FILE rdc 

. . 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Eoaonbh wlllirn 8. Davir 

oounty Attoraey 

mmmlt oounty 

,. i 'i, 

\ 

/r----4 I 

rnon’a motatreoeipt oi your letter 

opinion of thlrr aepmtoutIonuIll lie againat 

a busfness ortablishpublic, preparing ana 

8eouro a health oarthe mmef or rho 

for lafebtio~us 

Ah&o&d 7050, Veruon*a hanotatoa Ponal Oode, 

r0uw6 I 

"8eetion 1. 80 pernon, firm, oorporation, oomaon earriw or l 8aooIatIoa o-ratIna, 0aargIng or ooaduotIn(l any hotel or 

any other pubilo rleeplng or eating plaoo, 

or say plaoe or vehio&e rhww food or drink 

or oontalners therefor, of any kind, I8 aanuraoturoa, transferred, prepmod, #to-a, 
Honorablo Wm. H. Darf8, Fagr e _. 

paoked, rorved, sold, or othrrwire handled 

in thl8 State, or any manufaotursr or vendor 

of oandlar or manufaoturea awe&a, shall work, 

employ, or keep I5 their un lop, 

lp 

in, on, or 

about any 8aId plaO6 or reh 010, or hare delivered any artiols therefrom, any prreon Infooted with any traneml8alble oondltlon of 

aay inteotiour or oontaglour dleeasa, or wOrk, 

or employ any person to work in, on, or about 

any said ~laoo, or to delirrr aay artlole 

thexwrrom, who, at the tf.me 0r hi8 or her amploymeat, railed to drlivor to the employer or 

hi8 agent, a OsrtIfIcatr rignod by a legally 

lloaared physloiaa, residing In tha oounty 

where said person I8 to be employed, or-is amployrd, attesting the faot that thr bearer had 

bern aotually and thoroughly examInad by euoh 

phy8IoIan within a week prior to the tima or 

suoh employment, and that ruoh examination dinoloaed ths taot that suoh perooa to ba employed 

was irae from l ay transmisrible oondltlon or 

aay InfrotIou8 or oontagloar aissaasl or rail 

to Inrrtltute and hare made, at lntenalr of 

tIms not l xooeding 81x montha, aotual and 

thorough l xamInatlon8, l seentlal to the tlndI588 0r frredom rrom ooamunloablo and inr00tiou8 

dfaaaesa, oi all rooh employees, by a legally 

lloonrad physloiaa rsrldlng in the county where 

said person I8 employed, and imoura In l vI&enoe 

th6r00r a oartiiloate 8ignOa by 8uoh physiolan 

8tatIag that suoh examlnatlons had been made or 

auoh person, dlroloslng the raot that ha or rho 

was ire0 frcxn any tranamlrslble oondltlon of any 

ooamunloablr and intaotfous disearrer. 

“900. 3. All health osrtlrloates calha 

ror by thlr hot rhall bo dfspiay6a ror pub110 

fnspeotion at tha plaoe whrra the person named 

thereon Is employed, and rhall not br remOTad 

rrom lruoh plaoe during the oontlnuanoe of ruoh 

empl0mnt axoapt by a publio health orriosr, 

hiteuly appointed agent, or upon valid oourt 

. . ." 

-soo. 4. The iallure 0r any pmson, rim, 

oorporation, oommon oairler or aasoolatlon engaged 
Hollorable Wm. E. Da?Is, Page 8 . 

In any or the bu81508808 de8oribed in this 

hot, to display et the plaoe whore aay of tho 

op6ratIonr or 8uOh bUSi l ro king ooaduoted, a valid health or regIOt?atlon qettliloat*, as requiroa by this Aot, ror l a o h person 

employ& In, on, or about ruoh plaoe, 8h811 be. 

prima taoio rriaeaoe that the Said porsoa, rirm, 

oorporatlon, oommoa oarrlrr or l 88oolatIoa in 

+iolatloa or requIre0i3at8 6aliea ror by this Aot, 

raflmd to requlrr thr l xhlbltloa or the pro~employmat health oOrtirioate, or ruoh per*oa ma 

failed to lnstltute and hav8 made or ruoh pmsoa, aotual and thorough l amiaatloru n6oosrary 

to the ?i5di48 0r rn6a08 rror omunlaablo 

ai8earsr at intervals 0r time not rxo*edi.ng 8%X 

months. 

