525
p OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF T&AS
.,’ AUSTIN
o-c.-
--
’.
Hoaonbls Ghrlburaa li. Glotsr
county Attorney
wrlon couaty
~offriroa, Texas
Dear 6ir;
iolstloa of the
kiL1 sad porsesr i.
0, raquertlng a
mm to the abate
the date or ltolanatMnt,
%eaato Bill pl, Thlrtl CalL&Gsosioa,~ :4Zitd
Legirlature appsrsatly ruthorlzod the MRLO,Fish t
oyrter Goaaiaaioa to oasot rulm sa4 r6gulatlonr gof-
sraing the tskiag or cartein $EPIO,'and deolaradsa opsa
HonorOble ShelburaOX. Glorar, I'asef?
eea80n. In pursuanoa to this authorizutiaa tbc Cam
mioaicm cn iiotobarUth, 1010, declared aa opm 608-
men for duoam, eto, mad tollowed the designstlcm of
oertain qbciea with tho paronthotiaalsx.pre8nlon
(eXa0ptgood duoks.)
Wader lutialem 1, 2, and 9 of tha Penal So&o
of the state of T~lxum, I u;doretand thst ao porsoa
i 8h011 b0 punle&eid rcr any act or omimrlon *ualom
the mm &pa hWi8 0 P0fml Orfenro aacl 0 penalty ar-
tlxcd thereto by tha writtan law oi this mate.
Wet only do I i*IZ to f iad any written law
msklag it m riclstlca or tho mael Codo to kill
Wood ihiokr, but it ir icy aandid opinion that awn
ii thO c2iafFC Phh & GYitW CunrrnieCif3t has WLprOd7
ndm it a riobttirm 09 thm hiv to kfll Wood Duck6
lt would be en untmrrrateddologetlon or the lo&
18tlvo authority to 8 Board kmva purely mininlst0r-
ial dutiar.
"I beve F&Q may coatrovrrsiooA# thQ 8rU~
wardaas ohout this mattar, and *bile I M anxious
!
ta oooperetewlththsn la tha aaforoersat olttho &r,
I 0samot aon8oieatlouslpprosecut a mrmn oberga4
with killing ,aXood i&ok. A maJoriCy 0r tha orroaaorr
do aot Dusk rr0laany other
know a w~wcod epmole6.~
The 43316Loglalkturoet It* TSird Called mielon In
Iii11X0. 3l, knom aa tho wild 0080 Law
&8lb, Veraon*e Aanotatod -1 Code; .&atelQS4, 43ra
P. m, ~5. 61) i'0cth0 rpenir06tp~r9040 0r
aorxrotiag ia thm ruturr say aonfllots bstuoen stats lswa aad
JO&Oral ro~ul*tione* seatton 6 of the I?Qt,th0 oma~onoy
Olaumo, rorar in pbrt aill r0ii0v81
vhe ract that th6 eXi6thg law
this St8to
or
r0rtkkim the opoalsa or wild bird* m-a
in thin
Aot 1s la oontllot with Fodor01 regulatlcnm, wbloh
ha6 just boon pmd68tea by thu Yrerldeat or th0
waited stat&s clodthe fast that aha&ng ooaditioa6
lrroundfag ths rator rod aupgly cr thim ocustlnoat
1~ oauming th0 haera reguttlonr to be ohmod rr0rs
pear to par, aaa that, therOtore,re~ulctlonmfor
thifrf.jtatm
that mill not bs in Otn.fliot with PoQsl’al
XegUlmtbXbb aun ba6t bo provided by the Cam, Piah b,
531
Cystsr Co6imlee10nof thla Stat. OWntea an omer-
genop anC m laperatirc publio neoessity. . . .*
ceotion 1 cf tbs lot prorldea, 6160~ other thinga,
t%t it ahall be unlarrtul rcr myonr to hunt, t&e, or pur-
eun any wllC duoks et eny tim other than buriw the open
t3ceaonprovltIoflfor the talslnp,hunting or ~ursuinf(cifmuch
gene blrdst "open a@e6on* bolng defined aa the par106 of tlma
when lt s)?sllbe lawful to take, kill, puraur, or attempt to
take or kill any or the gsae bird.6mm&
Srotlon z!or thr Aot perldaa that any poraon rho
taker, kllla, purauoa or attempts to take or kill any gani4
bird aaaed in the Act at any time other than during the open
aaa80n provlbed therefor ahell be guilty of a alsdemaanor and
upon oonliotlon rho11 be fined in 6 oua not lariathan @S.OO
nor more than glOO.00, togather with a rorrciture cr his hunt-
ing lloahaa for one gear rollowlnplthe date ot hi6 oonvlotlon.
