somrfme 0ml3ls S.Carpenter
Texas UPePlployasnt
aempensetionConmiseion
Brown Bld&
Austin, Texas
&bar Sir: Opfnlon No. o-2247
R%i uap the Coml%%loti r%uwe
to l.tealftb determlmitlone
8 alaim for benefit8 or rerlsw
e determlnatlonalrea6y rrde
before an appeal iron 8tmh de-
terwlnatlon~hasbeen iilod
with %% appeal Srfbunal and re..
latsd questions.
You2 reqamt for en opinioa on aar$ain ralattwl qws-
tlons imuting qqeml proaodure Wore the !gma U-r Qae
permotionOolPrlaaion lrrrrr
been reaefved. Pour questionswill bo
quoted end dltiassad in~tb& order +f their Irppemranae
In the
request.
The Lsgi~lmture has andearorodto ~tllne gatiieular4
the proaodureto be iollowed ta tfibhfutdl.~ ef benefit olairs
baiorathe Gomlaahn. Ue quote the peW.mmtSa&lons of &ti-
ale 5223.-b,Vernen's Ravlsod Civil Statutsst
"See. 4 (b). SnLtlal Determination: A represents-
tire clasignetedby the GQIBBX%SB~~P,antihwdmUter re-
ierred to aa a dsputp, shall promptly exnmine t4e O~&JU
and, on the baais of the faoCa foam3 by hiat,shall
either determkne whsther or not euoh aLaim 1% valid,
end if mild, the date 0% w!~l%hb%a%fit% shell oomue~e,
the benefit aiwiuutparetie end thciBlexilnumduration
thereof. or ahall refbr suon aletw or any question lo-
rolved theretn to en appeal xribunslor to the WIa5la-
&of%, wuoh shell m&e its detemninatlanswith rsapeot
thsreto In aooordanae with t!w proaedure deaeribed in
subseatlton (0) of this %eotfcm, exoept t&et in any oa%e
in which the peyment or d%ni%l of benefits wtil be da-
GrvIlla~S,Osrpantar,page 2
tarmIaad by tha prai%Iuns of %eotlon 5~x6) oi this
AOtt,the deputy ahall prompay txailadt hle zllllfinding
as rao4iwith reapeot to that aubaaationto the ConmU-
alon, WhIoh, on tho be%I% of the atidauoe submittedand
suoh a&ditlOual evldauoe 8% It may requlro, shall 8rriXJItj
6miif$, ox set a8Ida suah fiudiugs of facetend tran%&t
to tha dapaty a daaI%Ion apon the Issues Involtad
undar the subaeatlon. The daputy etia3.l propapt
notify the alaImnt.and any dtmr lnterestadpsrtg-of
tha deoiaion and the reabans thexsror. Unless tireal%Imsnt
or any suoh Interestadpsrty, within tan (10) calenderdays
ester the delivery of,ouoh uotificcrtion, or within twelve
(U) a%lendsr day% after auoh notirlaaticnwc.8mailed tb
hi8 leastlcuOspfl~addres:s,
files en eppettlfrom such da-
olalon, auoh dea$tsIon skmll baTIn%l and banefita shall
ba paid or-&dad ln eaoamlanoe -tharawTth. IX an eppa%l
Io~dulg filad, banaflto with respaot to the parlod prior
to the flnal detarmInstionor tLreCommIuslon, shall ba
pald or&y sitar such dstemInstIon; prop/dad, that If au
appeal tribuuel~erfirusa dacisian of a deputy, or tha
GomfnIe~~5o~
effirme a t!ieoisbmof en appaal trIbuna1,
allowIng behefits, such bonefIt% shall ba paid reGardlea%
efany~appaal.whloh~my tharaaftarbe taken but It
suah daoision Is fimlly revarssd, no amployar*s
daaouut ahall be ahergad with benefits so paid.
aho. 4 (a). Appbal~~ Unless suah appeal Is wlth-
drawn,,%u appeal trtbunal, artsir%tford&ng the partlea
raaeonable oppc&iuIty for fair hmriog, aLall bffimi
or.madYy the fludIng of faat anb'daoI%ionof the
depaty. The partlss ahall be da4 natIfIed of sash.