'500. 5. whoever riolatir any prorlrioa 

O? this Aot Sh11 bO tinOd In On -0-t IU)t l XoeedIn# ho Hundred DOllara ($800). mob aot 

or OtiSSiOn in rlolatlon 0r any 0r the proriSIOIU of thIO Artlole, shall oonrtitute a rsparate 

offenre end shall by yI5ishabl. a8 hereInaboro 

pnsorlbOd.* 

As w6 polntOd out In 0pInIon O-16851 

*It I8 plala to see that thin lot makes 

It unlawful, rlr8t ror proprietor6 to work or 

aaploy employees with Intootlow or oontaglour 

dissasr) sooond, ror proprlatorr to work employ808 wha aid not hand over to SuOh l mployOr8 

mid health oOrtlrIoatr8; third, ror propriotars railing to requlN physloal l xaalnatlotm 

or l mployOe8; tourth, ror manufaoturerr or TOadors 0r aaadio8 or maauiaaturad suwts to 8011 

to persons who do not hatO ralld health Oertifloatw, or who do aot hare display oeaes a8 requlrmd by lawy rlfth, ior proprietors iOllIn@ 

t0 display, oert lrioatos.* 

fn that opialon we l XpM88Oa SMe doubt as to 

whetha or not ArtIolO 9050, or the PenOl 0oae, ~&es It 

an offense for proprletorr to work with Infeotlour or OOBta 

% 

lOUS ai860s6, or for railurr to hare aa l xaalnatlon 

m l by a physlolan or for failure to airplay their own 

health oOrtlflOate. TO&U rOqUe8t 4008 5Ot rai8@ tbm CWStiOn 

1.39 
Ho5orable wa. 8. mVi8, Rge 4 . . 

0r whether or not it Is made a5 OfreaSO ror proprIetora 

to work with Inieotlour or oontagiou8 dlsaasa, and thareroro we shall oonriae this 0 lalon to the quastioa or 

whother or not It 18 ualawt up uuder Artlola, o? tha 

Panal 0046 ror a proprietor to work without harlng axamInatloa made by a phy8Iolan or ror a proprietor to rail 

to display hIr owa health oertlrloate. 

ArtIOlaS 1, 3, ana 6 0r the mm1 ooae 0r thI8 

State provide t 

"Artlola 1. Th6 aOSi&S Of l M Otin( ; 

thio aoa0 la to dot150 In 

P 

lain lan(lua&e 

l Tery oftea8e a&al&W the l ws oi this~ 

State, and l f?Ix to each offense Ite $ropor 

poniShI&O#lt ."

~Artlole b. In or&or that the systu or 

palrul law la roroa in this Stat6 lpay be oomplot0 within it86ir, and that 50 ryatan or 

rore@i laws, written or unwritten, may ba appealed to, lt 18 doolarod that no poraon shall 

k puaI8hea for any aot or oml88Ioa, unlrss 

tha SaDLO 18 made a'penal ofren88, and a penalt&Irsg;sod tharrto by the written law of 

.- 

l Artlole 6. Wh6nrv6r It appsan that a 

pSOYiSiO5 0t the panal lw I# SO inaerl5itely 

framed or o? uuoh doubtrul oon8truotLoa that 

it oaa aot be wd6rStOod, either iron the 

langwgo la whloh It 18 l XpMSllOa, or rrc m 

some othar written law or the state, suoh 

;;;;l law shall be rogarad as wholly Inopora- 

.a 

fn keeping with thaOa Artloler It 18 thm law 

or this State that a panal enaotment must a6rin0 with 

o*rtainty th6 l o t or o mIs8lo a aenouaoed a8 an o r t6a 8e. 

Sx part0 Lealle, 69 Tax. or. Rep. 496; tea S.W. lle9l tr 

parte wllmuth, X85 Tax. Or. Rep. a941 69 S.W. (Ed) @891 

Clnabr ‘I. State, 100 Ter. Or. l&p. 149, 800 8. 91. 44 

warm; v. 8tate, 118 Tar. Cr. Rp. 351, 48 8. W. (34 515, 

3.40 
. * 

Hoaorablo Wm. 8. mris, Pagr 5 _. 

We do not bsllevs ths statute suffloisatl~ daaounoss the aot or omlsslon or tha l mployar in raIlin& 

to obtain a phploal examlaatlon of his owa prsoa or 

In falling to 6lsplsy Us own hsalth osrtirloats so as 

to onats aa orreaee 58 to him. Moor a0 rr bb1iet8, as 

w ahall later DOllIt out, that suoh was the lntsat.of 

tha k6iSl8tUSO. 

In Murray v. stat., 51 Tsx. App. 550, a 8. w. 

757, 57 Am, Rap. 683, an lnformatloa against ths derenaant oharged him with vlolatlag Artlole 685 of tha psaal 

Code or 1585 ror wiiruri~ and nlsohlerousl~ lafurla5 a 

looolnotire engine. i3ald Artlole 555, however, related 

to the Qastruotion or, or iajurlas done to, .?grow~ 

fmlt, oora, grain, or other l (rloultura1 pwduots or 

property, real OS persoaal+) ad the oonrt held the far0mti0n in8urri0iwto oharge an orreasa. fn this 

oonneotlon the court quoted with approval the rollswin# 

language of ILr. Dillon in the ease of U. 8. 78. Qlaytoar 

“8 . ..For these rsasona, whose oogsnor 

is obvious, the law 18 settled that, in ooaatruing l tatutss, the language used is sever 

t0 b0 lOat Sight Or, 8na tb8 pIWStU@tiOKi i8 

that the language la used in no 8xtmWllna~ 

sense, but in Its oommon, l rerpl@T msaning. 