%otion 3 of tha Aot pepeals all laws or parta of
laW6 pJrt5iniIlg t0 Op#Il aoa6ona 6iUi bag lhits.
Seotlon 4 of the Aot provldad that *tha &am, Flab
& Oyster of the State of Texas la hereby ohargad
Comu:asloon
with the duty of pr0016lmtingtha opan a(~afio~~aand bag limits
to regulate tho Wsiqg or pcaaoaslon of'any of the gaaa blrda
named in Cbls AOt.”
sootion 6 or th@ kot lapear the duty upon th* Com-
ai66lOn Or m6ki1~~inVabtigatiCn6 an8 prOOU&Ig iIIrOmII6tiOn
whereby it 166~oarry out the leg?sl6tlvelpolldate lxprsoaea in
Seation 4 of the hot.
seotlan 6 of the Aot provide6 that "any opan 60660~
for the taking or kllllw of aty or the epsolea of gaae bird6
nna tl la t& l8 ahall te proclaimed
kot . l by the 5apa0,Plah
.
aad oyster Colplirslon lmedlctely after the pasaago of thia
AOt and therekftar not later than Wtobar lat, or any year.*
Seotlon 7 or the Act authorlxaaany IntiMertmlarty
arreoted by the oonsorvatl,onrsgulatlonaof thla Stata promil-
getad by the Commiaslonto $316 a suit agalnat the Camnl68fOll
to test tha valldlty of the reguletlotuproaulget6dby th0 Cm-
6ll6BlOll.
"iheFodaral regulationsrelating to wild dudra pro-
hfblta the killing and p0ases6in& Or wood ducks; In Oontorsaity
532
Honorable Shalburaa R. Olovbc, h~age 4
ther4t0,tha &II!.,tie k Oyater C~~~WI~OA of the ftate of
Taxer has not proolalaadan open aaaaan for the hunting or
wvod duoka in Tour.
It la elmentary, of oourae, that the ~tiglalature
la powerleoato delegate to a Board or CoamlraloD the power
to declare what shall oonstltuta a orlalnal otfbtwa, togbther
with the punlabment thareror. Howover it la oompatont ror
tha Leglmlature to authorlne a Commibaionto preaoflbo oer-
taln dutlae on whloh the law amy operate in iapoain~a penalty
whereby tha broad general purposes ln lnaotl~ the law may be
rrrrotuated. It is an lndlepenalble repuiremantlh the latter
aitu8tionthat the Leglalatureitself preeorlbe the penalty
for the violation of the ruloa and regulationsnhioh it baa
authorized thb admlnlatratlre body to promulgate. Suah a
statute la eonatltutlonalbeoauae the legialatlta runotlon of
deIlnlng orlmaa and preaorlblng the punibhmbut thererot has
not been aelepted to an ednbiatratire boar.
In United State8 Y. Grimma, 880 0. 6. 506, 31 8.
06. U30, 55 L. Ed. 563, the Forest keasrr~ dot, whloh delagstid
power to the Seoretasy of Agrloultuse to pxomul&ate ruloa and
ryulatlons corerlq roreat reservations,the violation oi
*blob would oonstltuta a orlrainal offerma for s3ibioh a penalty
was preaorlbed, was held oonatltutloml. In an bxhauatlve opln-
ion by Mr. Justice Lamar it sea aeolaradr
qhat *Congreaa camot delegate le$lalatlva power
ia a prlnalplauniversallyreoognlxed aa vital to the
lnteiyltyand aYlntenanoe of the syatbm or gorernnent
ordains4 by the Conatltutlon, * YarahaU Pleld & Coa-
pmy v. Clark, US U. 6. 698. 30 L. Ed. 309 13 S. Ct.
49%. Eut the authority to make admlnl4trat~ta rulea
la not a delagatlcn or l.egtal6tlra power, nor are auoh
rules ralaed rrom an adminiatratlre to a leglalatl~4
oharaoterbeoauae the tioletion thereof la pmiahbd 66
a pub110 offense.
