OFFICE OF -l-HE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS-: I'-
':.z
AUSTIN '.> i 1
-_y
yit18Vera V. Fogg
County Attorney
Hardernan County
QuaMh, Texas
war Xi88 Foggr
n1n other viorile,
doaa the RighrcayDspartment
have authority under Pow36 Bill mo. .97%,to re-
quire registration of motor vehicles and display _,.~.
or 194% tabs, and authortty to enforce this rs-
quirement?
APPRCWED 11”
405
a88 vsn v. FOgg, Pegm 2
“QmsTIoN no. 2: Doe8 HOU~Q Bill NO. 278,
requliing ratantlon of 1942 lloansa platoa, ra-
peal the prorlrdonr of sec. 7, Art. 807b, Penal
Code, rhloh prohibit8 dlrplay of llaenao plate8
rap:any preodlng year7
uguItSTIOm10. S: Exactly rhat 'In8the or-
r00tIr0 aata or Hour* Bill no. 27s7*
"(Art. 6675a-1s. Numbor P&tom)
"Th9 Dapartmont 8hall I88uo or oau80 to be
18mue4, one lloonro numbor plmte ior leoh motor-
of010 road-treotor, trailer or 8mml-trailer, and
two l~oexur numbor plater ior any other vohlolr
regfrterod un&or thlr Aot. Z’n oe88 one nurbor
Plato 18 ardyled to a rohlola, It 8hall ba at-
taohad thereto at the rear thornor; and In oano
two lr8 a88lgnad, one 8hall bm attaohad at tha
front ana one at thr xwir. Bald plater 8hall be
koph olrarly vlrlblr and raouroly attaohod dudry
the par ror lhloh thry are lrausd. Lioanra num-
bar plata8 lrrued foe tehlolea required to be
nglrtrmd under the prmldam of thlr Aot rhell
not be atteohad thereto barora the beginning or
tha oalandar year for uhloh they am lrrued; end
provldod that 8aI6 lIaon8a manbor platoa 8hall bo
mmnufaoturetlend produtmd at the State Fwnltontlary
at RuntsrIllo, Toxae. Provldod further, that the
State Penltentlary ohall bo authorized to manurao-
ture all 8taal or metal road 81gn8, and provided
rurthrr, that, at thm dlrontlon of the state
Elghway Ca&mIs8ion, the Stetr PonIt@ntlary may
maka or manureotura road algnrnedr of woodon
material. (Aot8 1929, 4let Lag., 2nd C1 S., p.
172, oh. 88, 8 1%. a8 amended Aots 193s. 4Srd.
Lee., p. 547, oh. 178, $ 1.)"
“(Art. 6875a-1%&. P8nltintIary to iurnI8h
lioanse plater and road rlgn8)
*On proper requl8itlon from tha Stat0 Righwap
Dapagtmant, tha Stata Board or Control rhall order
the drrlgnetd quantity ot lloanra plates end road
signs from the Stata Panltantlary. The State Board
406
)ribr# VOre VI FOgit,Page 8
0r aontrol 8hall datarmlna and mat the price
t0 ba Qb8rg.d fC@ laoh itan. (AOtS lQ%S, 4Srd
L.6. * p. (117, oh. 178 0 a)."
Tba abwe Artlola authorlra an4 dlnot the stata
Ei&hM~ D@POFtiMBt to 188Ua W OaRa. t0 ba iS#Uurd 11OarJSO
platoa for Mgimterad rahiolar and prwlda ior the nwbar
of plakr to ba attaohad to la o hragl8taradrahlola and tb
pbO0 an4 mumor whan SuOh plate8 ahall ba ltta o h o and d how
tha mama 8hall ba kept atteobd. $a14 ~rtlola alro provider
thmt ada p&to8 shell be manufaoturad at thq State Ponltan-
tiary at B\mtS*illO TOXaS, ani that tb8 Stat0 Bomrd af OOB-
t-1 011p-par raqUi#itiOB frOIR th8 Stata Highwa Department
Shill 0l'd.Tthe da#l#iatad quantity ot 1fOanSa pIata from
tha Stata Panitantiary.
"Art. 8078. Oporatlon 0r Motor vahiolam
without lloanma numbar plat.8.
Any parson who 0p~r8t.8 a pamm-
u&r%‘h*a ocmarolal rahlola or truok-
tnotor upon the publio highways of this Stata
any tlmo during any month ab a motor rehlole
ragl8tratlon yaar without barlw displayed
tharaon, and attaohad thmrato, two (2) lioan8o
numbar platar, on. plata at tha frOBt and OBa
et tha roar, whloh ham bean duly and lawfully
a8d ad ror Said rohlola sor the ourrmt raglm-
tratY on yaar, shall be gul1lty 0r l mimdamoanor~
. . . .
"Se0. 8. An pornon aontlotad ab a ml&do-
manor ror riolation or Seotlon 6, saotlon 6 or
Saotioa 7 or this Aot shall ba tinad in an #aa
not axooadlng Two NRWIMA Dollan ($2OO,OC3 .
(AOt8 1954, 4srd La&, f&idC. S., p. S, oh, Z4.)"
HOUS. Bill HO. 273 PaadS a8 tO110~8, to-Wit:
*Saotlon 1. Tht Oheptar 88, Rousa ~111 no.
~6,saotlon 13, ~atm or tha rorty-rlrrt Lagl8labun,
Saoond Called SaSSiOn, a8 tmanded by AOtS 6?ftha
Party-third Legislature, Ra@lar Saarlon, Ohapter
407
MiO8 Vu8 V. Pogg, Ua:crga
4
178, saotlon 1, ROuma Bill No. 459, be auendad
to haraaitar read 88 rOlhW8:
-'Sootloa w. Tha State 3i@hway Departsoat
18 harabp authorized to lmaua r0r the 1943, 1944
nnd 1945 motor raMala rag.lrtratlonpars a 4a l
ptita or pht68 mtal w othu rtarial,
of ryabola,
tabs, or other Amrloa8 whloh rhan lttaohoA to a
Mtm rahlolaberlnq bean duly Mgi#tm&d tar tlw
maoadlaw SW&iStrStiO0 yaar aball Yor the parQom
of thi8 .A0t bo doanad to be the Irgal raglmt?atIon
lnmiguia ror the ra~lmtntlon year ror *hioh 188~@4.~
*8*0. t. U&Wi4myR8Bt 0? th8 jW&#Oribad r&&S-
trOtion fee by l for motor rahl0la regi#tm-
tiOB, the State Wpartnnt is luthorlrad t0
iSSU& through tb6 l%UBtJ, WS A88& 88O~8~O~& OtOF 8 l
llnala plata OI plOta or metal OT other satarial,
8yBbolr, tabs fm other darloaa, to ba attaoha6 ta
a motor rahleia ha+loe duly lu#o r l88d lloanrap&t&,
plater or otbrf llul~al8 Sor the paoadin~ roglrtra-
tlon par. Motor vahlela8 not pr0tloumlf ra&*tara6
ur ba l8auad a ragulm mat01 liaanaa plOta or plataa
iS muoh be lrallabla of BII be lame6 lyabol8 tabs,
(u other darioam WIioh -11 be da8mad to be iha
legal ragl8tratlw Inrl@a ror the ro&8trotion
f&u lo whloh the tahlola is ragl8tarad.
T3ao. S.
The owaar af aaoh motor rahlola
r&re&i#t&rad tha 1942 rO~I8tratlon year is
ror
hereby dlra0ta6 anA required to rotain la plwa
ln4'in Use an ruah rahlala the plmta or plater is-
8uSd tar the Zw~irtMtion yaar 1942 in adAitIon to
tb8 Mt61 tab8 186Ud iOr thO 1963 - i#tMtiOB
In the 1944 anA 1948 rsglrtratf0n yura tha
izt:i tcgletratlou in8Ignle lmeua6 by th 2tat.O
?Ii&hwayI?&pa~Mh through t& CouBty 'farA$#&#-
8Or8-cOlleOt~8 #h&l be attaohad t0 the t&hiOh
in plaoa or plmOa8 pra80rlbad by tha Stat@ Righway
Dapnrtaeut in woh 8iam1aram to be OlOarly rl8lbla.
rirr Vera V, Fogll, P&e* S
That Chapter lT8 Uoura alll Ha.
469, i%io~*2, hots a? the Fo&-third ~a(rimt-
t-6, R*pUlar Sa88loB, be rnandad to hrraattar
MIId a8 rOiiW8:
"'*otIOa A. Thm Mate nl&lwny m$8rtuaBt
rball prapmrm the Aarlgn8 and 8paoltlaatlan8 tar
the mingle plate or plataa of rrtal or ethar ant-
or OtXkOr 46tlOOe rrlaotd
t0 be ?A806 60 tb
nqtlimltion an6
puMha#O of the SUY 8ball be Albdtt8d to tb
skta Board al Control firl ppwml.*
*SW. 5. Ii aEr 86Ot~OD 8""""OB~aO~~t~~,
elawa or p&au clp tbir AOt I8 fOl'8
u0&~8titutiOM~, x
the U@OoBStit0ti06a ty tM,rrOf
#ball aot aftnot tha validit d the mini
tion oi thl* bat. The l.*~datan banby dfgz’
that lb rculd bat& pa888d tM AOt anb woh 86Otim,
8ubraotiorr, sentan0a olauma, anA uhra8a tharwt,
lrra8peotlra CS the hot that one farPore H the
I&OtiOB#, #Ub8~0tiOM, 8~t~l%O&8, OkU8.# Or
phrara8 bo da0lezwd unoonrtit0ti0nd.
*sao. A. All laws or prtm 0r law9 in waillet
F0z&y we hanby rapaala4 ta th al8ant of au&
.
*s*o. 7. Tha rhw8q6 Of rtael a8USaA by tha
raqulruaatr tor Ok Uatlobwl Dafaau rai tha rb-
eanoa d a auihbla an4 aooa4miaal rubrtitota for
Staa1 iB tb MBUfDOttlrc,Of MtAU +&i#l& 11-8.
plates oraeOn an emarganoy and ID im ratl.va vblio
w668d8y th*s DbS otbB#~ihUbiOBd Ra!@0 r&QRi s4B&
that btllr be read on tBr66 Hpar*ta A48 ip roh
ROUH be and tiba sue is heroby 8ulptia&, wd them
Aot 8hall tska lt~aot uad ba In toroe rr0r and
lrtar it8 pa885g6, aridit lr a0 lnaotad.
~mmmod the Rwaa, Fabnury 19, 19431 Ye&r
119, any8 0; p8naA the 86n846, #*rob 4, 1942h
Yeas 26, Bays 0.
-up rwod Maroh b 194&
-&etira XW-oh &, Mrs.-
ti6s Vera v. Foee, Page 6
SeO. 5 of Art. 807b, P. 0. makes it a timdemeanor
orrense for any person to operate a motor vehicle upon tb
wblfo highways of thio State without having dimplayed thereon,
aM attaohed thereto lioenae number platea and 8eo. 8 of arid
AI%~O~J 897u, rhea the penalty for maid 0rr8n88.
It is the oplnian or thla department that ~ouae
fill lto. 879 la oumuletlre of the other statute8 relating to
the reglatratlon of motor rehiolea an6 that the aam doom not
repeal 8ea. 5 and Sea. 8 or Art. 807b, P. 0. Theraiore, tha
answer to your rir8t queatlon la in tha arrirmatfve.
,The languaga of Rouse 8111 No. 875 la not vague,
a8blguooa, Uoertaln or lndaflnita and the intent 0r tha La(gfa-
lature la Vera plain in the word8 of the AOt. However, aaaum-
Mg that the language or anid House ~111 r?o,g75 ia vague, a&
biguoua unoertain and lndetlnite, we at111 lay that tha 8ama
18 oumuiatire or the other atatutaa relatl to the reglatra-
tion of motor rehioler and in support or th 3 a oonolualoa we
quote iron 59 0. J. pp 958,959,960 and 961, to-wit:
while the Intent @ the Legislature la to
be foundpilmarily in the language of the atatute
wheze auoh language la vague, ambiguous or unoer-
taln the Court may look, not only to the language
but to the aubjeot matter of the Aot, the objeot
to be aooonpllahed, or the purpore to be l ubaerved;
it may alao look in this oonn@otion to the exped-
ienoy of the Aot, or its oooaafon and neoearity,
the remedy provided, the oonditlon or the oountry
to k efteoted by the Act, the oonaequenoer iollOr-
in6 upon itr rnaotment, are rarloua ertrlnaio mat-
tera whioh throw8 aome light on the Leglalatura~a
Intent. LO&C and round eoonomio prlnolplea may
serve ag a guide to the Legialsture*s intent.
*In oonetruing a statute to give OrrO0t to
the Intent or purpose or the Legialature,ithe ob-
jeot of the statute mu& be kept in mind,.and suoh ~,’
oonatruction plaomd upon It a8 will, ii possible,
arreot its purpoea au3 rendor It talld,.evan though
it be aomewhnt indetinite.s
uiar Vera V. Fogg, Fege 7
It 18 the oplnlon or
thiB b6partment that Hausa
81s !iio. 1!!72#luapnda See. 7,807b, v. A. P. u., for
art.
the prwent regirtratton year en& lo lon& a6 the Hi&way
~@aion may re,quirerotration of rcgie;tretioninalgala
gf 8 prartou8 year under t’he tema of add nouae Bill.
M th ~r ~~n0~ to the ltieatira date, Hoare 9111
se. t75 lppaarr to have parse4 tb.e Eouae February 19, 194S
w a ,tofe of 119 year to no nagrg and tc hare paaaa4 the
wma9* YwOh 4 1943 by a rote & 86 yeas to no uaya~ and
to hate been &ml bl the Covernor en6 approvedB?amh 6,
1945. It is *heretore tha oplnlon or thla department thet
tha lifsetirr date oi lald EiillwmblB:a,roh 6, 1945.