OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Mr. 7. EO Ri tar, Searrtrr;l
Texas mat, Ii srA or Rcglrtratioa
tar Prof*rrloanl Englnro.rr
Urtla, Taxarr
Darr Mr. Rightor f-A
qu*rtloa:
has heera reo
been registered in thls
aatlrlt~sa ot a eertaln zmn
his attempt to soourb a
ot rowlo and roaA lmpratemoat8 la
Pm. MO. e’.
mA rurthar agreed fa ruoh oontraot to
(To furnirh the asoomary engin:
lo r la rgup er r ir throughout
lo a the
oourso or oonstruotioo, aaA to repra-
rant thr aomalr8lonarr oourt of Aauf-
man County, Toxss in all things por-
Yr. r. R. Rlghtor, Maroh I, lOSO, Page 8
taiolag to the proouremnt of gomm-
ment fund0 and the rtruotur41 progrear
of the propoaod projrot.'
‘It lr oomplalnsd to %hl8 oft100 that ruoh
maa Aosr not hare a lloenro (IO an mglneor and
Is not regl~torod with your offloe, and that
ruoh aonatltuter an ‘offer to praatloo oaglnoor’
ar AsnounooA by tha ntatuto. l’ho ELdaAld clot
Ieouro the ooatrciot.
gParronally, I do not to rhlrk an7 reepon-
ribillty that may ho mine a6 County Attorney,
but at the same tlao, I do not want to do any-
oae aa lnjustloo by tlllne a oomplalat ror Borne-
thlag vhoa ho Is not Cullty. I am aot an ea-
glarar, and do not knov whether the above faots
~ru~otahov aa ‘orrar to praotloo onglaaorlag~
It ooour8 to me that he hna not ot-
SrreA lo do any oadlneerlog work but has merely
oontrootsd to furnish the snglacrrlag vhlah he
oould do by hlrliir, and omployIng a roelstorod
anglnarr .
*If your Board bar had any latorprotstloa
of the tram ‘offer to praatloe* Srom the Attor-
nry General*8 Dopartmeat, I would rppreolatr
your aAtl8lag me about it. JUIO, as 4 praotlslng
oaglaoar yourrrlf, and am.6 molnbrt oi tbr Board,
thet la lntorrsted In remlar? this lav oagorood,
1 vould approglrte your ~~Irlng mo your bort JuAg-
mont In thlr matter.
‘1 would t3aak you to let mo hear from you
an moon 44 possIblo.*
Paragraph B of ,SeotiOn Z! Of AFtiole 32lla read8
a8 follovrr
*The praotlao of profsrslonal enelnrerlng
within the asanlnr and intent of t>i8 Aat In-
dludor any roror8lonal ronlao, ruoh aa ooa-
rultatloa, lpntertlgatloa, etaluatlon, pt*nine,
damlgnlag, or respoarlble rupervlrloo of aon-
rtruotloa la oooasatloa rlth any pub110 or.prl-
vate Atllltlos, struoturrn, bulldlngr, maohines,
equipment, proooaae~, works, or proJsot8, vherela
the pub110 volfaro, or the satoguardla& of life,
. Kr. F. 3. Rlghtor, Karoh (I, 1939, Page S
health or property la oonoomed or larolteA,
vhan mob proteralon4l aervlae require8 the
8ppllaatlon of lnglnoorlag prlnolplra 4nA
Iaterpretatioasof laglaoering Aat8.’
Seotloa 19 of Art1014 St718 rrrA8 88 iollovar
“Artor tho lint A47 of taounry, 1958,
it ahall bo unhwful for this Stntr, or ior
my ot it8 polltloal lubAItIrloar for any
oomtf oltx, or towa to 4agagr la thr ooll-
atruotfon of any pub110 work lmolrln~ ro-
farsloaal englneerias, where pub110 he J th,
pub110 velfarr or pub110 moiety lr lnrolvoA,
unlear tho en lnoerlag plans and 8proIflan-
tlonr and eat Pmate8 have been pm arsd by,
la A the enginesring oonrtruotloa i I to be
lxoouteA under the Alroot rnperrlrfon of 4
reglrtered profsrslonal engineer; prorlded,
. that nothing la thla Aat 4hall be hold to .
apply to nay pub110 work wherein the ooa-
tomplated oxpondlturo for the omploteb pro-
Jrot doer not oxooud Threo Thousand (Z?i,OOO.OO)
Do&ma. ProrldeA, that thlr Aot #hall not
8pply to any road n~latenaaoe or betterment
work undertaken by the County C~ae.loacra~
Ccurt.