"It Is tsuue test there is no sot or Congseaa wbloh,
la express terms, doclarea that It eball be unlawful to
g r a alhbsp
e on a forest raeerre. Buttha atatutea from
which we have quoted declaro that the prlrflrgeOf using
reserves ror *all proper and lawful jmrpos~s* is aub-
jeot to the prorlao that the peraon ao using them shnll
ommplg with the mles and reg.ilationa oovarin$ eeid for-
eat reservation. The mm4 sot makeb it sn cffenae to
Bonorable Shelburna H. Clover, Page 8
violate them rs~ulatlmsi that la, to urn*them
~thamiee then In aocordanoo with the rulee eatab-
liehed by the secretary. . . .
"If eftar the pslsenqs zf the aot aad the pro-
tlulqatlcn cf tha rule, the defendants drove UW¶
graZ4d their sheep upon the reserve, In riolatian of
the regulationa,they were amking an unlawrul ua8 or
the goosrnmant* a property. In doing 80 they thereby
made titemarlves liable to tha penalty inpoeed by COA-
grem8.*
In Eulkey v. State, es Tex. Grim. 1, 201 8. w. 991,
the Court of Criminal kppealrrot Texa8 announoed tkl8 mma ml.0
in oOAAeOtionwith the Tiok Hradioationlaw. Mfulkeywe@ oharqod
dth vlolatlng Order XII of the Ooamlrsio~, wao oaotloted in
the trial OOurt and on appeal OOACOndedthat the iniOm6tiOn OA
whloh he wan oonvlotmd oharged no offense beaauso it ohargre
the violation of EA order pre@orlbeaby th* LivertookBahitary
Camgieefon,and not an aot Or the Le&8laturm, and that the
Legislitureoould not dolegate the law maklag powor to said
Commls~ionin violation of Smotion 1, Article III oi the COA-
8titUtiOA.
The court said:
aUndsr thee withorltier wa think the authority
(tirento our Liveetook Sanitary Ccglppiaaion to guarantlao
livestookend to adopt xulea and regulations to wdmos
the ~amo, when properly pronulgatedby the OOV~~OLOC,
18 ncrt tbe exeroieeiof le$iolativeiunotiona by the Com-
mi~~sion,and that ouoh rtilee and regulations EIOproprrly
promulgetedare valid, and tha riolattca theroot may be
SBbS 811 Oit4A.44. Thin roPialt8 iA holding that the lndlot-
meAt hsr4in warnvalid In ahar&hg M 0rra80.*
Acoordlnglg,it 1s our OpiAiOn that Senate Bill Ho.
31, the tild mm4 i.33~ uAdt4r rev’iew, im not violstlte alther or
the Conntitutfonof Texas or of rirtioles1, i?#SAd S of the
Final Code of Toxa6.
It oan only be oonoludad from an analysis Or Yenrta
Bill that tbe Legfelaturs
2Qo. 31 haa declared it to bo UAhw-
rul to kill the wild game dcrsorlbed at any timr other than dur-
lag the open mason provided for in the hot, whloh war to be
aa proolaimodby the Game, Fish h Oyster Commiealon. The p4A-
._.,~
534
gonorable Eh8lbUrA4 R. Clover, Ragto 6
alty ror euoh violation la llkerlre presortbed by the Legir-
lature In s.eotlon 2. when, thererore, the Com~Isdo~ I144 not
promulgatedaa open llieeaonwlth re2erenoe to wood duok4, a
eg40144 ot wild ducks, the killing of 081&ewould OOA4titUt4
a penal ofSense under the laws or Texas.
You are, therefore,r84peOtfullg adrirred that it Is
4 VlolatioA OS the lswr 0r T4xar to kill ana po4s44r mod
duoka at any time other than during a a open leason provided
therefor by proolamtlon of the oane, ?leh & 0 eter Commlerlon
of th8 Stat4 Of T8x88; imQlrOh an Oh8 Copnil J OA ha4 AOt by
proper proolamation provided an open aeamon for the huntlAg,
t4klng pur4uing or po8888810~ of wood duOk4, it follow4 tb4t
It would be a VlOlstlOA 0s the laws of T8xa8 f&a pereon k,
kill ana pore844 thle par~tloular 4p40104 of wild duok.
Yours tory truly
ATTOiWBY
0 BRAL0)‘ TBXa8
T
eCSrY3BB