. .., . nonerable: Jack ,Roae, Chairman Opinion. No:~ W., ,567

~~Bi3azWoS~~Pardonr~ and, Paroles. ’ ” ” ‘~ 

### C,@pIitolBullding : .~ AuetUG Texae

I’

‘Dear Mr. Roea: 

### ‘ 36: Restoration of 

### -1ichre~ of ~a

~prrrgn .t6 drlv6 8 motor ‘vehicle :upoti the public roade, hlghwayr, ,+ntl 8tSeete, of, the State of Texae after final ’donvlction for a penal offense which carriss ag aut’omatia auspenslon of such licenee. From your letter’ of June ,10, :Jge, requerting ah dffio,- ial opinion of this office aoneetining,the 

### above rubjeat, we _, quote:
‘In ,view of the 1936 amendment to.Artl.cle ,*, Sectlgn,.

11, of th&~

Te’ias Conetitutia& Qplnions of tormer Attori . ‘, I:~ “ . :, ” &y Qene~als end th& recent decibion of ‘then Court of Criminal Appeals ,in Cause No. ,29;5Weetltled Chester P Lee Daviron, A pelant v6;. The.Stite *of. Tefa8, 

### Appellee, ~ ’ ,. .~ 313~S. u. 28 8 ,3, It thls%oard t@8peetfullJr requests your. ,, .C~ ,~ ’ .,I /. . . . . 

### e /;,, ~, ’ ,opinion ,on the’ 

### followln~: .” ..,~, : “ Doee~the Board 6f Pardone ibd Paroles have the ” ., . power to recommend +nd,tht Qovernor~to~grant the restoration’ of 

### a license~~~to ,drive a motor vehiole

. upon the public 

### reader hltjhwa@ end street8 of the ’ ‘,, State of.,Texas after fligrl a’olivlctlon of, a ‘penal dffenee.whlch, 

### under the liwr of,the Stat) 

### bf TCx-,. s, a5; .carriqe” an aut+matlo ’ 

### rurpenition ,of ruch lit- ; ~;; ‘elyise?’ n :.v ,, ~ ‘ . ’ ,,, ’ ‘ . .~ h&l& 4, ’ section 11 ‘a8 am&ded 

### November: ‘J,: 1936; ” “ ’

of the Constit:tion of the’Stats’ of Texas, ariatar ~the Board:,, ’ ., ’ ; : of Pardona,.and Paroles and sets forth it8 .dutles 

### .and o~o-,

: : ‘viOe* in paI% ae” ‘follow?: : ’ ‘ . ,. ‘, ,:,

. ‘ . . ” ~. ’ ., , ’ ‘ . , ” :i; ,., .. ’ , .:

. :: ! ., ,.: ’ ,,-



### Honorable Jack Ross~, Page 2 (WW 567)
.

, ‘ . ’

.,

Attorney General Opinion No. o-6052 (lw) held that ‘ .

unher the’Con&titu’tlon and laws of. Texas the Governor, upon 

### the favorAble recommendation of 

### the ,Board of Pardons and Paroles, has the power to.restore the right to operate a motor.vehicle upon the public hIghWaX to a person who,has been cQnVicteb’of driving .~hile, intolxiaated,,snd who:has eerved hlg jail sentence or. paid. hiE ,.fine,, ,oi* both, ,after iinal con-. viction. Such ‘opinli>n held that:.the aUtOmbtlC~ s~spenstion’ of a driver16 license of one.convlCted,fo~.the’otf6nse of “ drlvlng a motor vehicle while under:.the~.in+ence of..$ntoxlcatIng ” ls~coritemporaneous With.the CQnVldtl~ ‘Under..the Penal %%e~ (~A.?W.cle ‘ 802., Vernon ‘ 8’ Penal Cbdei ’ ,snti 1s ‘an l+or- &lb *.&tit &d :iiariel”‘ ~rf~fh ’ ~ “‘ ~ “ :eniltjr’ ‘ ifCpb&d ; “ ,, ‘ -&fi opin@n stated ‘that such dusp’etirioe of. ‘the dH+eF! 8: 1Icbi)s.e was a *forfbIturh” by way of pun’If#Menli afkr. .@onvlotlbn In ~a.trimInal, case, I.e. j driving a motor vehf~cle while .under the’ in- 

### ., .~ fluence of intoxicating ‘llquori and ae a .conaequenoe,~Ia an
. . . . ,.. : . .incldent of the: punirrhment deecrlb~d ‘ :by.,,ArtIcle 802 .of the

. 9’ . “Texas ‘Penal Code. : ., .. . ‘,.. 2 .,/. “ ’ .~,,..~ One’ Who has been, convicted of ,the’ #en&l offense 

### of drlvI, ” ‘lng whilk intoxicated; 

### a8 ’ 8e.t fbSth.:,In ‘Aktlcl~ 802 of. the a: 

### ‘ ~ ~2 Texas, Penal Code, i+uffer# 

### the~,autoaatlc:r~~paarlon of hi8 i .; .J. ’ “ ’ ,.: drlver~a.llcens~ under the prov$sion’9. 

### bf $e.ct$qp: 24, Artii$e ,, ; .+. - : *.; : ; . : ! ;: .6687b, .JTeercion’sClYll Statutes,; me~~pdrtint4nt lsnguage with- :... ‘ . Sri Se&on’ 24 of Akt.1Pl.e 6687b, ‘ .~Virnonlr :CIvil: ,Statutea, iii&b

whlah owe 

### are here’ concerned,, ’ $roVlde.e 

### ai ~followb.:

.. ., .,,:.; I :.,: .~., ., ‘a. The lfcense of ” &ny pe&n rh*3’ 1. ‘~~.rU~tio=l,l~ :,.. .~.. ‘ .. suspended upon final 

