Opinion ID: 1181554
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Board of Medical Examiners.

Text: AN ACT to amend and re-enact Chapter 5, Division 1, Title XVI, Revised Statutes of 1899, (relating to the State Board of Medical Examiners). This Chapter 45 has seventeen pertinent sections, and of these sections thirteen refer to or mention the Board of Medical Examiners in one way or another. As to the other four sections, while not referring to or mentioning the Board of Medical Examiners, those sections being sections 7, 10, 14 and 16 of said Chapter 45, we consider as germane to the general object of the law as expressed in the aforementioned title and in no way violates either Section 26 or Section 24 of Article III of the Wyoming Constitution. This court in Re Trent's Claim 68 Wyo. 146 decided May 15, 1951, 231 P. (2d) 180, 185, 186, 187 approves the general rule as set forth in 50 Am. Jur. 184 § 204: The general rule is that where the title of an original act sufficiently expresses its subject or object in the manner required by the Constitution, the title of an amendatory or supplementary act may simply refer to the original act by its title, and declare the new act to be an amendment of or supplement to the original act, where the provisions of the amendatory or supplementary act are germane to, and not inconsistent with, the subject or object expressed in the title of the original act, and could have been included in the original act under its title. An amendment is not regarded as in violation of constitutional provisions as to singleness of subject and sufficiency of title, where it has but one general object and is germane to that general object and to the section which it purports to amend. In the Trent case the contention was made that a portion of Section 72-106 W.C.S. 1945 was unconstitutional because the title to the 1933 amendment thereof did not obey the requirements of Section 26 of Article III of the Wyoming Constitution and was insufficient and did not comply with Section 24 of Article III of the Wyoming Constitution. In holding that the arguments and contentions advanced were untenable, this Court cites Board of Commissioners of Laramie County vs. Stone, 7 Wyo. 280, 51 P. 605, 607 and quotes therefrom the following: `It was not intended that the title should be an abstract of all the various provisions that a bill might contain, nor was it intended to prevent the incorporation into a single act of the entire statutory law upon one general subject, but only that every provision must be germane to the subject expressed in the title.' The same opinion also uses the following language: `And it has been  we think, rightly  held that it was not to amendments of general statutes thus consolidated into a code that the section was intended to apply, but it was aimed at the separate acts in their original enactment; that in the case of amendments to a code it is sufficient that the title refer to the chapter and section specifically, and declare the purpose to amend or supplement it.' We believe that the statute sought to be amended, i.e. Chapter 5, Division 1, Title XVI Revised Statutes 1899, was properly and sufficiently identified in the title to Chapter 45 Session Laws Wyoming 1945 as quoted above. See 59 C.J. 817 Sutherland Statutory Construction Section 1909. It is contended that Chapter 45 Session Laws of Wyoming 1905 violates the provision of Section 24 of Article III of the Constitution of Wyoming. That provision is as follows: Only One Subject in Bill.  No bill, except general appropriation bills and bills for the codification and general revision of the laws, shall be passed containing more than one subject, which shall be clearly expressed in its title; but if any subject is embraced in any act which is not expressed in the title, such act shall be void only as to so much thereof as shall not be so expressed. In Minnesota the legislature of that state enacted a law entitled, An Act to Establish a Probate Code. It had 21 chapters and 326 sections  and in Johnson vs. Harrison 47 Minn. 575, 577, 578 it was contended that this law was repugnant to that state's Constitution which provided that, no law shall embrace more than one subject which shall be embraced in its title. Among other things the Minnesota Court had this to say referring to the constitutional provision: While this provision is mandatory, yet it is to be given a liberal, and not a strict, construction. It is not intended nor should it be so construed as to embarrass legislation by making laws unnecessarily restrictive in their scope and operation, or by multiplying their number, or by preventing the legislature from embracing in one act all matters properly connected with one general subject. The term `subject', as used in the constitution, is to be given a broad and extended meaning, so as to allow the legislature full scope to include in one act all matters having a logical or natural connection. To constitute duplicity of subject, an act must embrace two or more dissimilar and discordant subjects that by no fair intendment can be considered as having any legitimate connection with or relation to each other. All that is necessary is that the act should embrace some one general subject; and by this meant, merely, that all matters treated of should fall under some one general idea, be so connected with or related to each other, either logically or in popular understanding, as to be parts of, or germane to, one general subject.    