OFFICE OF IHE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
@ema, Fish bc Oyster Commission
Allatin, mur
jU.tentiOna Hr. Willian I. TUcbr,
Exeoutive searet8l-y
oontl~enr 0plnlon Ho. o-4
w3 have your lette which rwds 8a follova~
mokner, to-
gether vith 8 b len of Howton,
In reference t
the MVenues
val Fund to be
oprr8tlonD of this
propriatlons m8de br the
v8 oall your attentloa to
e, Fish and QTster Ccwmiraion will
on April 9, we hops that 70x1 may give
that drrts on the queotlon ~,i vhether
the Game, Fish and Oyster Qomaiarloa ir authorited to
diqbse of sand, till, nudahell'and graval and de-
posit the reoolpts obtained therefrom in the sand,
Shell and Gravel Fund to be no.8 for the purports
provided by lav and aa appropriated.”
Qoe, ?ioh k Oyrter @mlsalon, page 2
For m8ny p8r8 the @ame, Flrh & Oy8ter Oonirrion ha8
~irtered the sale of all aarl, gravel, rand, #hell and mud-
&ell from all 8tate-ovned waters , under the authority of Chapter
y,&tl;gz;, Art1018 4051, et Ibq., ReV18ed Civil Statutes Of
Your question 18 vhether this authority might have
been &anaf&eed to the School Land Board by Houre Bill Ilo. 9,
Aat8 193gc 42nd Iag1818ture, vhich confer8 upon 8aid Board the
paver of leaam of the mineral estate in river-beds and obBa-
~18 and lslandr, lake8 and beys within the tidevater l&sits and
the bed of’ the sea belonging to the 8tate of Texas.” We believe
&he &&u8veF t0 thi8 que8ti~ IS not to be found in OOWt deelmion8
~~strulng the phra8e “mineral eatate” as the rame 10.01h8V0 been
u8ed in deed8 of oonveyanoe, but rather in the legi8lative intent
as reflected by the several enactments under oon8idsntion end
their legislative hirtory. The86 questions have been exten8Ively
di8oussed in the able brief 8Ub8I'itted to you by Hr. W. P. Ramble&
vhich you attached to your letter. We agree with the reasoning
and oonolurio~ of said brief and take the liberty of lncorporat-
lng It ln ouz opinion&
*This 18 in reply to your Inquiry as to vhether,
under the plW8~t 18V, the Q-4, Flrh & Oy8teZ' Corn--
miarrloner ha8 the authority to 8ell Mrl, gr8Ve1,
sand, rhell or mudshell eituated in ba 8, rivera,eto.
of the 8tate, a8 provided in Artiolee t 016, et 8eq.,
Revised 8t8tUtOs 1925, or T#hOthsP 881d 8tEbtUta8 haV0
been iapliedly repealed by Articles 54210-3~ (pa88ed
by the 1939 Leglrlature), The latter 8tatutory pro-
vision provides that the ‘mineral ertate’ ln river-bedm
and OhNUl.18 and In area8 within tidevater li0It8, in-
cluding lakes, b8y8, eto., are set aside and dedloated
to the pelaurPent school f’und, and jurisdiotion there-
over shall be exercised by the School Land Board oreat-
ed by said 1939 Amendment. If 8hOll i8 a ‘mineral’
within the meaning of suoh amended statutes - partlea-
larly Article 5421c-3, 1939 - then it would seem that
the f&me, Fish & Oyster Comml8&nsr 400s not have the
rigat to sell shell ~8 he has oustcasarily done under
Article 4053d, Revised Statutes 1925.
‘To determine vhether or not the 1939 Amendment
to Article 542l&3 had the effeot of inpliedly repeal-
ing the statutes authorlsing the Oame,~ Fish & Oyster
Comels8loner to sell shell, etc., will requirs BP in-
vestigation of the 8tatutes in question for the pu~po8e
of determInIng the intention of the leginlature In
QS~M, tr0h k Wrter Caei8lnn, Page 3
p888ing the COOOIIt 8mOdMnt. (ml8 ht6ntton of the
~gi8l8tIU'e BUl, it 18 belleved, be l8tabli8hed by
a Oen8idOlatiOn of the follovlng general 8tatUtoq
proVlrlm8 on the 8ubjeotr involved.
