Court of Crlmlnel Appeals, 

holdlng that uader the S,uspmded Sentonce Lsw providing for 

au3gUmded atmtenoe in c03e the aoousod harr ncv0r befor been 

aonvlctod of e telony, uhiherc the eocuscd hi-id been aonvioted 

or a ra0ny aud ~03 oil Ilbctrty under 8 suspended ssntenoe, 

subziasion of a quontion of 3U33aAde& sentence to the Jury 

War3 'Fcrpropor , sic00 e Jue~icene or guilty in a felony oas% 

.accanpnniad by e MU3:cnsim of SGntaCCe is 8 cocviotion Of 

reiony. Callow3y v. CtatG, 240 F. '7. ClSk; IS.11 v. Ztate, 

243 E. Yi. 982. But vm think them deolsiona can be distin- 

@shod froze those disaussed sbovo, under the pertiauler 

1sngna~G of the suspended soutenoe statute, as ditraurssed 

in tha opinion of 31d.i;6 Lattinoro in iW.1 v. State, sup-e. 

Uoreover , unlike the other utatutea adverted to sb~ve, this 

oorlntruotion ~3s reesonablc and necaesary to rcn!er the 

SlSpXhXl Setitenoe Lsw ‘xorkabla en8 tdfcotive; beoauee if e 

rhi fUdPJW?tZt Or thG OOWt wes r,acessarg to oonatltute a . 

vOonviotion" within the n;eaning of the Zuapended Scnteuce 

bi, than lSUfD65SiV0 appliOdiOIl3 fOl' 3U33Qnd0d senterae 

.-notid bG ponsibl0 nlt,hoU<h the defendtint had bmp. mng timoe 

aortvictcsd of guilt but &ven tbe.ben0flt of e suopsnaion 

or sc.nteuce in prior a33as. 
Answa’rin~ your oeoor,d que&ion~‘and ‘baaing our 

allswe~ upwn the prinOip~e# bsroiriabove dlsousaed, pw edvise that ywu would ‘be aul;horlzed to iesue a liaonae for 

~tbe purpono OS sellirrg relund motor fuel., to a deelcr 

whono aentcnce of felony oanvfction bee boon nuspsndsd 

uncor the !Xspendod :kntanoo i.tiw, during who Clone of Eil& 

euny*aeion, provided t.het, dor.inE such period tts dhelor 

in not convicted of my other felony. Zf, on the ot!ter 

hand, sef& deelar ie oonvictod of enwther felony during 

tho pexI wd wf suspension aC eantenoo for hie first felony 

0rfOmi0, fine1 judgment Is, under cert+in ntetutory procuedin~e,, pronounsed uoon the .origj..neJ canvi.ction, an% 

thenceforth E J--Y& ju;i~~~~lt of cc~viction wovld erlst 

wt1lctl would 4WJCo:sLiLiCUll.y forf’ult t.ko lioeilue la question. 

This re.t3ultn fros t#bc. provislone of Article 379, Code of 

Crir:inid iYooedtm3, rcoCi~g; as f 011~~3: 

“‘JPCQ the fi!sll. oo;i-~ictionf ttc Ccfondant of my other falony pcr.ding Lho sua~~cnoion 

of sen~tcnco, tkc c:>urt ,~~nCiu:? cuci: suspcn5lOn 

shell CUUE~ e cr-,&txi to 1~3~s for tke arrrst 0r 

. 

. 

Honorable Cieorga Ii. Gheppord, Fage 8 

5%~ cmsv~er to yaw t!aird queetion la Koverned by 

the ikcislv~!~ naci Opitifoii8 herckobovc diacustied, under 

which we held thet n suspended sentmae on. 81 .Selony convlction on verdict or pXae. OS gu,il.ty, i8 not a ‘Telony oonvlatioo” wJ.tbln the r::ennla~g OS reul;ion .U (A) of ktlole 70&b, 

v~raot5~6 Tmas Civil ftntutea. Aa in the cum of the Sorfelturc 0S tf.0 refund clwiler~s 1icwm0, the denial of the 

rlE;fit of ecy person to S1l.a a claim md obtuin a tax refund 

ror a ~~rforl of cm yeor frca the bite of a felony convlo-’ 

tLan dwondu, under such statute, upon a fluul cc.miction 

and not n a(360 where centencc o f awmlctlon 1.3 ouopondcd. 

Ye aaoordlrqly aanaor your third question in ttm nogativa. 

tozefplng fully anawera your inquiry, h 

c.1:. 

Ft.i:.c.