Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN IIonoreble R. C. Nerve8 County Auditor Greyron County Cherimn, Tom8 Dear Sir: s, 1943, you inquire: d Colleotor of Taxer I deputler bdralnis- ld to bppllo~tloM a, lto., under their nd not- & I l Xotary Fubllo lt In o th e r r o r dr ,if l dr p - ;k;r*an rrridarit rOr transfer of tltlr, not bring l notary publlo, tory that thr Eighrq Depmtmmtt Seotlon 35 or the Certliloate oi Title Aat provides: *no motor retlole mar br dirpoerd or at rub- requrnt rele unless the owner aeeigneted in the oertlfloate or title #hall tnnrrer the oertliloate or title on rorui to be prescribed by the Department 84 Eon. R. 0. nea.rea, Fags 2 before a Rotary Fubllo, whloh fom ahall lnolude, amoog luoh other matters as tho Department uaf d0t~r8ha, ln lrridatit to th rlrfa0t that th0 llgnar la tha owner or the motor trhiole, an4 that tbare are no l~ona against auoh aotor lo- hI01a rroept auoh as or8 shown OD the oortlfloata 0r title lnd DO tit10 tb on7 motor wd0h 0bon pass or root until auoh tnnrier bo 80 lxoouted.’ (Baphaala raded) ~rvrruant to this sootlon the Blghwey Dopartmant has preaoribed a Somu dononinntod aAaaIgment o? Tit18 * nhloh iom IO printed on tho baok of tha original oartirloate of title ror motor rehloloa. 60 aaauma t&t your lnqulrr la direofad to this Instrument. &%Ile the wording ai Seotloa & la pethapa somewhat awkward, 1t BOOM qqmsmt that the phhm =berore a Notary FublIo* war Intended to ralata to the 6lauao *the owner shall tranaier the orrtlfloata Ol tIflO* and that the &it or the LegI8latare was to require that tho neoooaary rrrlasrlt ba taken only by a ?lotary Publlo. This oonolualon would lutomatloall~ answer your In- quiry were It not for the doubts raised by the following lang- uagr of tha Supma Court In the oaae oi Xarrla County v. -11, 173 S. U. (Bd) 6911 "But ?Iall ooatendr that prior to the 1941 amendment of Art. oeraa hla 0rfioe had no author- ity to hke and oertlty the 8f.fld TLta In question and thtit thoreioro, his deput,i~ icin taking thaa wars sot 1ag as notarlea pub110 and not aa his d&p- utiea. lt IO true that la 1941 tha lo ialaturr aid umnd Art. lerda by lpeolally prot t ding that in oopntiea with a population or b00,OOO ot MOM the aa~oaaora and oollootora or taxes and their dopatiea should be anpowered to ldsInIatar oaths and rrrld~tlta oorering bills of sale and appll- oatlona ror thnater or notor Tahlolel, oto., and should be lothorlzed to oolloot a foe of i?b oenta 84:. aw. 1. 0. Ranvea, P4gr 3 So? oroh tuoh o a tho r lffldarlt, the aam to ba lo o o unted ror 80 a is4 or 0rrl+. Rowaiu, wa tnlnx that the laao8aor and oO~aOto? llraady bad that authority br tktoa of Art, tt46a, rior to tha abow amen&mu&, raa4lag @a ioltowrc ! The Aaa4aaor an4 Collaotor of taoa shuwr, or sharlrf and kaaaaaor and Collaotor 04 h-a, at, huaby authorized and lapouerod, to ldrialatar 611 oaths nroaaaarr ror tha dlaoharee of the duttar 0r thalr rrapeotlra orrloO0, sad to ad- alnlrtu all oaths required iOr tha tranaaotlon ol bualnraa of their raryeotlva oriI88#.* Aota 19S8, 44th UC;., 9. 416, oh. 164 BOO. 1. sea- tlon 8 ot thlr Act rOOftea thrrt it us8 paasd as nn lauaeooy neaaura boowtnr tha oltloua rafarred to wua not than allowed to ldmlniatu all oaths nooraa,rry tee tha traaanotlon of tha budnaaa ot thrlr oiiloaa, sin08 the n(lIatrrtloo of motor rehlcka hnd boon mado a duty d thr 8aa~a#or ad aclleotor, lt follows that ahanerer ln oath was naorraary to the tnnaaotlcn of that hafnaaa, tha aabe8aor and collaotor or hla d@;uty had tha author- lty to abrlnlater it, undar the Act ol 1055 lupn. That the Aot of 1941 do818 with the matter in more rproUic tom8 does nr& wan that thr authority. did not already ulat under tha broad language of tha larlSar ltatuta.