"A 8tIldr of the exirtixig 8tatutory provirion8 re-
floats that the Legialeture in 1925 (Title 67, Artio-
lea 4016 et seq.) created the @ame, Fi8h & Oyster COW
mleeloner~wid set out his duties 8nd povem, among
which Vera en exercioe of juri8diction over the u8e or
tak%ng of marl, thell, mudshell, etc. frola $aker, and
bay8 owned bs tho~Stat0. An elaborate uet of mktutes
vere pa888d oharging the Conmi88toner vlth detailed
dUtiO8 88 t0 the 0IIfOfiOUmBnt Of our game 18V8 and the
oonrervatlon of our wild end marine life. The duty of
enforcing the oj8ter leve, granting permits for oynter
bed8, i88ulng lioea8e8 for removing Oyster8 from oy8ter
bed8, eto., vaw given the Cmlsaioner. Artlole 4051
rpeolflcall~ provide8, among other thLnga, thatall
rhe:l, mud8hell or gravel looated on the bottom-of any
lake, bay, etc., belong8 to the State end exwplaoed
uuder the %anagemeiat, control and proteotion of the
C0mi88loaer,~ and that none of same shall be ‘pUreh88Od,
taken avay or destroyed, exoept aa provided here& nor
8hall any oyster bed8 or flrh hatcherlea vlthin the ter-
ritory igoluded herein be de8tro)red, except 88 herein
provided.' Artiole 4052 expw88ly lnve8t8 the Ccm~%$r-
8iOMr vtth all pmrer8 and authority uOOO888~ t0 08rrJ
iato effeot the provi8lona of Title 67, 88 well 88 full
ohmgo and di8oretion.over all matters pertaining to
the 8810, tekw OC dirtributiug Of 'Mrl, 8and OP gl'8VOl
of omerol.al value, ate.' Artiole 4053 provide8 that
enyone de8iring to purohere grevel, ahell or mudahell, OF
othervise operate vlthln the vetere under the jUPi8diO-
tiOXl Of the @Md.88iOMP 8hr11 file (Lli 8pplieatiOn them-
for vhloh pay be granted only after the Commissioner Is
88ti8fiOd that the FemOVPl thereof vi11 not inj~io~8lj
8ffeOt w OyOter8, oyeter beds or reefe, fish mbit-
ing vatera, eta. Artlole bO53d eUthOriZO8 th6 &mmis8ion-
er, vlth the approval of the Oovernor, to 8ell merl.
shell, etc., 8uoh terns end OOllditiOti8 88 he tiy
deem mooor. ror not lese t&en 41 Der iTon. end that
'the pro~eeke arleZng from such salok &all be trenemit-
ted to th8 Btate Treesurer and be credited to e mpeoial
fund hereby oreated to be known a8 the Sand, ffravel and
Shell Fund of the state, etc.'
-6, Firh k Oy8tOr (lollli8OiOn, P8gO 4
"It is Epp8ZVmt that the fOXWgOhg 8tatUtOPy
9rov1810n8 contemplate that the 8810 of marl, gravel
and mudshell from the baT rhall be made upon rueh
tenor and under 8uoh oirouuatanoe8 a8 will not, in
the opinion of the Commissioner, injure the oyster
beds and marine life of the bay, and that the funds
received from the male thereof rhall be used for pur-
pose8 of enforoement of sand, 8hell and gravel laws
and In the establishment and m8lnten8noe of fi8h
hntoheries.
"In determining vhether the above statutory pro-
visions are lmplledly repealed by the 1939 Amendment8
to Articles 5421 et seq., particularly a8 applied to
the authority of the @.%a, Fish % Oyster Comml88loner
to roll shell from the bay, It might be helpful to ln-
veatigate the numerou8 statutory provloionr of vhlch
Art1016 5421C-3 18 a part.
'Artlole 9210-y et creq. (p888Od in 1939), and
the &iginsl st8tutory provi8ionr amended there~ are'
8 p&rt of Title 86 dealing vlth *publla had8 whloh
title contains numerous rtatutory provi8lons oreating
the Comal88ioner of the Oeneral Land Office and setting
forth hla duties and poverr. It inoludes Chapter 4,
dealing vlth 'oil and gar * and the production thereof
from public ovned lands. Chspter 6 deala vith p8teAt8
i88uOd by the State, and chapter 7, Of whioh the Amend-
ment In question ir a part, contain8 Vgeneral provi-
8iOn8' vhloh oreate the permanent 8ehool fund, univer-
8it.y fund, and asylum fund. It Is lntereatlng to knov
that Artiole 5416 excepts from the unappropriated pub-
lic domain granted to the permanent 8ohool fund of the
state'*that lnoluded in lake8, bay8 and irland8 along
the Gulf of lexloo vlthln tidevater limits.'
"It seema to me that all of Title 86, covering
public lands, deals vlth the fee title and 011 and gas
lea8es on state ovned lands, and that If the Leglrlature,
In pa~~eing Artiole 54210-3 (1939), had Intended to ln-
elude in the term Wneral estate,' the marl, shell and
mud8hell in bays and all areas vlthln tldevater ltiit8,
lt vould have said 00. Artiole 5353 (pured or re-
enacted by the 1925 OOdificatioA vhlch included, of
oouree, the ebove etatute dealing with the Q&me, lieh
-, Fish & Oyster Ccmmirrlon, Paago 5
& OJ8ter C0Sd8S~0n.r) 8pW3ifiWll~ QOVOr8 'ehllf
Lanclr' and provider that the Land Commissioner shall
ham the right to lease for 'o&l and g68' the bays,
etc., located within the tidrvater llmitr. Artlole
5421C, Seation 8 (alro p888.d by the 1939 Lsgirlaturo)
provides that ths tidevater area '8hall be 8ubjeot to
leame by the Comlw~ioner to any per8on, fir81 or oorp-
oration for the production of minerals, except gold,
sllwm, platinum, cinnabar , and other mtslr that ray
be therein or thereunder, eta.' In aooordaaoo vlth the
provisions of Artiole 5353, et 8eQ. (Revised Statutes
1925).