Seotloa 23 of Artlole 3S7la maAn a8 follova:
;Oa or after the first Any of January,
lWS, any perroa who ahall praotloo, or oftar
to prnotloe, ths profes8Ion of eaglaearlag
In this State wlthout being rsglutered or exempted
1lnsooorAanoe with the prorlaloar Of thlr Aat,
or any perron presentin;? or attem tin& to use
aa hlr owa the oertlfloate of reg f rtratlon or
the seal of another, or any ptraOn who shall
glte any false or forgob etlAenar of any klad
to the RearA or to any member thereof la ob-
talalng a oortlfloatr of roglrtratloa, Or any
perooa who ahell vloletr any of the provl8loar
of thlr: Aot, bo fined not 1038 than One Rundred
100.00 Dollar4 nor more than Fir4 Hundred
It 100.00 I Dollarm, or be oonilaed la Jo11 tar
a psrlod of not sxoeeAln& three (3) montha,
or both. &oh day of Such vlolatloa shall be
Mr. ?. E. Righter, Merah 7, 1039, Page 4
a aeparate ottenae. O’
In all
orlalnal oaese the dorem!ant la pra-
aumed Ianooaat uatll hi8 guilt la s4tabllrheA by legal
anA ocmpetont erlAoaos beyond a rsaeoaable doubt. The
burden o? proving the guilt la upon the Stat. throughh-
out the trld end never ehltta to the Aofandnnt.
The qusrtlon arleoe se to whether or aot the
raota an3 etldtnos sLateA la your lettor, nro, a8 a
matter of law, euiiloiont to juetlSy the aonilotloa of
the Ae?oadeat under Ssotion 83 o? hrtlole 337l4, ior
the o?teaae o? aoffarln~ topr4otloe englneerlaga. In
order to ooavlot, under the teat8 etated, t’lr oourt or
Jury, would hare to rind tros tho erlQeaae, beyond 4
reaeon4ble doubt, that the Aotendant poreanally ottorob
to sake the plans, aptoi?loetloaa, eat&mats8 and oto.
4nA that tht mkln o f luoh plane, tptoltloatIonr ea-
tImnte8 tnd eta. f wliioh were not Aeearlbeb) lnvo~ved
the appilaatlcn of eaplaeerlng plan4 end the Iaterpreta-
tloa of cn&marlng data. If tko aourt or Jury trying
the geea ha4 a reasonable Acubt a8 to any o? there
leauee, the Ae?tndeat would be tatltled to an loqulttal.
The iollowlag etatemmt in the oontrnot, to-
*lt t
90 iurnlsh the atooerary eaglneerlag
eup@rvlelon throughout the oourae of ooa-
rtruotlon, end to repreeent the ocmmIealoa-
em oourt of Xauf’maa County, Texar in all
things pertalnl~g to the proooremoat o?
gotoramcnt ?unAe 4nA the etruotural progeoer
of the propoeed proJeot.*
la htre partlaulerly pointed out.
It le clear that t!ie defendant 00~14 oomply
with ttls portion o? his contract by hlrlnc and amploping
a reglsttred professional tagla88r. In dolnr this, ho
would not be offaring to praotloe eaglaeerlag hlmeelt.
The defendant would be entltltd to an aoqulttal
l? tht ootirt or Jury had a roaeoaablt doubt as to whether
or not the defendant lattndtd to do the englnoeriag work
Xr. 1. IS. Blghtor, Xarob 7, 1959, Pago b
blmrolf Or hare S-0 don8 br 8 TU&i8t8r86 ~tOf888iOlS81
ln& I8o r .
Your 8r8, thsrdrom, r8Bp8OtfU~l~ 8dTl806 that
it 18 th8 Opinion Of thi8 D8parttWUlt that the f8Ot8 88t
forth iKi YOUF 18tt8r 8FO ,iU8UftiO~8Ilt 88 8 mtt8r Ot
l8r t0 8Wt8iXh 8 OOnViOtiO!h Of th8 d8r8&8nt for th8
Orr8n88 Of 'Off8ring t0 pr8OttO8 8nUine8rirylem
Very trulf your8
XJTORREYGEl7EAALOF TEXAS