Any construction of this provision of the constitution that would interfere with the very commendable policy of incorporating the entire body of statutory law upon one general subject in a single act, instead of dividing it into a number of separate acts, would not only be contrary to its spirit, but also seriously embarrassing to honest legislation. All that is required is that the act should not include legislation so incongruous that it could not, by any fair intendment, be considered germane to one general subject. The subject may be as comprehensive as the legislature chooses to make it, provided it constitutes, in the constitutional sense, a single subject, and not several. The connection or relationship of several matters, such as will render them germane to one subject and to each other, can be of various kinds, as, for example, of means to ends, of different sub-divisions of the same subject, or that all are designed for the same purpose, or that both are designated by the same term. Neither is it necessary that the connection or relationship should be logical; it is enough that the matters are connected with and related to a single subject in popular signification. The generality of the title of an act is no objection, provided only it is sufficient to give notice of the general subject of the proposed legislation and of the interests likely to be affected. The title was never intended to be an index of the law. The Minnesota Court held that tested by these rules the Probate Code, embraced one subject, which was sufficiently expressed in its title, citing Montclair vs. Ramsdell 107 U.S. 147 (2 Sup. Ct. Rep. 391). In Farm Investment Co. vs. Carpenter 9 Wyo. 110, 132 where An Act entitled `An act providing for the supervision and use of the waters of the State' approved December 22, 1890, provided for the adjudication of rights to the use of the public waters, by the State Board of Control. Held, that the one general subject of the act was the supervision of the waters of the State, and the matter of determination of priorities is a part of the general subject and germane to it; and that the act was not void, as to such provisions, as containing more than one subject. It was there argued that the provisions for the adjudication of water rights are not included in the word supervision, but the court in that case cited In Re Fourth Judicial District 4 Wyo. 133 where it was stated: It is not essential that the title shall specify particularly each and every subdivision of the general subject. If but one general and comprehensive subject is contained in the act, and all of the provisions are germane to that subject, then the act can not be said to violate either the spirit or the letter of the constitutional provision. Again in State vs. Tobin 31 Wyo. 355 this court had before it the contention that a gambling statute was unconstitutional because the amendatory act of Chapter 65 of the Session Laws of 1901, amending a number of sections of the Revised Statutes of 1899, relating to gaming, was in violation of Section 24, Article III of the Wyoming Constitution. It seems that there were two material amendments made, the first striking out all provisions in regard to licensing the dealing, carrying on and conducting of gambling games and second by striking out the phrase `Banking games'. This court discusses the question raised at length and holds that the act is not unconstitutional. See pages 361, 362, 363, 364 of State vs. Tobin, supra. Citing Commissioners vs. Stone 7 Wyo. 280, 291, 36 Cyc. 1029-1031, see State ex Rel. Wyckoff vs. Ross 31 Wyo. 500, 509, 228 P. 636; Tucker vs. State ex Rel Snow 35 Wyo. 430, 450, 251 P. 460; P.S.C. of Wyo. vs. Grimshaw 49 Wyo. 158, 187, 53 P. (2d) 1. Both plaintiff and defendant cite In Re Gillette Daily Journal 44 Wyo. 226. This court had under consideration the validity of Chapter 85, Session Laws 1931, relating to legal newspapers. The title to that act was as follows: An Act to amend and re-enact section 1310, Wyoming Compiled Statutes, 1920, relating to and defining legal newspapers. It was contended in that case that Section 3 of Chapter 73, Session Laws of 1897  which was carried into the Wyoming Compiled Statutes 1920  since the title of the act made no reference whatever to the provisions of that section, was invalid and in violation of Section 24, of Article III of the Constitution of Wyoming. In holding the Chapter 85, Session Laws 1931 valid, this court used this language: The title is broad and sufficient, if we strike out all reference to Section 1310, W.C.S. 1920. The contention that this last named section could not be amended and re-enacted because it itself was invalid is not in our judgment well taken. 