“It 18 olear to me that the prorlrlono pnoeding
ArtloIs 5421C (sane of vhioh were pa8sed by the 1929,
1.931 end 1933 Legislatures) deal vlth oil and gas loa8e0,
and that rhon ths Le lrloture aned the tom 'rine~~l
eatate' in Artiole 5 $216-3, it meant oil 8nd gas, and
not 8ar1, ah011 or mudshell vhluh are oomprohoa8lvel~
ooterud w Title 67 (Artiole 4016, ot req. dealing
vith 'Fish k Oyster Cmisnlon.~ Ithinlc ih is oon8truo-
tlon 18 supported by the jur%8dletlon heretorore am-
sumed by the @@me, Fish & Oyster Cal8rlon over the
sale of dell, and alao by the developlent oc history
of the oil aad 888 IndurtrJ in t&a ooa8t ama up to
1 39. ?h@ pUrPO80 Of th0 ‘19% hMndQent (ArtiOh 5&?1O-
3 3 was urely to sot aside to the permanent free 8.4~01
fund the mineral8 (011 and gas) ia the river-bad8 and
ahum v1thi.n the tldevatsr arum, ,mnd to &oll8h the
Board of Xlneral D+relopsmt (ororted Ey the 43rd Legls~
lature la 1933) by creating the Bohool Land Board.
"In addition to the foregolag reason8, vhleh LN
based upun c consldsratlon of the general statutory pro-
visions on the 8ubjects in que8tlon, them. 8~ the fol-
loving additional rea6ono why Unenl e8tate' a8 used
in Artlals 54210-3 (pssmd,by the 1939 Lsglrllrtun),
should not be eonstrued to mo8n marl, shell 01 mudrholl
located In the bay or tidewater area8, to-vitt
'1. Ssetlon 7 of the Amendment, Artloh ‘58210-5,
sets out the author&Q of tho Echo01 Land Bo8rd$ it pro-
vide8 that ths Board ahall adopt rules oi proordure and
re&atlons for the aalo and leasing of the area@ 'in-
eluded herein not inoonslstent with this A& and other
t
J.;
we, Firh k OJrter Commlsalon, Pago 6
lava on the Bubjeot. for the Balm and 1w8im of
8OhOOl and C&SyliUR1;naS and th0 1eaSfllg Of tb IdlWPUl
eDtat in river-beds UId QheDPblS and i8lt3ILd8, 18keS
neither e%pr&aly, nor by inference, seta out any man-
ner or method by which shell, etc. could be sold; the
preceding 8ectlons of Article 54210 speak only of 011
and gar leases and the royalty vhioh the state sheil1
receive thereunder.
'2 To hold that the StatUteS providing that the
sale of'ehell, etc. shall be made by the Oeme, Fish &
Oyster Commlasioner, and that the funds therefrom ap-
plied to a particular pUPpOSe, verb impliedly repealed'
by the Amendment l.n question would, it Is believed,
di8rUpt the vhole purpose of the &me. Fish k Oyster
X,J~VS,rob the C~iSSiOn Of mUQh Of it8 Operating MV-
enues'wlthout providing for a board or oommlasion to
perform many of its existing duties.
“3. It is well eetablished ba the aUthorltie8
that a 8peclel law (such as Tltla 67 dsallng vith the
Game, Fish & Oyster Commlesloner) 18 not repealed by a
SUbSeqUeZlt g0neIVil 1KW aera it i8,e~l'esaly 80 Stated
or intended. Sullivan VS. OalVeaton, 17 8. W. (26)
478, Aif%., 34 S. W. 808; Burkhart vs. Braeos River
etc.* 42 S- W. (26) 96; Paul VB. State, 106 8. U. 4481
Andrear vs. City of Beaumont, 113 9. Y. 614, et seq.
"4. It Is also a general 1~18 of statutory oon-
struction that repeals by implication are not favored,
and that a SUbSeqUent aot will be reconciled whenever
possible. Ifiller vs. Bnith, 65 s. w, (ad) 417; Ellis
VS. Holooabe, 6g 9. W. (ad) 449; Wntexman VS. HoDonald,
102 3. Y. (26) 167; Neck vs. Wheelor, 125 S. W. ('26)
331, and Statutes Key Ilo. 159."
You are advised that In ouropinion, the author:ty of the
be Fish & 0 'ster Commisrion to adninleter the seie of marl rave),
6-d: she11 an% mudshell under the provleione of Chapter 3, Titk 67,
Ar,tiole 4051, et SBQ., Revised Uivll 8tatUte8 of Te9918, 1925, i8
Unimpaired and unaffected by House Bill 100. 9, Aote 46th Leglslatum,
1939.
Your6 very truly
ATTORREY@RRRRALOFFRXAS