Court Opinion

ID: 9674811
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 04:35:43.443005+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:16:29.772410
License: Public Domain

COLEMAN, Justice
(dissenting) :
One of the five principal questions raised as to the constitutionality of Act No. 1117, approved September 12, 1969; Acts of Alabama, 1969, 1970, Vol. Ill, page 2060; is whether the body of the act contains provisions which are not clearly expressed in the title contrary to the requirements of Section 45 of the Constitution which, in pertinent part recites:
“Sec. 45.....Each law shall contain but one subject, which shall be clearly expressed in its title . . . . ”
This question is stated as number (4) in the opinion of the court.
“In the case of Ex parte Pollard, 40 Ala. 77, 99, it is said: ‘The question must always be whether, taking from the title the subject, we can find anything in the bill which cannot be referred to that subject. If we do, the law embraces a subject not described in the title. But this conclusion should never be attained, except by argument characterized by liberality of construction - and freedom from all nice verbal criticism.’ ” Alabama
Great Southern R. Co. v. Reed, 124 Ala. 253, 257, 27 So. 19, 21.
The title of Act No. 1117 recites:
“AN ACT
“To authorize the creation of public corporations as authorities for the study, control, abatement and prevention of water, air, or general environmental pollution; to allow the construction, acquisition and ownership by such corporations* of facilities for this purpose; to prescribe the powers, duties, composition and financing of such corporations; to provide for cooperation with political subdivisions and other agencies and instrumentalities of the state, and to exempt such authorities from taxation.”
Appellant contends that the body of the act contains the following provisions which are not clearly expressed in its title, to wit:
“Section 3. Purpose of Corporation.— Public corporations may be formed under the provisions of this act for any one or more or all of the following purposes: to undertake, and to make or cause to be made, engineering, technical, financial, legal and other appropriate studies and surveys with respect to water, air, or general environmental pollution problems and hazards within the area of operation; to construct, acquire, own and operate, singly or in conjunction with others, lease, sell and otherwise dispose of, equipment, facilities and systems for the control, abatement, or prevention of water, air, or general environmental pollution; to cooperate with and lend financial assistance and other aid to municipalities, communities, counties, industries and public and private corporations within and outside of the area of operation and within or outside of the boundaries of the State of Alabama, in any matters and undertakings having to do with or the end purpose of which is the control, abatementj or prevention of water, air, or general environmental pollution.
*25“Section 8. Powers of Corporation.— The authority shall have the following powers, together with all powers incidental thereto or necessary to the discharge thereof in corporate form: .... (6) to acquire, receive and take title to, hy purchase, gift, lease, devise or otherwise, to hold, keep and develop, and to transfer, convey, lease, assign, or otherwise dispose of, property of every kind and character, real, personal and mixed, and any and every interest therein, whether located within or outside of the area of operation or within or outside of the State of Alabama; (7) to acquire, purchase, construct, own, operate, maintain, enlarge, extend and improve any equipment, plant, apparatus, or system, of whatever kind and character, used or which may be useful in connection with the control, abatement, or prevention of water, air, or general environmental pollution directly or indirectly, to enter into arrangements for the operation or joint operation of the same, to construct or install the same on the property of others with their assent, on in conjunction with or as an integral part of equipment, plants, or systems of others with their assent, and to lease, lend or sell any of the same to counties, municipalities, communities, industries, firms, businesses, and other public corporations and authorities, with or without valuable consideration, in connection with the control, abatement, or prevention of water, air, or general environmental pollution, and to discard or otherwise dispose of the same, with or without valuable consideration, in the sole discretion of the authority; (8) to undertake and to make or cause to be made, either singly or in conjunction and cooperation with others, appropriate studies, surveys, arrangements, undertakings and construction designs and plans and supervision having to do, directly or indirectly, with the control, abatement, or prevention of water, air, or general environmental pollution; provided, however, that the authority shall not pay out. any of its funds by way of any form of remuneration or compensation to any persons engaged in the making of any such studies, surveys, arrangements, undertakings, and construction designs, plans and supervision other than to persons who are directly employed in that connection by the authority and who are not answerable to any other person; (9) to make available and give, subject to the provisions of clause (8) of this section, to counties, municipalities, communities, industries, firms, businesses, and other public corporations and authorities, financial and technical assistance and aid of every kind and character which will directly or indirectly promote, encourage, or effect the control, abatement, or prevention of water, air, or general environmental pollution; (10) to engage in works of watershed improvement, either singly or in conjunction and cooperation with others; . . . .”
The title of Act No. 1117 gives notice that the act authorizes creation of public corporations to study, control, abate, and prevent water, air, or general environmental pollution; to allow the construction and ownership “by such corporations” of facilities for this purpose; to prescribe the powers, duties, composition, and financing of such corporations; and to provide “for cooperation” with political sudivisions and other agencies and instrumentalities of the state.
Section 3 of the body of the act provides that corporations may be formed under the act to construct, acquire, own, and operate equipment and facilities for the control, abatement, or prevention of pollution; which appears to be a power or purpose expressed in the title. Section 3, however, provides also that the corporations formed under the act may be for the purposes to “ . . . . lease, sell and otherwise dispose of, equipment, facilities and systems . . . . ” and to “ . . . . lend financial assistance .... to municipalities, communities, counties, industries and public and private corporations .... *26within or outside of the boundaries of the State of Alabama, in any matters and undertakings having to do with .... the control, abatement, or prevention of water, air, or general environmental pollution.”
I find nothing in the title to give notice that the act proposes to empower such corporations “to lease, sell and otherwise dispose of” equipment and facilities to be acquired by the corporation, or to “lend financial assistance” to municipalities or counties, or industries, or public and private corporations within and outside the boundaries of the State of Alabama.
Section 8 provides that the created corporations shall have power “ . to transfer, convey .... or otherwise dispose of, property of every kind and character, real, personal and mixed .... whether located within or outside of the area of operation or within or outside of the State of Alabama . . . . ” Section 8, in clause (7), authorizes corporate power to acquire and purchase apparatus “. . . . which may be useful” in control of pollution and “to lease, lend or sell any of the same” to municipalities, counties, firms, businesses, “. . . . with or without valuable consideration . . . .” and “. . . .to discard or otherwise dispose of the same, with or without valuable consideration . . . .”
Clause (9) authorizes the corporation “ .... to ... give, subject to ... clause (8) of this section, to counties .... industries, firms, businesses . . . .,” and others, “ . financial and technical assistance ..... of every kind and character which will directly or indirectly promote .... or effect the control .... of water, air, or general environmental pollution.”
Clause (10) authorizes the corporation to engage “in works of watershed improvement
The title gives notice that the act provides for “cooperation with political subdivisions and other agencies and instrumentalities of the state . . . .,” but this recitation in the title does not suggest that the corporation shall “cooperate” to the extent of selling apparatus or property with or without consideration, or giving financial assistance. This writer does not find in the title any notice that the corporation will have power to engage in watershed improvement.
For the reasons which I have undertaken to state, I am of opinion that Act No. 1117 does not conform to the requirements of Section 45 of the Constitution, and respectfully dissent.