OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN “ HonorableR, A. Barton county At~tirney~ .. Calhoun county Port Lavaoa, Texab Dear Sir? O~iniOl3Hoso’. o-4117 Rer Con~titutlonkllt+of 8..B. 7,~ 47th kglrlstun, asgular .. Sesrion. We your requestior an~o&l& aakuowledge rscciipt'oi thin De&mrtmnt,on the oonatltutlonalityof Ro~a0~~111 7 ._. the 47th ie&alature.,Regular %sr+on. Your rllqueetcontab irglah iw’haftq ‘mrdod. ‘two c;loestitxu .~ ~ollowar 1. ~18 Eouss Biil 9 ~QDo'&lqtitutloMl?' E. Doa. the inoluaion OS word %arboraW in Rome '... Bill 7 render aaiC bill unoonotitutlonalbe-. oause Artiolo 11, Srotion 8 of the Conrtitution .or Text18only rapulros donations to oonstruot *sdawall~orbreakwat,ers"? lo ahell not attemmptto quota the whole of ffouse Bill ‘7, supra, but for the purposes of olarlty of thin oplnlon, wo . Quote the oaptlon as follows: *An Aot mking a donation of all of the net amount of Ztete ad valorsmtaxss oolleotedon property situ- ated in and rrom rolling at&ok of railroadsapportioned to Calhwn county, Ttma, to the City or Port Lavaoa, : Texas; to enable the City to oonstruot,repair, and . _I’ , ~. ....>2. .-. ..:.;yl Eon. ;ii. h. Barton, pee 2 lm-,roveseaaall?.~brsakwstsrs. .4&dbar&&s, to pro- ve& co&inulo& and recurringoalamitour overrlows; providing for reports by the emsessor anb oollccttr or taxes to,Cos;ptroller and prcviding for disposition of wnsys ool1sct.A by him; authorlzl~ esid city to Issue bcnriff subject to the prov%slonsand ~lmitstiona oc&alned i? tbls act;Jpres.orlbing 8 penalty for di- version of nuch state donated finds; enaotlhg oth+r '. . provlclonsrelating to the subjeot,MQ declaring en 1; .? (gmphaaisours) energsrroy Artkcls 11, SeOtlon 0 or the Constltutlouor Teu• :i:: reads 63~ r0uarr6: .;; I The oountieo ana oltlek on.the Gul) Coast b.eing subjeot to oelalitoueoverflowa, and a very large ‘proportionof the general revenue being derived fron ,!d those othonlee prosperouslocalltloe. 'fheLegialeture x '.;a; is espeolallfauthorizedto aid by dohatlon,o? such portion or the public domin ~0 my be deemed proper, and in such mode a8 ,qaybe provided by low,.the'oou- struotlon or seawolls,or breskwsters,auch.ald'tobe proportionedto the extent au3 value of the uorks ocnetruoted or to be.oonstruoted,in any 1ocallty.v We wllldlocuss the questions. in their-viverse~ drdsr. iiouseBl1.l7, supra, provideathot the taxes ore to be rsrnlttedfor the pur;mzee of constructing,repairing, add Jm- provbg "aeawalla.breakwatersand harbors." .irtlcle 11, reotion 0 or the Cxmtltutlon or lexss onryauthorize8 re- clselou to construct wseowollsor breeimaters.* in OoMtTUhg the ssaning or the words *seawollsWor Wbreohwoteruaas ueed in the Constitution,we mst give then their ordinary slgtifi- oanoe ror there 16 nothlug in the oontext to lndloate that tbs framre of the Constitutionmenut thstttbey should'bc used .othenuise. % parts Eodriquea,30.Tex. 705. L4otlonaryder:nes the term Sebster's ihterr;a.tioneZ wbre8;i-wters” 68 being: '+AEtructure'forbreak:nE, the force or x&es, or $0 proteot a harbor or boaoh." 553 “A wall, Uf emba&mA., to resiot enoroeoh- m?ot of the ~a." The term %orboP is defined bi tiresame authority gs bei=:- “A portion of a eee, a‘lrke. or other body of water; eitbm landlookedsr ertIZIaIallyprotaotad 60 as to be a plaoe 0: safety ror vessels ln atorrsy weather." . In th case of'ihe Cuzoo, RR6 aed. 176, the oourt'dot fined harbora as plooaa of refute in khlcb proteotlon and ehelter,areaou&t wlthIn the en~lomxss audproteotlon ot land. Be ore 0: the opinion thstby uo etretoh of the lmgluu- tion oould the term *harbor" be ineluded.witblbthe ~SeeniugOf the-words "seowall"adl *breamatertP ae above defined; ore, thererore,of the opinion that Ilowe Bill 7, 11'0 aupra, 1s mm omprehsnslve than Is authorized under &tiafo u, s80ti0n 6 or the Co~titution gr Tex4o. . How&r, this does not neoesasrIlyxieadthat the whole or ealU bill must fall. ._ In the cam of Zwernemmu va. 6on Roomberg, 13 a.'W. 48@&4a0, .theSupreme Court or ,Texasaunounosd the tOl.loWIJUS "The Rule for the conatruotlonor etatutea In partial confllotdth the Gouatitutlonis that Ii the portion,repugnantto the tunUa.mntallaw aaa be stxloken out, and that Which remains i8 oomplote In itwir, az@ 'capable of'being srsoutsd In nOeOrd~ae wltb the opRarent legislativeintent. . . It must be eustelned.