.

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
GE-C. MANN Anomlmv Gil”m*L

X’onorabla

GeorgaE. Sheppard ColriptroLler

of Yublic Aocounts

Dear Clrt.

HonorableGeorge 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:eccohvloted of 6 falony undr?r the sbOV~6

Aot during the the the scuta;oo'issuspended? At the eli pir&ticnof tbe susvendedsontonoe, then **would** this bepertrrent be authorized**to** lrsue lloense to suoh PttlOxkO *(o) Koulcl

a psreoo who hsa been gi'ven R suspendednentenoo 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 statutehas not been before the courts of this -"t&t8 or before this departmentrcr aonslaeratio-

+ we believea review of the dooIsiana 0r the oourts of thin and other state8 end OS opinionsof, this departxontupon aiailar statutes,elthougti not cohtrollit& will be helpful in arriving at the intmtion of the Legislaturein the enaotvmnt of the instant statute.

your gueatfou resolve6 itself to a oonatruotlon~ of the words nfclony cooVv!yttlon* a8 used 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 sentencebus beon euspcr:dact, u?gar the oontrollin&CuspO!ldWl .Tk3~tt?I3,Qe CUW 02? e.o

they man muh findfn~ or ed- ~u6icstionor @lilt, follo:;~~B up by the nppropriateaontenoe of the lsw. Th6 w<>rd"conviotlonW has been used in vrrious legislativeennotrrc-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:4ratudI&>ha folloui;lg quotetionXanorable Ceorgo B:~hepparb, Page ) .

Vbo tc;;rr:

aonwiatian1Pr

Intlmtely bound

_ up with the crl:iml luw, and It hen been cl%id thet iu critinalprooedurethe 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 overthrowor 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 oriklnalpro~eou$lon,*:on a plea ot _' @lty la entered in open court, or e vsrdlot la returned by 8 Jury,
. . .

. -wXn'aatrlot 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@zentof 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, 1525. "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 artlohnEonorat3.e GeorgeH. rheppsrd,Pa@ 4

Cnder atetutsaprhcre aclviotloois made the ground ot come dlsabilltyor spaoi~lpeacrlty, itbs been gonerolly buld that the term ~*oonviotlGn'l mm% a fins1 edjud~ontion by judgmentof 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 teahniaalmoaning bf the terR “oonviatlon” rather then the .~opuler E~38tlilIf.& whe,n such oonvlctlbnio follon#d,unc‘;cr pcrtlmnt statutes,by certein civil penaltiesand 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 ccnvfcblonwhich in %vLdenaedby sentenooand 'judgz.ent.; %Mt thnt, whhere sentanoe ia auopended,am? oo'tm dlreot oonsequttnoes

ot fi.m end Imprisonmmt mm suuperndrd or postponca tfmporerilyor indetlnitely,8uT f&b, the indirectconoqucinoes%ro likewise postponod." ',< ?.
,'.:

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

fer~r Texne deoisionsavellebleupon this question. The Surem Court of Tezas in zhe early cene oi G%llaeherV. -tote, PO Tcx. ct. APT).

469, upon annctrtin~: oanntitutional

and statutory provi~jion~ dingu%lifyfngsernons- 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 ouspennionWOB 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 diaqualifledes 'heving been "oonvoiotod of any felony"within the monin,g of the Constltutiouand stntutaa.

The courtshave given a like oomt,ruotionto the word, waonviated'5s mod-.in tha statuts (ainoemended) diarson t&o hod lean aonvlatod or 8 foiony.

. “trite, 100 3.7. 771; L;5?iQO33 0. Ytate, 165 6.x. 208; sminndsv. ntate, 175 C.VI. 1064. fn sppsrent oohflictwith the above suthoritlea am aertelndeoisioneof the Texas Court of Crlmlnel Appeals, holdlng that uader the S,uspmdedSentonceLsw providing for au3gUmdedatmtenoe in c03e the aoousod harr ncv0r befor been aonvlctodof e telony,uhiherc the eocuscd hi-id

been aonvioted

or a ra0ny aud ~03 oil Ilbctrty

under 8 suspended ssntenoe, subziasionof a quontionof 3U33aAde& sentence to the Jury War3'Fcrpropor

, sic00 e Jue~icene or guilty in a felony oas% .accanpnniad

by e MU3:cnsim of SGntaCCeis 8 cocviotionOf reiony. Callow3yv. 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 soutenoestatute, as ditraurssed in tha opinion of 31d.i;6 Lattinoro in iW.1 v. State, sup-e. Uoreover, unlike the other utatuteaadverted to sb~ve, this oorlntruotion

~3s reesonablcand necaesary to rcn!er the SlSpXhXl Setitenoe Lsw ‘xorkabla

en8 tdfcotive;beoauee if e rhi fUdPJW?tZt

Or thG OOWt wes r,acessarg to oonatltutea . vOonviotion"

within the n;eaning of the ZuapendedScnteuce bi, than lSUfD65SiV0 appliOdiOIl3 fOl'3U33Qnd0dsenterae .-notid bG ponsibl0nlt,hoU<h the defendtint

had bmp. mng timoe aortvictcsd

of guilt but &ven tbe.ben0fltof 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 ‘beaul;horlzed to iesue a liaonae for ~tbepurpono OS sellirrg relund motor fuel., to a deelcr whono aentcnce of felony oanvfctionbee 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**  convictedof my other felony. Zf, on the ot!ter hand, sef& deelar ie oonvictodof enwther felony during tho pexI

wd wf suspensionaC eantenoo for hie first felony 0rfOmi0, fine1 judgment Is, under cert+inntetutoryprocuedin~e,,

pronounseduoon the .origj..neJ canvi.ction,

an% thenceforthE 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.

provisloneof Article 379, Code of Crir:inid iYooedtm3, rcoCi~g; as f 011~~3:

“‘JPCQ the fi!sll.

oo;i-~iction

f 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 Kovernedby the ikcislv~!~ naci Opitifoii8 herckobovc diacustied, under which we held thet n suspendedsentmae on. 81 .Selonyconvlction 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 Sor**felturc** 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 centenccof awmlctlon 1.3 ouopondcd. Ye aaoordlrqlyaanaor your third question in ttm nogativa. tozefplng fully anawera your inquiry, h

c.1:. Ft.i:.c.