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.