### 0onvibtlo~ of. any of,. 

### the . .. ‘ . 8. 

### following off6nses: .&.

. ...; ..,’ ‘~ ,. .; . . . ~.’ ..’ ,, ,.I,-’ i “In all~&imi&l,cabei, except treason ,and *peachment, thi Governor shall have tie, power,. after cbn

### viction, one

the written, signed recommendatldn and advice of the Board of Pardons and Paroles, ,orof a tiJorlty thereof, to grant reprieves and commutations o t 

### gunlcihmentS

and pardons; and under. euch rules 88 the, leglslature,may preticrlbe, ,and upon’ the written retommendation 

### and advice of the majority of the Board 

### of Pardons and Paroles he shall have the power to remit fines and forfeitures, ,’*”

. ’. In an oral discussion wi ’th you’i~, ~~o#“ kd~lsed that the “ Opinitine of Former Attorney ‘Ge0eralfb., ..to -which you refer in your opinion tietjuest, consist, of. Attorhe’y ‘General Opinion ,Wo. 0-6052. . ’

. t ., .

.

. . I

### Honorab1.e Jack R&s, ,Page’:‘3. (WW 567) 2. . . ‘.

driving a mo:tor:.vehlcle ‘while under : the influence of intoxicatingliquor or narcot,lc

drug.

. . . “b. Tht~susptns,lon,above provided for shall in the 

### flrst Instance be f,or ~a period ol alx months. In the event any license shall be’bnrpended 

### ,under the provision of,

this section for a aecond time; ,sald suspenslon shall 

### be for a period of one year. ” ,In the cast 

### ~of ~Chtsttr Let Daiidsim v. The &ate 

### of Texas,. suma. br tht,Eourt of Crlmihhl A nneals. said 

### court ?ifsszE Pres$ding iti %h&& the Honorable U. A. Uorrison, Judge, stated that~ “the~r:lght to drive is a ~prlvlltgt~~ and not a r1ght.t and in 

### tiiDDort of I)amt Cited the ciists of Qll~aaplt-v.-titp&ment bi Public Safety 177;~Tatum v. Department of Public :Safttx &?5~.s~.w~d2!67, and numerous other cases. Llk I In &Id 

### op’lnlon Pre-. sl$Mng Judge Morrison further iia$ that the suspension of???> a’drliier’s-license Is not a part of the pqhment v td by the ltgiala~urt~ but was an ancillary result of 

### the,ib’ convlctlon. .~ %&-ha& madi a .thorough st@rch of those. 

### cater In which a 

### drlvtrls.~llci?&e has been’ msu8pendtd” in accordance with Section 24 ‘of Article 6687b, Vernon’s Civil St&t&&s, ,md ‘we can find no case In which tht,oourtr have 

### referred to such “suspttision~ as a “ forfeitirt.* &de&d, th.e ~cour(ts of Texas have uniformly adhered to ,the wordirq of tHq statute itiwlf ana wed the verb “susptnd~ jrhtn, Invoking .the provlslons of Section.24 of Artlclt **668?b.** Vernonas Clvll ‘Statute&. To



### ..Ac@ordlngly, we atit unqb,l ’ k ‘ to~~di&b ,.to Attorney &tntral ’ s Opiniok:No. ~0-6952 which hOld8’ ,that the ,~urpetislon Of a’ **liCbn6t** .of, &rib convlct~d under ~Atiticlt~ 803; ‘Vtrn6n’ ,i Ptntl 

### Code, 1’9 a ~nforfel ’tir~! ’ and hereby ovtrrmle irid bpihion.

. , ’

### Honorable Jack,Ross, Page 4 (WW 5671.~ ,:

Intismuch

as the Court of Criminal Appeals ,ln the Davldson case ~saw fit to dtclare.thatthe, suspensiono,f

a dciverls ,llcfintie',as,providtd for in Section 24 of Article 6687b 

### was :. no% 'b,part

of the,punlshment

Imposed by Article 802 of'tht Texas .Penal

Code and 'a %uspenslon" is ,not.reftrrtd to'in Artlcle.4, Sectldn 1'1 of the Coristitutlon 6f Ttxae, supra, you are'advised that the Board of,Pardons and Parolts,'dots not have the power to recommend, and the governor 

### dots not have the power tb grant restoratl.on of a llctnst to drive a motor vehicle upon the public roads,, hlghw+ys~arid"&rtttt of 'the State of Texas after f.lnal convlctlbnof the penal offense which under .the flawsof the Statt,

yofTexas carries an automatic suspension of. such llcenst. The Board of Pardons and Paroles d&s not have 

### then

power 'torecommend, and, ‘thb ,gbverzIor~ 

### does not have the power to grant titrtoratlon of a llcetise

to drive a motor .Vthltilt upon the public z-0868, 

### highways and streets of the State 

### of Texas after final convictionof & penal 

### offense which under the laws of. the State of Texas carries

. an automatic suspqn?lon ~of synch

lltense. Yours very truly, MRT,JR:fd : APPROVED: 

### OPINI~N~COM?UTTEE ,. George P. Blackburn, Chiirmin Jack &odm&n W.llliam

E. Allen C. Dean Davis REV&WED FOR TH@ ATTORNEY QEN$dL : ap: W. V. Qtpptrt ." ! ..e-__ . .
'. '.