OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Honorable Joe ?&mot&k, Ccmmisslomr 

aureaa of Labor Statilrt.108 

Au#tin, Texas 

Dear Sir: 

1939, in which you rogue 

in re8peot to the r0iiow 

requeatib on 

orrio aad 8~ri0s 

program or entariool, 06nYwttiQM, 

rothoed by singers, 

and various other 

ly and only with Joha L;oe. The prior of the progrtin is a lump sum whioh le tired by mtual apea 

sent between John Do* and the person, 889001atioa, 

convention, eto. dee1rin.g the entertaihmcant. fobn 

hoe seleote ~errorniaro to produoe the type of 

program contraoted. fog, and pays the perionram 

t.he priae agreed upon between John Doe and t&e 

perrormms. John Doe has exalcairs oherg and 
Uonorable Joe Kunsohik, Page 2 

oontml 0r the psrrormere, Is preaent, and 

directs the program throughout it.8 rendition. 

"Under the above msntfoned raota, doer 

John Doe oome within the provisions of the %IIployment kgenoy Law, whereby he would be required to obtain an employment agenoy lfoense to 

uarry on suoh aativities?* 

At the outset we wish to polat out that the Terarr 

Wplomnt Agenoy Lau, Artlolea 2208 through 5221, &vised 

civil Statutee or 1925, as amended, and Artlolse 15134 through 

1592 or Vernon*8 Annotated Fenal Code, are very rully and 

capably dlaouaaed In the oaae or Karr v. Baldwin, 59 Fed. 

(2nd) 252 (DlatrlOt Court, Texas) by Judge Atwell. 

krtiole 5206, Revised Civil Statutes, 1025, derines an -WpLovnt Ageaoy” as r0u0w8r 

"The term *E&ployaent A&enoy’ aiaana etery 

perso+, ‘rim, partneredlp or assooiatlon of peraorta engaged In the bublaefm Or asaleting amployera to aeoure employeea, aad persons to.aeoure eaiployment, or 0r oollactin~ iaromeation 

regarding employers seeking employees, and peruopg seeking employment.* 

The sass statute ?ronteln$ the tOllowIng deilnltloa or *?3mployaeat orrioe't 

'The term *Xmploymant Offloe* ~eaxis every 

glaoe or ortloe where the buslneas or glrlng 

lntelllgenoe or information where emploVmeat 

or help may be obtained,, or rhere the buaineas 

ot &in employment agent Is oarrled 011." 

Aooording to the rstatutoxy de&nit&on above eet 

out an %xployment Agent* is a parson, fZrm, pPrtaerahlp 

or aerrooiatlon or persons engaged In the btalne~e or brln& 

ing about an eaployer-employee or master-servant relationship between two persona or a rim, corporation, partnership, eta, ae employer or maste r and a person as employee 

or servant. In a situation desorltwd in pour lettoT, however, the agent employs and paye the entertainer@+ The 

latter have no eatreotuil relatlonahlp whataaever with 

the pereone, asaooiationa, olubs, aomentlonu, eta. desiring the entertainment. They look to the agent for 
Eonorable Joe Kunaohlk, Fag3 3 

their inatruotions end their remuneration. The asent in 

turn contract8 with the tioreaald parties desiring an entertainment program. A lump aum la paid to the agent for 

the sh0w or talent he produces or rurnlshea. 

To be an *employee*, the relation or master-servant 

muat exist to the extant that one party has the right of 

ultimate control over the other. Surety Cnlon Inanraaoe Co. 

P. holeod, (Texas) 36 S. F. (2d) 449, 551. 

"In the language of the law, however, the 

word *servant* la used to smbraoe all olaasea 

or employeea. It la synonymous with *employeef, 

end laoludaa all persona of nhatever rank or. 

poeitlon who are aubjeot to the dlrecrtlon.and 

aontrol of another in any department of labor 

or buainesa.a 29 Tex. Surla. 10. 

In the Supreme Court oase of Ribtik I. YoBride, 

277 U. S. 350, Justice Sutherland niakea this algnlflaant 

observation: 

*The basineia ot aeouring employment for 

those aeeking.work is eaaentlally that of a 

broker, that ie, or an iatermadlary.w 

Under the faota set ant in your letter the agent 

la something &ore than an lhtarmadiary. Ea ia In reality 

the employer of the entertainera, having oompleti Oontrol 

and paying them for their aervloes.Inthe abaenoe or any ralationahlp of master and servant being brought about by 

aald agent betueen the entertainers on the ond hand and the 

parsona, oluba, asaociatlona and convention8 deairlng their 

aervioea, ft la our opinion that the agent or entertalneasnt 

entrepreneur desorlbed In your letter does not aoaie within 

the purview or Artiale 5208, Revised Civil Statute8 or lSW, 

and la not required by law to obtain an Employment Agenoy 

Lloenae, Articlea liWEl through 5221, Revised Cioil.Statutea 

of lQe3, aa amended, and Artlalea 1584 throue 1593 of the 

Annotated Penal Code of Texas not applying to hi8 buelllbaa. 

we are 

Trusting tllat the above fully answers your 

POUTS v0l-y tTul.y 

APPROVEDAUG 22, 19.39 

.ATTORXEY QXNERAL OF TEXAS 

k5Qu4.d.u 

ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS-