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OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable J. B. Draper
chita Driver’s LZotmse Division
%X&S Departmmt OS Publio Safety
oemp Xabry
&w&in, Texas
Dear Sirt
n, can the Dc-
tmant denJ hi& a li-
se during the period
his Eiul3pemion. .
quest for Opinion or
943, have been reoeived
11 on eaoh Of the following
1. ‘Does Seotion ti (a) 0r Article
the pereon*e driving privilege In
e suspended, when auoh person haa
d a lioenae?
Question HO. e, Doee the Department of Publio
Safety have authorSty to suspend a driving privilege,
or oan such prooeedings be inetltuted only when the
riolator Iu et the time the bolder of a valid lice-e,
and the operator has been guilt7 of one or more offsneea
listed under Seotion 88 of Artiole 6681b of the statutes?
Question No. 3. It a person IS oonviotsd 0r ens
.
Honorable Jr B. -per, Par 8
& the offewes ror whioh BUI ens10n 18 mandstory under
~&ion 84 0r Arffole bbmb, &ornon Annotated Redated
dirt1 Statutar, but suah person doer not have a lloencie at
thd time of ocmvlotion, doer the Dapartinent of Publio Safety
hare authority ta deny him a lloende UurIng the perfod of
MS ruopsnelon?
It 1s baa10 that l person ha8 no drlrlng privilege
b tbls rtate until a lloenee hae been lesued to him. An
offlolal lloenee may be raid to be a permission granted by
blIo euthority t0 perbonu certain rote whloh are forbidden
r y law lzoept to persons obtaining suoh penulsalon. Hoefl-
iag v* city of San Antonio 85 %x. 228, 20 s. w. 88 16
L. R, A. 408. ‘Lhe tom '1ioenW may be used to Uet&nate -
tm pemlreion 1tae1i. 2here odll be no ewpeneloh prooeed-
iage lmtltuted to mapend a drlrlng privilege whloh is sot
gxirtent by ceeaon of the feat that fho person has not been
issued a drlver’a lloenee~ 7bbw0x-8, we answer your flrst
two questions In the negatlte.
SWation 4, Subseotlon 0, and Seotion 10 of Artlale
W!Tb, Vornonte Annotated Revleed Olvtl Gfetutea, reepeot-
irely read 88 roii0wt38
Weotion 4. The Department shall not iesue any
lioenae hereunder1
. . .
‘9. lb any personwhen the Department has good
oauae to believe that the operation of a motor mhlole
on the highways by suoh person would bei lniraioal to
p&&i0 86rOty Or . VOlfarO~”
Veotlon‘i.0. The Deperbnent shall oxamIne every
lpplIoant for an operator’r, oomo.erciel operator's,
or ohaufieur*r lloenre, lxoept as otherwise provided
in this Seotion. Suoh examination shall be held In
the oounty &ore the applloant reeider or makes appll-
oatlon within aot more than ten (10) day6 fmxa the
date the lpplloation Ir made. It #hall lnoludo l
tert of the applIsant*r rlbion hi8 ability to under-
atand highvey signs In the En&h langu~e re@atIng,
varnlng, and (Ureotlng traffio, hI8 knowledge of the
trafflo lawn of this State and shall include an
aotual demonrtratlon l
of bi1It.y to exerolse ordinary
and reasonable oontml in the operation of a motor
Baaamble J'r B. Draper, Feuy 8
tehlele end euoh further pbyeloul and mntel exam
lnation as the DoperCmentfiade n~on85ary to deter-
mine the lprlloant~rfltneas to ogwm&e a motor
rehtalc rrofely upon the N@me e, tkd rorlUe6
further that the IXreotor &.a! 9 ha00 t t l euthorl:y
to o(iuae to be rs-41xrml~CC l~occcsa la elQ oedoc
whioh la bls fudgmnt the lloe~eee is !$nncra$d%le @f
operctias L motor vsf.lolc ( rsld rxaicl.cstlon Shall
be held in the oounty of the lloenreo~s reeldanoe
unlens othsaaiue agreed to ?y both portles to bo
held el~awhero.”
In dealding the itlrue of the aypllonnt*e fitaeba
to operate B motor vehiols and whether or not the o;?ere-
tion of a motor vehiols by the appllo-nt IWG~,! bc i~nitiloal
to publfo rafet’ or ~Afuzcr, the Eepwtmnt ehmld t&e
into oonfAdelr?ti cr. the faat that t-&okperson hm been guIlt,p
of an offawe for whioh euepenslm of e drlvar?s lieems
if3 swdntory under ttotlon W Article 66fYb, Ftrnon’6
Annotcted %3ViPwl Civil Stetuies, or nay other offense
utkier the laws nSu.lating tIi0 Op@wtiOn of motor w3biolee,
en6 ChOilU U*np t'b io6uan06 OS anS 110enB~ If, ir. tSe
~~t:;:.nn n” ‘ha -cyr:rxa’;, it “would bt: fn:r-.l.xil ,,c public
bSfc.?y 3r y:e:f;,rr?” ICY ttlii a:-@toant to heve .sy l.ice:;fx.
Yexy truly youre,
hsoletmt