trlbtu+*6 deo+slon, tanager tit& It6 raaaom3 there-
ior, whiah ahall be de&mad to ba tlma& tla6iaiix1 Eb tth&
6anmiasi0r~,unlsss within tan (10) days r&a? tha date
of notlfloatlcmor msIl.ingof %%ah 4eaIaIoa rurtha
appeel Is IhItIstad pursuant to subsaatian {a, of
this aaotls4n;*
aSea 4.(a) Th% Conmiseion may on Its own motion
affira,modify, o? set as&de ang deoiaion of en Cppaal
tribunal on the heals of the eW¶anaa previously sub-
mitted In auah oasa, or dIreat the taking of eddftioual
eviBauae, ax may peruit an$ of the partlee to s&h da-
aiaion to unitlate further appesls before it . . ~. .
The %mraIssIon may remva to Itself or transfar to
another eppecl tribune1 the proeeadln,;sau any claim
penblng before an eppeal tribunal. . rW ,.
Thui a aaraful awmiuatioa of relevant eeatloua of Artlole
5221-b disaloses e power Hithin the Cor%n3.~sion,
faund in Laotian
4 (a) to affirm, mdffy or set aoSda say Uaaoisionof en appeal
tribunal on :ts own motion,. This m?i.ua
%eatIon of our law~.fur-
thar empowers the G&saion to ranove to ItaaU or to anothar
appasl tribunal my alai& pendiug before en eppac~ltribuual.
Raforanoa to the oour%e 6f a bleiu from Its fIlIug to
Its rlnal deteruiuatlon,%how%.tha first datam&mtIou to ba
teetea by Artlola 5221-b, Eaatian 4 (b), la a raprasantatiraor
deputy designeted by tha &%rm~I%%Lon;subsaquantto detormf.a%tlon
by the dapaty the prooedure 1% .outliuedfox an appaal to aa
appeal tribunal und from that body to the .,
GomnIesIan.
Bon.~GrvllleS, Carpenter,paga 3
A pruvibionIa -de In Artlola !%!a-0, SeotIan 4(e),
far remwal by the CoxnaIasIon on 1tS motion of a ola5.mber~re an
appeal tribunal, bntno auhorlmatlonappears in the statute for
the Gom&mion, on its own motion, -toremove e olain for revfew
pr1a.rto an appaal to the appeal tribunal.
1t:obviouslywas intended that the epplioant for banerlts
take the IuItlatIvaia'saaurIxtg
benefita and that the Cumalsslon
would not of Ita own volition award payments fndlaorimI~toly
rrom a rund designed to help the needy unamployed.
We have oonsideredthe datalledmanner adopted by the
Lagls.:eturain oatlInIngthe prooedura of P olelm, tha authority
and the duty of tha Colgfacilonand Ita daputlca with rderenoe
to olaims. Thla sppears to be En apt situationror the appI&
aatlon of the legal marIm vexpresalourrius~est exaluelo alterIus*.
Where the stat&a auumarataat!m powers and dutias of ofiloialrr
UoLto be ear&trued aa axaludlng all those not expresslyman-
This rule was long ago laid down In Texae ln the opLn-
ion oreJudge Wheeler in &-yen vs. gundberg, f,Tox. Rap. &I&
Your first queetIon 18 qmwered in the negative.
