615
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable D. C. Oreer
State Highvay Engineer
Texas Hlghvay Department
Austin, Texas
Dear Sir:
ot Art1010 6675a-3 are
3notor
~_I’. vehloles oper-
.8ted by Housing Allthor-
exempt license plates?
We heve~ reoeivc;b and. oarefulk’ oonaidered your re-
quest for an opltioq,~n the,Srbovp matter, said request reading
as follow: ‘,\ . ‘\ :
@Wehave ‘kdioed nukous requesta reoentlj
from the Rousing AuthoHtiea of Texas oitiea requeat-
lng thl8 WpartmenB to L8rue fe6 exempt lloenae plates
for :vehioles operated by auoh housing authorities. In
eaoh instanoe ue are informed by the applioant that
the vehicles have bean obtained from the Federal Pub110
Housing Authority on lease and in numerous lostanoes
they have been operated by the local houaing authority
unde~Fedsra3, license plates of some nature until suoh
plates were wlthdravn by the Federal Government. Let-
ter from the Housing Authority of the oity of Corpus
Christ1 and from the olty of San Antonio are ettaohed
hereto to give you all of the Information ve have in
this oonneotion.
0. C. Ormm, Paga 2
Iiona?abla
propertt a@, ud uooeuoluoivoly io aa u?dao
of tho 0. 9. Oovorweat, the Stok ot hrcra, 01,
County, or Citr OS Sob001Diataiat theeof aa th.
0800 wy k. uoaro notfoalllo~riththelop
etottu o fh a uo ialuth
f ga r ltleo
ua o d,~a wo d a @
rgon8orad by 'hgla aitlea ard tham fa 8omiuePab1~
doubt la our aiad that mot08 roblo -ted w
such houa%agruthmftioaam 01; blo to ruooior
exe4p~platoaaaxazwWd&byAlt
P010 6675 a-3abom
referred to.
Ye aballk gladto moiva 7oQs o&lo@ oa
thlaqueatloo8t7omearllwtaonroalmoa in
am3~thatmml8~repl~totb8lA&mmu reqwato
VI hevo molvo4 oad are reooiw ia@ ruoh platoo
ladruaprotfull7raquarttht7ouretumto tu tith
your oplnhm the tvo lottom b o ntolttaahod.'
Aruola 6675a-3 of Veraal’ Awototoa civil sseleu
lo la port 80 i0llua:
by 8 perma vho hale the pwper WthwitS, that euoh vehl-
0198 srethepopertpo?and urd UolwinlJ Lntho
eervioo cd thm Uralted State0 Oowrmaeatr the Stat0 of
TBfaa, eff County cm Cttr or P&O01 DimtHcrf th4rrOf,
836 the oars muy bo. . . ."
617
Honorable D. C. Oraer, Page 3
Artiola 6675a-368 of safd Statutea, ia in part, aa
f ollovs t
“Beforo the d&vary of lloanea plates to
anyone engaged lxolueivaly In the aarvioa of and
operating tahlolar vhioh are the property of tha
Unlted state8 Owaramant, or the State of Texas,
or any oountlaa, or oltiar thereof, auoh appliaa-
tion ahall have the approval of the State Iilghvay
Departmant before said plates are Iaauad to lny
such applioant, and if It appeara t&t said vohi-
01s vaa transfarrad to any auoh lganoy for the sole
purpose of evading the payment OS registration taaa,
or that tha aame vaa not made in good faith, auoh
plates shall not bo lsauad; If, after the iasuanoe
. of suoh, said vahlolas oaaaa.to ba, or are found to
not be the property of auoh aganoiaa, than auoh l&
oansa raa receipt may be revoked, aald plataa may be
raoallad, and taken into poaaasslon by the State
Hlghuay Department.. . .”
Artlole 1269k, Saotlons l-23, of aald Statutaa provldaa
for housing projaota in oitiea i.n Texas, but we find nothing thera-
Sk shoving that a motor vahlola operated by a olty housing author-
ity oomea within tha axamptlon from the paymant OS registration
fees for suoh motor vahfola because isame ia usad axolualvaly in
the sarvloa of a oity in Taxaa.