whan oourta, in oonstruin~ statutea, depart 

rrom the language emplaTs bv ths lsglslator, 

they hour the risk of mlstakIag the lsglslatire will, or bsolarlng it to exist where, in 

truth, it has nef6r had an sspresslon, The 

legltl0ate runotlon 0r oourts is to inte 

ths leglalatlre will, not ts supplemen -&p 

or to supplr it. The jUdiOi8I’y mUSt lieit 

themselres to expoundlag the lawi they OaIUIOt 

ppake it. It bslonga only to the leglslatirr 

department to oreats orlmea and ordain punlahmats. Aooordingly, oourts, in the OOnStrUOtion or statutablo offsnses, hs.n always ragarded 

it as their plain duty oautlousl~ to keep 

olearly within the expressed will of tha legislature, lest otherwise they shall hold aa rot 

or omlsslon to be a orlam, and punish It, when 

141 
1.42. 

Eonorable Wm. 8. Derls, Page 6 

_. 

g faot the lsglslatue had aevsr l o Intended 

w this rule is rlolatea*, says uhief 

Jukoe BEST, %he fa te or the l o o ua ea p er so n 

la 4eolded br the arbitrary dlsorstlon of the 

judges, and no t by the exprsss l athorlty of the 

lava.* Ths prlnslple that the Xaglslati+e latent is to be found, if posalble, la the enaatmeat ltaelf, mad that the statutes are not to 

ti l xtsndod by oonatruotlon to oases not falrlr 

aail olearlr l mbraoed in ttmlr terms, is one or 

grut lmportanos to the oltlzaa. Tha ookqts 

hate no Rover to Oreate Ofreneea, but lr,. bf a 

latltudlnarian oonstruotioa, they oonstrus 

oassa not provided for to ba within the lsglsla tir l e naotmaats, it is manlrast that the earety 

and llbsrty of the oitlzea ara put in peril, 

and that the lsglalatlts d-la has bsen irmadeb. 

or oourse, aa snaotaant is aot to ba rrittared 

avay by forord oonstruotlons, by utaphysioal 

aloeties, or mere rsrbal and sharp oritloisms. 

Nerertheloss the dootrlne la fundamental 5.8 IEqllah and marloan law that there oan bs ao ooastruotlre orfenaes; that, before a man oaa bo 

punlahed, his oa8a Bust be plainly and unalstakably 

within tha statute, and, ii then bo any fair 

doubt whether the statute l mbraoea it. that 

doubt %a to be reaoltsd $n favor of the l ooused 

. l .*a 

In wtlxlo v. stats, ciao Tex. Cr. mp. 55a, 47 

s. w, (ad) 847, it was held that a St@tUt# penalislnd rldlng on a "train or street oar or interurban oar* ln ooaoh 

or oompartmunt mob 4ealgnated ior ens*s 2800 was inapplloable to one r’iblag in a *bus* operated by a street railway 

We believe lt equally Olear that an aat aimed 8t 

gi%r& an l ~loymr to se@ that his employves hare health 

oertlfloatea aad are regularly sxasiinsd does not apply to 

oompsl the employer hlaself to subait to saoh examination 

or dieplay his ova health aertlfloate In the abernoe of 

language raqulrlnd that this be done. 

Ths intent of the Le~;slaturo is of par4aouat inportanoo in ooastrulog a atatute, and ths oonolosloa nashed 

in the praosdlng paragraph la @tr#ngth#nad by lookind to the 
143 

Eonorabls Wm. II. Darls, Psge 7 

. 

emereeaoy olause of Howe 5111 142, Aots 1939, 46th Lsgislature, Oh. 6, p. 551. This is a n a menda tl o rnaotmeat, y 

but saoh mot or the Laglslatura slnoo 1991 4eall with 

ths saira subject amtter has had tha sams or a a I3 lar 

emerpnoy olause. 688 8eO. 7, Asts 1991, 57th Leg., Ch, 

66, p. 154; 880. 4, Aots 1957, 45th Leg. oh. 559, 9. 707. 

This olauae rea4s in part as follows~ 

m0. a. mergenay clru5r. .ma raot 

that aant rood and drink l stabllstieata en4 

hotorles are not required under thm present 

tar to h a te tneir lwlo r ea examined s or seo ur e 

hea ltssrtlrioates. h , .* (Vn4erseoring oura) 

to a proprietor or a rood and drink l stabUshmant for hhs 

failure of suoh proprietor tc have an examination of his person made by a phploian ror the purpose 0r determining freedom 

from lnfsotlous or sosmunloable 4lssase or ror fallura to dlsplay his own health osrtlflsate In him l atabllshasnt. 

very truly yours 

ATTOl?NiY CBNXRAL OI TEXAS 

;PFBOVECJUN 15, -1940