* X&pa;;; Towles, c8 'Sex.4?i, quoting Cooley, Const. If the unoonatitutlonalprovision be but lnc;dent~lto the ualn purpose, tindbe not esaentlel to &ve erraat to the statute, suoh port may be re- jaoted, leeNng, the remainderto stand. ~he~pxOvIaIOna we have quoted olearly abow, 60 think, thnt lt.ras ttm le~lsJ.atlve iuteut to utterly exeapt the homertead iporn : ;t th6 olatis Of the &Aerai OIWditWe Of the B&ate, provided a constitU6ntoi ths faptllyeullriYsdthe d606Ad6nt,and, iA case thi:Q6tat6 Wss ln3OlV3ut,t0 i;' YazoYe it beyond th6 pale of abnzlnfstraticr,. TM3 is in aOOOrdaAc6 Vi;-lth .ail prolriGU3ln+l3tion, end i3 cQt .: r6pupxnt to CIA?coastitutioa. :O tuoh Cf th6 l3tatUf6 a6 attempto to make the hometend of eA ihsolvontto 3 desomd in 6 m~msr diifor6nt frcl;; other raal property i6 prohibitedby the Ccnstitution,WLC is volt?. dut t&e other provisionaot the ot6tute are not dspendrnt upon this. Ttsy CX" .hsveerreot wlt~out it, arl I' ;l should therefore stand." Ao abole atatsd 3x6 mst aeo6rtaiA shethor or notth6 ,j r6pA&WAt portion oan be striaket out aA6 lseve a ooarplets ,I 6nxdm6At whioh ix oepable of being eX6outed in aocordsnoewith' ;,: t&6 l6&htiY 0 iAte&t . In aaoertelni;rg tha le(:iE:latlv6 .int6ht, it:ie our duty to look et th6 who16 biA1. Tiith6 6306 oi Taerkana &cPt. Wth Ry. Co., st al vs. Eoueton Ge8 k zhsl . '. <$ ,,, Go., 51 s. ft. (2d) 224, the court rtatedl .I *Id OOAStrUi~ 6t6tUt6S OAeOt6d by th6 16.egla&a.. tUr6, it ia ths duty of th6 aburt to look to the : 6Atire dCt, iAClUdiA&the OaQtiOA, the body Of th6 ,): .' aOt, and SV6A tk6 6lMl?e6&0y 016U66, to d6tertin6 t&6 16gialativ6inttnt. R'h6nt&6 162ialatiQ6intent i# OA66 d6t6ZYQiAsd. It 16 th6 I0U.s t :. J AA sxeminatlonof'the snti%6 bill rsveals thetth6 pur- :'~, p@S Oi'th6 bill IS t0 prevent Otitit-OU~ OVerflOWs, SAd it w&a up the Aaohiwry with.Yihlohto.aooomplichthet ~urp080. I In r60t tba 6mQrp3AOy clause 6XpPeSIEly,8T&tse that: "This &t is designed to protsqt i looallty .~ ~situetedCC tha Gulf Cotwitfrom 0316mitdus overflew8. . . " ,+ i,' It.18 readily agpar6At I&&t the fnttmtionof th6 Imgir- : latUr6 to QlDYi~iethe lllseAc With whiah tO;jIZ?6YeAt eUCh OYel'- .A*> ., ilOW will not be hSalEpSl6d by the striltiq4out Of ths ,word %xrbor,n md th:,ta oomplste er-motxwnt which will 6ocompliah the 16&3latiYs intent end &~;!oco Wiil I’6miA. .3 t .W.mctmsAtsof the Legislaturewhich are subetaAtlelly i?! the earn 88 IioueeBill 7,~eupra, after the %ord *harbOra"has been striekex out, '38~0beeA beiore our 0OUrt6 a number of 555 I&m. ‘a.A. Barton, pago 6 tlmea. We ccnsidcr the aaec ct City cf kxnsaq Pass vs. Xeellng, 247 S. :*.138, controllingin this sattar, a~& in that case the hqmsss Court of Texan upheld thisaonstltu- tionfilitpof 72~6bill authoriaingthe rstiissioncf tax68 tG t&a City or Aranaas Pam. ii6do not think u dctailsd di%8USsiOnOf tiOUS6Bill.7 i6, thereto-rs,~6OS~S8ry. *8 are, tnerefor6,,oitbm opinion that &uas Bill 7, 8upra;uharain it as&c3 to retit taxes to aonetruct aeawalls or br8ibat6rs ia not Vicl.r:tive of the CtinatitutionOS Tuas, but that it is unoon8tltutionalinsofar n0 it seeks to rerzt tum 'GOconstructharbor@. 86 further hold that the atrlking OS the word "harbomP from the bill does not imelldate the balanoa thereof. .TpustingQat~the.toregoillQ.iully e~newerayour inquiry, we am