Seotlon 4 of said Statute provldaa that in each oity
of the State there is oraatad a pub110 body oorporata and polltlo
to be known aa the 9ioualngAuthority* of the olty. Saotlon 5
provides that upon the govarnhg body of a olty adopting a ra8o-
lutlon that there la a need for auoh housing authority Ln that
city, the mayor shall appoint flva parsons aa oommiaai~nara of
the authority oraatad for auoh city, but no oommiarlonar o? an
authority IM~ be an officer or amployea of the city for which
the authority is created, and the powers of the authority are
vested In the oolmnle.slonara. Section 8 sets out the powers of
the authority as followa :
‘Sao. 8. An authority shall ooastitute a
publio body oorporata and politic, axarolaiug pub110
and assbntial governmental funotlons, and having all
tha pwars naoassary or convenient to carry Out and
affaatuste the purposes and provisions of this Act,
618
Honorable D. C. @rear, ?aga 4
Inolndlng tha follinring parers In sddltlon to
others herein granted:
‘(a) To me aad to be auodj to hare a real
and to alter tha ssma at plaasuro; to hsva par-
patwl ruoooarloa~ to mska ald uoauto ooatraota
aid othaz lnstrumants aaoassrry or oonvoniant to
the lx e r o lrOS o tha poverr or the ruthorltyj and to
mska sad fraa t&se to tlma mend snd rapasl bylsvs,
rulaa, and ragulstlons, aot InaonsIrtont vIth this
A&, to oarry intOlffeOt th ep o r eMud p r p o 8uo r
the authority.
“(b) W1thl.n its area of operation: to prepare,
oarryout, roquln, laaaa, aad oparata housIng pro-
jaotsi to provide ior the oonstruotion, raoonstruo-
tlon, Imprwanant, alteration, oc repair of any hous-
ing projaot or my part tharaor.
“(0) To arrange or oontraot for the furnishing
by any parson or aganoy, pub110 or private, OS aar-
vloaa, prItIlagaa, vorka, or faoIlItIas for, or In
oomaotlan with, a houslng projaot or the oooupanta
tharaor; and (notwIthstsndIag anything to the oon-
trary oontained in this Aot or In any othar provision
of lav) to Inolude la any ooatraot lat In oontaaotIon
with a projaot, stlpulrtlons raquIrIng thst tha oon-
trsotor. aad any suboontraotom oapplp with the ro-
qulremanta sa to mInImum vagas and msxlmm hours of
labor, and 0-1~ with any oondItIons whIoh ths Fed-
eral @overtmeat rmayhave rttaohad to It8 fInsnoIs1
eld of the projaot.
“(d) To lease or rant any dwellinga, houuaa#
aooommodatIoas, lauds, buildinga, atioturaa,
faoIlItIaa ambraoed in any housing woJ*at snd “c sub-
jaot to the lirnltatlons oontalnad In this Aot) to
establish and ravlaa the rants or ohargea therefor;
to own, hold, and Improve real or personal property;
to purohsaa, lease, obtain options upon, aoquira by
gift, pant, bequest, devise, or otherwise any real
09 paraonal property or any Interest therain; to
acquire by the axarolsa of the pbvar of eminent
domain any real property; to sell, laasa, axohanga,
transfer, assIgn, pledge, or dlspoaa of any real or
619
Bonorabla 0. C. Oraer, Pago 5
paraonsl property or sny Intaraat therain to
Insure or pravlda for tha lnsuranoo of say real
or parsons1 property or oparatlons OS tha author-
ity aglut any rI8k8 or hazardsi to proouro Ia-
8uraaoa op guaraatoer from thr FederalOovarnmant
of the payment OS any debts or pstis tharaof
(vhathar or not Inourrad by said suthorlty) saoured
by mortgages on any proparty inoludad In sny of Its
houalng projaots.
