Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICEOFTHEAPORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Boaorable Bert For&, &iadnit4trator, fesaa Uquor Control IbOard, Austin, Teraa . rour in- of hae been given our careful attention. opinions to Thich you ham called our -6088 ana o-3803. We do not think mud opinions. In order, however, tonotruction of said opinions, '1 olearly state same. al Code (8) glres the pend or camaX petit8 sportotion,importation, everagf3eor other perndte e 6664.6, Peti Code, the perniitttare ision (18) thereof relates to the per- retatlers, ati it prmides that all reimreble in the aame mmnor as re- to govern applicationfor an iseuance of Betail Beer Dealer*8 Llaeneea under Artiole II of this bat, 8116 shall be subjest to oanoellation or cluspcneioa for any of the reasons that a Retail lieOrDealarts Liaenee n;oj bo mnoelled or auepended, ami upon the came procedure. WI+ Artlole 667-3 requires every pereon uho engages in the sale of beer to obtain a Uoense therefor from the Texas Liquor Gontrol floarti. Honorable Bert Ford - page 2 Artiole 067-6 contains the information that must be ezbraaed in the application. Article 807-6 provides for a hearing on the appll- cation. It provides that the application shall be filed with the Count7 Clerk, and af+terproper nOtlO@ the Count7 Judge hears the application; said I)rtioleprovides1 81s upon hearing upon the petition oi any applicant for a lioense, the County Judge finds the faots stated therein to ‘be true and hs~ no ether lawful reason for denying the ap+oation, he sholl entor an ortlerso aertfitingS and a copy of sald order shall be delivered to the ap- plkCa& J * * SJ t&e &bSeSSOr and COlh?CtOr Of Taxes shall thereuponreport to the Texas Liquor Control Board upon e form presoribed br said Board oertifying that the applicationfor lioense has been approved and all required fees paid, and .such other information as ear b6 required by the Board, and to euch aertificate shall be attached a copy of the original applioationfor lioense. Upon re0oiving such report or oertificationfrom the Assessor and Colleotorof Taxes, it shall be the duty of the Board or Administrator to issue the license accordingly,ii it is found that the applicant is entitled to a liaense and there are no legal reasons shy a'liOense should not be is- tlued,**l.” krtiole 667-1 ot the PeDal Code~providesfor the re- newal of Uocsses, ani the appliusnt is requiredto file MS application therefor with the Aaeetmtor and Colleotor of Taxes of the county. The law then proridsst =*I)*, The lbseeaorand Colleotorof Taxes shall thereupon transndt to the Board a oopy of said applicationfor renerraltogether mith the certificationthat all required feee hare bee%% paid for the'smuxinglioense psFiodJ and upon re- oeiring the oo y of said applicationand eertifl- tmtion as to tIie payment of iees, the Board or Ad- ministrator i2sy in its discretion issue the lioense applied for, or may within i'ire(6) days aft&r re- oeipt of such applioationreject the so1118 and r+- quire that the applicant for renewal tile applioa- ! ’ honorable Bert Ford - page g tion with the Cwnt~ Judge and submitto hearing bePOre suoh County Judge in the rnanoerrequired or any appliosat sor the primary or or&ha1 liOense.g Artiole 689-19 of the Penal Code authorizes the' Board or Administrator to oanoel the lioense of asp peroon authorized to sell beer, after notioe and hearing, for some airteen s arate aml d.istinetreasons or violations ~0sthe law. 8ub8vision (0) thereof gldes that the license may be ooncelled if 'the liceneee tiolated aq provision of tM6 dct or any rule or regulation of the Board at any tine during the existenoe OS the Uoense sought to be oancelled or rfthin the next preoedlng license period of any license held by the 1loensee.s It ie our 0piMon that the Administratorof the Texas Liquor Qontrol Board uan refuse to renew a limnee for any reason Tudor the otatute shich would authorize him to oanoel the license; In other words, it the Ailxdnietra- for knows that during the former lioense period the lioensee has violated the Texas Liquor Control Aot he would have,- do Subsection (0) ot Article 667-19 &bote ~quottkl, the rig$it to oancel the renewal lioonse. Ae quoted above, Artiale 607-d provides specifical- 17 that after the County Judge has had the hearing, asd has approved the applioation, the record la Bent 87 the deeeesor and Collector of.Tesse to the Texan Liquor Control Board, sit shall be the'duty'of the Board or Administratorto isfme the license aeoordingly, ii it is fqwl that the applicanf is entitled to a lioense and there are tielegal reesons why a lioenae should notbe 1osued.s .It is our 0 inion that the faat that the applicaqt did during the precod ng year commit such an aot as would $3stify the Adsdnistretorto eanoel the permit rould with the same reasoning be a suti%ient legal reason shy the reneu+l licen+e ehould not be iseufxl. Section g OS the Texos Liquor Control Aot prmides that the entire A& ahall be llberallp Oonstrued ?or the ac- oimpii6hment of the purposes nsmed therein, and Article 068-13 provides that the permit when grantedshall be purely a per- sonal privilege ami shall be revocable SOP the oauses stated in said statute, and that~the permit shall not oonstitute any property right0 honorable Bert gord - page 4 Un~estiOMbly, uuder the prwisions OS Article 067-.19(o)*the Adsdnistrator,If he should issue a remw-. al permit, could ismcdiately thereafter canoe1 the pemdt, if he had cvidenco showing that the licensee had during the proceding year violated any provision OS the Texas. LiqyxorControl Act. It would not be a liberal construct- ion to say that the Adsdnistratorcould bo compelled to issue a renewal lioenee,which under the law he could im- smdiately cancel under the plain provisions of said law. In Uotropolitan Life Insurance Co. V. Kann, 168 9. u. (2) 33.2,tho Saprone Court, la construing the occu- pation tax statutes, used this languagec '(7.8) + l l . It oertainly was not the in- tention or the tegislature to require a certifi- aate to be iseued under Article 477o, when such certificateis subject, at the very time of+is- ttuance,to be rwoked under Articlo 471fi.s It ie our opinion that the Administratormay re- fuse to grant a renewal Ucetlllo for aq of the reasons nanredin the etatuto, for which he could cancel same, if he should issue the renewal license. . .-- ..L. . 7erj truly yours ATTOIWEYGEJillRALOF TEXAS : .r;l.:<*~Q&g.- , B, --A--------+ 680. V. IIarcus AssIstant