Court Opinion

ID: 4139406
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2017-02-18 02:47:18.025805+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:34:30.095231
License: Public Domain

OFFICE        OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL               OF TEXAS
                                       AUSTIN
GROVERSELLERs
ATTORNEY     GENERAL

     %morab&    saa 13. f$aU
     County Attorney
     xerrleon county
     zlorshall,Toxaa
     3unr sir:

            I708re In reael                                   OS r+wmt  date wmri3J-
     in you raqwat. ou                                        atftutioPsllityand
     oiuaitp           of   muf~5                              La** 19gt4 (Art.
     97&d, v. A. E. c.                                        ws;on OS the oariou8
     propo5ttLona  la                                      tit0cQneit~tutli?~lltyOS
     said kot bar BL                                         our oQLtsiaexatlonOS
     thi6 BDltttw*

                                                       ty ror w      privete lx80
                                                        or labor    or eorW3os   .,

                                    hgr any orfioer  or acp.couxt or t&a Cm-
                                    ELsalonsnurr* Court of any county 83al.l
                                    knowln&y    um or pemalt to be used tha
                                    labor OX rrerolwm of any I)ernonwhom
                                    labor or sorrloe Is pld for by. 6wh
                                    cauaty SW priest0    u6e or pr0ri.t shall
                                    be (gaL1t.g of 8 tribddaseanor;
                                                                  0x33 daoler-
                                    'Lag6n oa0rtpnor.
490
       840 a.   8411,   page 4
g

         As to whether the portion of the Aot whloh is In sonfom-
+ity with the title     oan stand is dependent upon the ob eot of the
kl4w, the int4ntlOn Of th4 Leeialaturr,        snd the manner
                                                          -k?-whiah
kthe unconstitutional     portion4 affeot   the reminder of the Act
b(8ec 9 Ter. Jurl, Sea, 56 p. 473; State 1. Laredo Ioe co.,
 ,# Tsx. 461, 73 S.‘w. 9511. 3h’here      portion8 of an eat are
iunoonrtltutional    and where 411 or the provisions Of the act are
~~,4onneoted in subjeot matter and operating togetbr for the saae
;,purpose, or otharwise eo conneoted in eubjeot mstter in 8uch a
$manner that it o4Mot be prcmuned that the Legislature         would
  &vo passed the one without the other, the whole act is void.
<:;(8penoe V. Penohlet,   107 Ter. 443; Lewlu’ Sutherland Gtatutory
:~‘OonstruOtlOn Seoond 68. Vol. 1, p. 6001 9 Tex. Jam., Sec. 56,
‘:,pp. 473-4, end oa4ee cited thereunder.
;z.,.     In the instant eituation,    when the Aot is riewad an 4
twhole, it is a4airQst that the purpose or the Aot wa8 to pro-
[;i$de a penalty ior the private u4e of public property and other
~;$hings of value belonging to or paid for by the m&s,           4 county
t or niuniofpalfty  . The body OS the Aot contain4 proviefonr        whioh
b irr applioabls    to t&l of the gen4ral olarsifioatione      of publio
;offioers    in thie State (State,    oountg and mniolpal).      Moreover,
&411 of the above mntloned       pubLio orfioora, whioh -are nubJest to
$the proririonrror the Constitution        and hwe of this Stdte, 4x-e
“by thir Aot, eubjeot      to the seine penrlty for’urlng    pub110
$:proparty for private prorit.      Also    we oall partloular   attention
;ItO the following    lan&i4ge  oontainejl  in Seotlon 5 of said Aotr
               *The f4ot that there     is no law providtig    a
        gWJSitg 6gOiSUSt the U00 Of
~7      fully 68 defliied in this b
8:      emrgsnoy,   . .*
r<
f;,The preoeding    aeotione of. the Aot oontain provld.ocs wlth refer-
? enoe to the property or the State , oountlas and munloipallties,
$
          ‘?{a note r’urther that H. B. Xo. 80 contain6 no eeverabllity
[z::Orsavinga olauw,      and we are unable to find any ind.ioetiOn that
 :~.theLr3gislature would have enaot4d mme with the unoonetitution4l
 b:~~ovieiona slimlnated.        u view or the nature and gcmeral. purpoas
       R. B, NO. 80, it lo our opinion     that the Legislature  intendml
 L!that the provisions      thereof would be applioable  as a whole end dl
  :#4Otintend that they would be applioable       Only t0 OoUnties, when
   the portions of the Aot with rererenoe to the State snd mQisiPa1
    ,tlss are unoonstltutlonal.
                                                 -.---- --v-w . -.--
and G&782. &is insofar-aa   the holdinaa   tharwin ong oonfilot ~fth