“(a) To Invest any funds held In reaarvaa or
sinking funds, or sny funds not required for Immad-
late dlsbursamant, In property or seourltles In
vhloh savings banks msy legally Invest funda sub-
ject to their ooatrol; to purohaaa It8 bonds et a
prloa not mora than the prlnolpal aaount thereof
and aoorued Interest, all bonda &IOpurohasad to ba
oanoalledd
“(f) Within Its aran of oporatiour to inves-
tlgata Into living, dvallIng, and housing oondltlons
and Into the means and mathodr of ImprovIng suBh oon-
dltlons; to datermIne where slum areas axIst or where
there Is 8 shortage of daoeat, aara, and aaniteay
dwelling eooommodatlons for parsons of low fnoomei
to mka studies and raoammcdstlons relating to the
problem of olaarIng, raplamIng, aad raoonstruotlng
of slum araas, and the problam of provldlng dwelling
aooommodstIoas for pereons OS lw laooma, and to oo-
operate vlth the oity, tha oounty, the State old say
polltloal aubdlvislon tharaof In aotlon taken la
oonneotlon vlth suoh problems; and to angsgo in
researoh, studies, and l %parImantatIon on tha aubjeot
OS housing.
“(g) Aotlng tblrough one or more oommlssIonara
or other parson or persona designated by the authorityi
to oonduot examlnstlons and Investigations and to hear
tastImonr:T and take proof under oath at pub110 or prl-
vata hearings on any matter material for Its iniOmne-
tlon; to administer osths, Issue subpoenas requiring
the attandsnoa o? witneaaas or the produotlon of books
and papers and to issue oommlsslons for the axamlnatlon
of witnesses vho are outside of the State or unsble to
?~cxmmblo D. C. OMOP, Page 6
"(3) To exwoIse 811 a l?y pati 0 adaabirutior,
of paver0 hbabin @mtad* Ro gra*irIw aS lav vlth
35fo~~~oop~ItI~, opwatia3,oraI8po8it2orr
&Em publlo bodlar ahall Ow applloable
toanautharZpaale0r
be th6Jsgklatum lrlUlcrpeoI#I-
aal4soafiak."
the authmlty ahall have paver to pledg@ Its re0t8~ fa8sr c@
revenuea, mortgsgo its propert lrrd do varIou# lpd SW other
thfag8 that mfght be4 ceoeeaary In order to c6r projoot forward.
3eotun 18 pm9id0s that au ubligae cf celd autT ority shall ha-
the rl&t to ooqel maId authoritf, by 8 pa-, Suit, eotlcm
or prcu#ding iAtlRv ar %!IRquItJ, to pefam itPl catraut8, but
-ttIgtty bra aothlng to do vlth tho rflnvnnue af any of mid
Sotion 20 provider that el r rssl pm~erty of 8n author-
&, z&l 2je e.iw@, frcta levy end 0810 by VirtUO Of 80 6XWUt1’Xb
ht that same &all not apply to or lIsdt the rleht tf 8~ OhlIgw
to foreolow 6n cwrtgaf30~ sotiou 21 prowlam that an authwlt?
6’2l
Eonor.sble D. C. Qreer, Page 7
can borrcv rnone~ or rooept gl?ants from the Federal Ctovernment
in aid of a housing projeot, a8 well an, take over or leame or
iumagr my howlng projeot oonatruoted or ovned by the Federal
Government, and to exeouto auoh agreeraonta, mortgages, lto., a8
mny be neoesaary therefor. Seotlon 22 prodder that the property
of' an autharity Is pub110 propertyand is umpt from all taxer
and speolal assersmentsof the City, County and Stat@ or any
politioal subdlvlirlo~ thereof, but A0 protiIlon 1s made .xampt-
ing It from paying rrglrtratlon fee8 on motor vehloles owned or
leased by It. Thereroro, your question la la svo r ed la th@ noga-
tive.
Me are returning to you herevlth the lettera aooompaay-
ing your request.
Trusting that this eatisfaotorily ansvers your inquiry,
ve are
Yours very truly
ATTOBHMGENEIULOF TEXAS
m:r0
Blo.