The Attorney General of Texas
I
JIM MAlTOX Novdaer 13, 1984
Attorney
General ,.
suprma Cowl Bullding Hr. Bill Rale OpinionNo. ~~-228
P.0.Box1254s ExecutiveDirector
AImtIn.TX. 7S711-2548 Taxae Cormiaaionon klwnenRights Re: Authorityof a local h-
SlZ475-2501 P. 0. Box 13493, Capi,tol
Station relation.4comniaaion to file
TdW s1011)74.1357
Tslecoplrr 5121475.0255
Auatln,Tuaa 78711 auit under section 4.03(5) of
article 5221k. V.T.C.S.
714 Juk8.w Suite 700 Dear Mr. Hale:
Dallas.TX. 752024505
214rf42a044
You raqueat clc.riflcation of the source of a local human right6
c&eeion'e authority to file employment discriminationactlona.
4S24Alb.m AW.. SuIta lS0 Spccifitilly,you mk vhether e local comisaion may file civil
El Pwo. TX. 7Sm5.27n2 actlona purauaat to oection 4.03(5) of the Texas Commissionon Human
OlS!5S34B4 RightaAct, V.T.C.8.,#art.5221k, withouta local ordinanceauthorizing
arch action. We conclude that once a local coum~esion ia created
.Ml T.rar. Wt. 700 pureuaat to eectioa 4.02 of the act, the local commission la
liouaton. TX. 77002-3111 authorfzedby aectlm 4.03(5) of the act to file civil actions aa
7x3mx3.w specifiedIn section4.03(5),which is controlledby section 4.04(a).
No local ordinance LIOnecessary. Thio does not. however. prevent a
politicalaubdlvlsioefrom either adoptingand enforcingan ordinance
w6 Broadway.SUIW312
Lubbock,TX. 794013479 pursuant to eection 4.01 or delegatingto its local cormnission the
5w747-5238 power to enforce its ‘ordinance.
Ae a preliminarymatter, when e political subdivision haa no
43X N. Tenth. Suite B
MeAllen.TX. 7S501.WI5
direct interestin 4,particularclaim and, consequently.no standing.
512iuS2e47 it also lacks stac,dingto act in the public interest. city of
Jeffcroonv. RailroadCoumlssion,453 S.W.Zd 906, 908 (Tex. Civ. App.
- Austin 1970. vrit ref’d n.r.e.); Ridalgo County Water Improvement
200 MaIn Plaza. SUIIS4ca DietrictNo. 2 V. Capron County Water Control 6 ImprovementDistrict
San Antonlo. TX. 7S2OS2797
5121225-4191 No. 5, 253 S.V.Zd 29'4,300 (Tex. Civ. App. - San Antonio 1952. writ
rcf’d n.r.e.) (polizlcalsubdivisionmay be class representativeIn
suit relating to thtr function of the political subdivision). The
legislaturemay place the authorityto representthe public by filing
suit where it choaaw. 80 long as it does so constitutfonally.The
questionof who may amaintainan action ie a matter of lav and is not
subject to tha cont:rol
of the parties. PieldtonCo-operativeGin v.
Urtiht,259 S.U.Zd 603. 605 (Tex.Civ. App. - Amarillo 1953, no yrlt).
a political ~rrbdivisionmay confer upon itself or upon its
deleiatee the authority to aeaert another individual’eor entity’e
cawe of-actiononly as specifiedby lav.
In addition to the jurisdictionof the state commission.article
5221k provides for two local methods of effecting its purposes: one
p. 1023
*
Hr. Bill Bale - Page 2 (JW:!;!~)
by the political subdivisionitself and the other through a local
cowaiseion. Section4.01 lnilicates
that
[a] politicalsubdivisionmay adopt and enforcean
ordinance that prchibite practices designatedaa
unlawful under this Act, or otheruiee declared
unlavful under fecleralor state lav. (Emphasis
added).
Section4.02 providesfor local com~fssionsin part as follows:
A political subdivisionor tvo br more political
subdivisionsacting jointly 3 create a local
cormission to promote the purposes of this
Act. . . . (EmphaM.sadded).
Both of these provisions are permissive; thus, a polftical
subdivision need not enact and enforce employment discrimination
ordinancesand need not create a local human righte coamissionwhich
vould promote the purposes of article 5221k on the local level. No
local action is necessary :lorenforcement'of article 5221k on the
local level by the state compj:sslon
-- absent these actions. A political
subdivisionprrydelegatethe authorityto enforceits oun section4.01
ordinance;hovevet.once a poltitical subdivisioncreatesa local humen
rights comnission pursuant to this statute, which specifically
authorizes certain powers, the local cod6sion has at least the
power* authorizedby the ewtute. See Attorney General Opinion E-753
(1975); see also Attorney-GralOplnions Ii-1092 (1977); E-619
(1975).
Section 4.01 is a provision which emphasizesthat a political
subdivisionis not preemptedfrom preventingemploymentdiscrimination
and which grants authority to prevent local discrimination by
enforcement of a local ordinance which may or may not duplicate
article 5221k. Generally,l.ocalregulationthat is ancillary to and
In harmonv with the general lmcooeand ouroose of state enactmentsis
acceptable. City of Brook&de'Villag; ;. Comeau. 633 S.W.Zd 790.
(Tea 1982) cert. denied.-459 U.S. 1087 (1982). Article 5221k
specificallyauthorizes 1ocs:lordinances: nothing in article 5221k
p;ohibitsa-politicalsubdivisionfrom delegatingihe power to enforce
its ordinancesto its local :mmission.
Section 4.02 Is an indlependent provision, with regulation by
local commissionsguided by-the provisions of article 5221k rather
than by the provisions of ;I local ordinance. Therefore. a local
commissioncreated pursuantto section 4.02 has the authorityto file
certaincivil actlone to enfmce article 5221k. as directlygrantedby
section 4.03(5) of the act. Section 4.03(5) grants local commissions
the pouer
p. 1024
.
Mr. Bill lisle- Page 3 (~~-228)
to receive, investigate.seek to conciliate,and
pass on complaintsalleging violations of thia
Act, and file civil actions to effectuate the
purposes of thia Act if the federalgovernmentor
state emission hi;8referredthe complaintto the
coamissionor has Tleferredjurisdictionover the
subject matter o:? the complaint to the COW
mission. . . . (E$asIs added).
A local human rights comrm~.esionmay file civil actions in these
instances,as furthercontrolledby section4.04(a),without separate
authorizationby locsl ordinance.
j;UMMARY
The authority of a local human rights com-
mission, created pursuant to section 4.02 of
article 5221k. to file.civil actions pursuant to
section 4.03(5) 16 not contingentupon enactment
of a local ordinance. Nevertheless,a political
subdivision may ttdopt and enforce a local
ordinancepursuantto section4.01, and nothing in
article 5221k proribits a political subdivision
from delegatingto its local commissionthe pouer
to enforcethe ord:lnance.
J b
Very truly your
- A
JIM MATTOX
Attorney Generalof Texas
TOM GREEN
First AssistantAttorneyGeneral
DAVID R. RICHARDS
ExecutiveAssistant AttorneyGeneral
Preparedby Rick Gilpin
AssistantAttorney General
APPROVED:
OPINION COMMITTEE
Rick Gilpin,Chairman
Jon Bible
Colin Carl
Suaan Garrison
Jim Hoellinger
Nancy Sutton
p. 1025