~ If this langua$a oould ba lilted ircm its context and iron a litorrl lntW&vatatlon than, notwlthrtondIn& thr mentf on of a notary pub110 In aDOdon SS, It would a mar thet a tax raaaaaor-oollrotor and his Coputiaa era quaUS Pad to t&a ’ the afr%drrlta In queatlon. nomeiar a rurtbu lxamInatIon or thir oarr praoludcs I’JO~ a Oon&trUOtlon. Yhe oontroiara~ la Harris Cuantt v. Hall, aupra, oonormed “nriId8vlto Inaidant to the iaauanoo ot 8utcmoblla 110enaea, tranafara, bills oi a81a, daatroyed rohloloa or anr other lutaaobllo aervloeaa ror thr ye4ra of 19S8. 1bSb and 1957 (pp. 69&69S lupn). 3eotbn 23 or the Cwtirioato or Imlo Aot was paaod in MS@. ‘. Tha ltatatoa prrrorlblng tha torn8 tar eeoh of tb typ4a cb Iaatrumant lmtlonod ln thr Court*a opinion rithu mu04 n- quiti an w8~ridarlt~ without ageolf~lag beforr whw luoh _. d 846 Ron. P. C. Neavea, Page 4 srrldarlt should be leoutw? (Sootions 128, 138 and 1Eb of nrtlot 06758 V. A. C. 5., ci041146 with the Iaauenoa or dupllaate lloanao reoelpta the Irau8noe ot rapl8oemont lIoenae plates and the. raglatration or rebullt autoaotlve veNoloa, ard ArtIOle.: 143 Y. A. P. C., prior to Its repeal, 484llAg with bll1a 01 0010 ror transrer of titlr), OS hrt tha datalla or luoh iom to the diaoretlon or the ~ly;~wa~ vepartloont and said ?apar$naot also ueraly required a~ #Sri- dnvlt without nonlng tha par’e,Ue betore whm ruoh lrridavIt should be taken ( %ptiOA 3b Of hrtlOl0 bb7ba V. h. C. S., dzt;t;T with refunds of rsgietra~lon fe*a of deatroyad va- 94 LiOOtiOA 23’0r the ~ertlfloate or Title kOt oontaln;d only a 6lmll&r re~;ulrement, we feel that Rarria County v. Hall, lug.ra, would justify the conolualcn that a taz assessor-oolleotor on& hla deputler Could taka OUCh al- tldarlt. fiowcvcr, in 3eotlm 33 thr ir~lrlature.ads iit nGt only to raquira rn affldsvlt but 8180 to provlda that ouch liiidavlt be Icaco “before a Yotary lubilo.” suo!i ~rovlaior la a psrtloulat Jrovlalcn whioh relates only to the type oi aifl&aVit 5eAti:Aed iA thSt :‘OCtiGn. An in said in 39 “ior. hr. (114: *In 34~~ 1)r conf3lst betvmen a toneral prc- vlsio~‘~nG a, sr.eoiel provlsloo daal& nith tLe aame subjeot, the fomer 18 tcntrol~sd or llrlted ty the iattar; acd th:s la 00 whether the provlalcac. in question are cGAtaIAsd in the aam aot 3r in difr- er ent lnaotmente. In other words, %hen a otatute , arakor'r goneral pr0vlOl~ lp p M ntly for 011 08888 and a ape0131 ;rovielcn rcr a partlculcrr ma* or olaaa, the former yIaldr and the latter patella in so far a8 thr L*rtloulur oe6e or olaee la cavserned. In suoh olroumstanoea, the lgeolrl pr~~le10~ or stat- uto Is rtearCed as thou&h it were AD exception or proviso, rucovlag scmethlng rror. the o;*ratlm 0r tka ~enerol la*." The 1941 amendmat to Ar$lole 7?4ds, naatlo?lsd above in the Courtto opinion, rrenaoted the provlalons of this Art- iole whloh were oontalned in the originel tlot of 1953, find adds& a l~olal p r o visiolpplioablr n only to oGuntiea 31th a . - . population ol uon thaa 600,000. Tha latter pro+leioo is phlaly in4pplhablo to OFayron County beoauar thr popula- tlon of meld County ea rbom by the 1040 frdrrel oenru* 18 only 69,499. The rormer rorisloos 6081 ~wmrrllp wltb Oaths rbc@ltW for the tmnarat Pon Of the bualnbsr of the oflioerr nanrd tbetrln.Skoe thorn provlnlona ITO genrrrl they met yield to the rpeolflo pkovlrion relstivr to tha ease rubjaot OO~tdWI IB hOtiOn 95 Or th8 CbtuiCatb Of atie AOL Stated dlffrrmnt4, th* prtlouler ~provlrlm~ or sootloa 33 kake tha ail'idavitrequired t?sreinan axcaption to the gen- era1 rule@ govrrnlng afiidavlCa of the type. ocvered,by Article WMa. Conraqumtly, you are rsrpeotfully adviesii that nbitbm the tax rrrb0eor-oollrotor or Gray6oa County nor.htr d8p utien lotlng only in their 0rtiOi.d orpneitirr may ttie the ardavlt regulred by teotion SS of the Csrtirhetr ot Title AQt.