‘QuestionHo. 2, ~May a oat38p&ding b&ore an
appaak tribunal be ramovkd to the Commlselon bx an
aotlon 00 the Corplnisslou
taken ln the sbsenoe of trie
tha oonaumdnoe 0r the
lmpartislnumber; or iwioitheut
impartialmember in aueh ~aotIanV
Artdale 5223.-b,GeotIW 8 (e), reads as follows:
"(e) Quorumt Any tool(2) Gorraalseione~sshall oon-
atituta a quarum, provided, hewevar, that whanavar tha
ConudsaIon hefms wy ease Imdlrlng 8 dlaputed 0lal.itoi,
benefits kdar the &cwlmIon~ of Sd3.rm 6 af this Aat,
the impcmtlalmember oi-ths Caaualaalon shallaot u3.e~~
in the sbeenoe or &isqualYioatio~~ai any other member,
end in no oese ehall suoh a heerlng prooeed unless the
inqpartlalmemberof the C~sslon is present. Bbroept
as harefnbeioreprovided, no vaoanoy &aBu Impair the
right 0r the ramaInIug Gumksslone173to exarelaa all
oi the.poriaraoi the Gamai8sI01&"~
Our’aJlsW~ to this question IS rurther oomplioatadby
oral.InformatIon,not-in the Xetter of requaat, that a ramavel
to the Commission is In hot a ravlew of the olaira. This
sltuatlonexlsting as It does Rlaaea the proeadura strIotly
within tha prohlbltlonfouud in Section 8 (a) quoted abova-,
ue advert partioularlpto that portion of f5actlon8 (a)
whiohrsade "r . . and In no aase aasll.a hearing proased unIess
the lmpartlalmambar of the Ccmmlssion 5s present.* . . . Ths
'presenoeand oouaurrenoaof tha impartlalmembar la tturrdm
mmdatory if .thereglovalfrW au 8pped tribunal iS tankMouat
to a revlaw 0r the olatsa
n
Quastlan No. 3 May the G&aeion act upon an
applloatlonrar lea4 to appeal to ths aolRIRi86ion3.n
the ebsanae of the ~urtIalmambar?*
The provisions of Artiole 5221-b, Seotlon S-(e) Ver-
non*8 RavIsed GIvII Statutes, damand the presanoe of the &a-
partial mambar bafore a hearing may prooead. yh,have WId In
il~~.urvll.LeS. GqrpantBf.page 4
w user to your saooxu?question, that under the faota as.we
hars'tham, the ramoval of an appeal vans that the mambara ham
atudled the reaord and the ramoval la a rsvl&w, thus out anawar
to your third qaeation la no. The bssle far our answar Is the
same as that in question tnro;
WgueatlonNo; 4 ~Xn an aotlon by the Gommlsalon
unon an aoalloation;or leave lx aDDeal to the km-
-~- ~. ~~a_-
mIssIon, is the onourrerioeof the--&artIal m%mb%r
neoes~aaryto s dealsion?*
* is derlnsd by Webster asr "Aot
'The term ~"00110urren0e
or oonourrlng*; "a meeting or corni&?together"; "union"; "aon- .'
junotion*.
Th%ra is also tha Interpratatlckn 0r oonourr%naeto ba
*in agreement* as found In swordsand Phrases, PirEt Cexiea pg.
1390, and Worda end Phrases, Seoond series, Pa. 8!&
We arcwont to believe that.the use implied in your ques-
tion la the -aotIng together-. This Infermrrs rasults tram
ratlure to rjnd any raqu5ramantor lndloatlon that the law aon-
tamplatesthatall thrnmmbersm~~tagr88 onanappeal. Suoh
a aonolusion w0uld not be Ln hsrnsny with the idea of a thra%-man
baard.
Adopting the vleu that aonaurr%no0embxapea the sating
or preaenoa In tha me&In&.oi the isp?artIalmmb~, weibelieve
our statutes apiwifloally require the prsaenoe of the kpartIa1
I -bar on any aation, but do%a not require the sfilrmatIv%vota
0r .auohxns&er.
nere'the -8son has grantad
daiiwminatIm~a olatiicrr
benefits and wheie Micahappeal M berma the Oem~IaaIon
on the raaord end so fori@ hearIng.haabeen hald, Is
the oonaurr%aaa0r ~the Impartlalmamber IXbO886ErF to a
deslaian on auoh app%aX?a
TM.8 answer alao ambraoas prerloua QlauusaIon In thIa
oplnian, W% find nothIag In the Texas statutes on unamp&~ ..
~eomp~tlonInaur8nee that suggest8 that the iagartI%laemb%r
auat tippruvea bsnsiit 01al.mor appeal.b%fore 1% oan be paid.
It appears to us that the,- uWa&asnta of the law and psrtleularly
Artlole $i42l-13,
S%otion 8 (e!, ar% 6atisfIed ii the partial
member Is prssent et the hearing as aonaS.der~tIen of the olalm.
The preseuti or oonaurr%ne%of the I&partIal~~~bar is al.1that
Is riqulred, but the statute Is ol~~and~ unambIguouaIn its
roquiraarentthat suoh memberbe premmnt b&ore the hearing may
The atstutes appar%ntl.ydo n@t lnt%nd that a deolalon
~~~*ln the abaenoe of the &psrtial m%mW.