44 Wyo. 226, 233 (11 P. (2d) 265). Defendant assumes because of this last named statement, that we will be obligated to separate the title so to speak, in the instant case by eliminating Chapter 5, Division 1, Title 16, Revised Statutes 1899, and leaving the words an act  relating to the State Board of Medical Examiners, which then might be considered as leaving the title insufficient to cover the full subject of the act. We disclaim any such purpose or intention. What was said in the Gillette Daily Journal case is this, The title is broad and sufficient, if we strike out all reference to Section 1310 W.C.S. 1920. Not that the court actually struck out a part of the title in that case, or was committed to do so in other cases coming before this court in the future. We desire to call attention to and comment upon the exception set forth in Section 24 Article III, emphasized with italics as follows: No bill, except general appropriation bills, and bills for the codification and general revision of the laws shall be passed containing more than one subject, which shall be clearly expressed in its title;    Codification is defined as: Codification is the process of collecting and arranging the laws of a country or a state into a code, that is, into a complete system of positive law, scientifically ordered, and promulgated by legislative authority. 7 Words and Phrases 540, 14 C.J.S. 1306. A general revision of the laws, or of statutes, has been defined as follows: `Revision of the law' on any subject is a restatement of the law on that subject in a correlated or improved form, which is intended as a substitute for the law as previously stated, and displaces and repeals the former laws relating to the same subject and within the purview of the revising statute. It implies a re-examination of the law. People vs. Gould 178 N.E. 133, 144, 345 Ill. 288. There was a complete general revision of the laws of Wyoming coming within the provisions of Section 24, Article III of the Wyoming Constitution by the twentieth and twenty-first legislatures of Wyoming. Chapter 9 of the Session Laws of Wyoming 1929, made provision for the Supreme Court of Wyoming to appoint a commission of three members; to have authority to revise, compile and edit existing statutes of the State; to make and contract for a revision of the laws; to employ experts to assist in the compilation and revision. The Supreme Court appointed Messrs. C.D. Murane, Thomas Hunter and N.R. Greenfield, able and competent members of the Wyoming Bar, as the commission to edit and make the revision and compilation of the existing statutes of the State of Wyoming. The legislature was careful to see to it that a proper revision of the laws was to be accomplished. It provided in Section 3 Chapter 9, Session Laws, 1929, as follows: Before any copies of said statutes shall be printed or sold and delivered, all statutes revised or changed shall be submitted by said Commission to the Legislature of the State of Wyoming for re-enactment. When said Commission shall certify that the laws changed, rewritten or revised have been duly enacted by the Legislature, and when it shall certify that it has examined and compared all the laws of a general nature in force, and that the said revised statutes are complete, and the terms of this Act shall have been complied with, such revised statutes shall be deemed and held to be the revised statutes of the State of Wyoming and evidence in all courts. Such authentication shall be printed in each copy. Thereafter, in any bill to amend or repeal any section thereof contained in the revised statutes, it shall be sufficient to refer to the same by the running section numbers. It is apparent that the revision commissioners, as stated in their certificate of authentication, now contained on one of the first pages of the volume known as the Revised Statutes, 1931, complied with said section 3 of chapter 9. The legislature of 1931 had presented to it the work of the revision commissioners and then proceeded to pass chapter 73 Session Laws 1931, containing some 57 pages and 184 sections of a comprehensive revision act. It was entitled: