Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OiFFlCE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAG AU8TIN Gerald C. !&am Attcrney Ganersl Bouorablo I. Frsdackl i &nty Aeditor Oalvsntoa County aa1veaton, Texas ihor sir: O~lnlcm KO. O-3790 E8r cen8tltutlo5allty or sea- tion la Of i2Xlaa Bill No. 436, FOl%Jr-8OVOllth L&r- latura, prcvldine travel- ing OXl7Wb8.S fOPor OWISd88101l- Or8 in counties or 08rbl~n porulatloa. YOGS latter ot July 1.6, 1%~~ asks the o lnfon of ‘tile drpartment u on the ooMtitution6lity of Swt Pon la of !iOU8. 8%11 .NO. &3% ,,AOtB Or the Forky-mavent& ta&l8lStUl’fb. YOU- l8tt.r o&i808 tbet the pula tlon o? 3slvmton tiUnt!i’ SCOOti% t0 th0 1940 OIMI8 18 r$&In. Sootion l8 ol"Houso Bill 136 n8a8 a6 rollova: "SoOtion la. $4 any county lo thla state a QOAtaiIline. pO~l8tiOllOr Slot 1888 t&Ml 38,000 nor more than 85,000 aoeordtnpi to the lart pn- ~cedlng ?8a8ral 08nau8, the acmia8lonar~~ oourt Ia hrnby authorizwl r& allow eaab ocnwi88lca8r not more than $50 par mnth, to be pstd out Qf the ma% and brld&r runa oi aaoh ropasotivlP uoip- Oissioner'8 precinOt, for trwallng sxp85so8 and depreoiation on thr automobllr wbllo used cm ot- rlolel bu@ina88 Oal9 arid/Or OV8XWosftyr the COndiXUO- tion and iaeintonanoo of tim ubllo roads of aald oollntlf3a. kch such oo~c~isa & nor shall pay 611 ~~~use8 in the operation of suah automobile and keep eai3s in repair at bia own expanse, irss of eny Other CkV3rg6 %bit8OaVer tD tl?e eCWt9; provided bovJevvor th:i t such eX~dAf3ea not t0 0XCaed $50 POr 301m mst be ltazized, sworn to, and filed for roam-d wit?: the coclntg ClOlk." saction la or fiouar Bill 436 i8 UAOGII8ai?iUabII4i, b41~& a 10041 or ap4cial law r4gu1sting the 8ff4iZY of ooAA- tie8 ia ViOiUtiOn Or m&i0 xxx, :3aat1on 56, or ti30 Constl- tution of tie State OT Taxer. IA our QplAiOA NO. O-1955, Cop9 Ot WhiOh i8 lolossd hrrrrlth, se held buao B;11 No. 236, P'OTty-8iXthLagislatun, to be a apwoial and local 14w ViOi8tiVi Of Arti x11, SjsCtiOa 56 Of the Ch8titUtiOA Of Toxaa. The Aot the33 under aonaitlantlon ~48 la 811 8ab)en- tlal a r p r o tr lllnllarto the prov18ionr 00:a5h6a in twtioon la of the Aot preaantly uAd4r coraldantlon. It happanad that fXItbt iIl8t4nOr the 1QW applied Od.9 to 4 8ini3h eOUAtg; but thl8 factor la aot e mater141 aon8268rrtlon. It IS not the numbor Or aOuatls8 wblch ara or aa9 be aabraard WlChiA ths ~lR88ttiO8tiOA 8tt~rPptOd to bs provided by 8ueh 8 law Whiclh, drteralmr thS qU63atlOA Of Wfiath4X’ tit0 14W i8 8p8Oi41 Or 10-l; but MIt;b8T,thm Qti88tiOA 18 whethrr, oonaidrrlag thm oldrot and purpose of thq law, th4 ohanotrrlrtier aaaa t&a baala or the ala8aifl48tloA afford iA truth r4aaonabla grOWNi t0 apply tha 1aW t0 thO84 OOUltiO8 ~88~88i!lg auah 6har44tOri8ti48 8Ad 8xc1U88 fNil! tha 8QQlitWtbl Of t!H 1Sll all aountlos whloh do not ptmrrr thrm. On th8 tb4ory that t&r qm80or tka opulotioa th4 aoxa tvo8rou8the iluti88of county ofil88r8, e LoH*l.~~tura =9 rovld8 tnv*li~ lxp8n808 for ooantf otitorra of ecumtla8 att8f .niag a oort4ln populmtiorr or above, 8hila &any%* 84aa to Obunt:? Ofl’i4ar8 Of cOURtiS Of 1a88.r ~~~1atiOA. on thr IN t&mot), thr Leal8lsaur0 ,say 4ll.a a lar&* rwunt 0r trav81img rxpaAaa8 to aoant9 ofllcwrr of oormtlra of 8 arrtaln popul8+ tiOA Or 8bova thAA i8 A&bWd t0 8OUAt~ OffhW8 Of WUAtiO8 Of 1058clr poprtiatien. But whrn this 'kilmoryla adopted aa thr ba818 for Cl48l:ifiO4tlon~tha hg18hltUlY Ul8t fOllo* thm pltt6rA lOdC- ally. It oannot, without vlola%in% Artiala XXX, Saatlon db. tit the tiA8titutioA, allOW trclW1 lxpanaaa to oounty oltiorrr O? OOUAbia8 or 4 08ra4in While 88wlw tr8v@lN ap .tco 84ao oounty ofTlear* o? ccuatiaa of ewetar l;r p 0n808 populatioc. #or aan it aooaotitut’%OrUl~y 8110~ a Oart8iA mawAt Of aH4V8iiZtg 8lpaA848 a0 BcUAty Ofthor Of miatie8 of 8 a*r- t,eill pOpUiSafOA, 11fhFl8 t&a ah 8888 tk88 8llOwin% a h888r 4~unt of tratri~ 0ip+n8a8 to tha 8em oouaty ortiaor8 of aouatl~a or a gnator populetlon. The failure to follow tho lWio41 patt4rA au&::m8t8d bs t&4 baalm 8rlmotod for omh8iiiOmtfoA rm- ad$$ in arbltnry U88ignathA. Tathor t&n 01468ifidtiOa- Bsxar ‘county v. TYMZJ, 97 8. w. fza) 467. ;:rsvids travsling ~X;:IIC:EBB for ccunt~ co.x:isslocare travel- ing in the Bischargs of thlr officl21 chtiaa, fol;n~! under Vamon’s I~~fssd Svll Statutes, Article 235Om, rosa&a a lagislatlvo failure to pursue logically :&9 pattsrn aug?,,eat- sd by the adoption or Fopulation RB tt basis for aheslfying ccuntiee far tt,ie purpose. :a 8 r0ault. arbitrary. ilrslgna- ticn has resulted in allowing. con!slzsionars of counties of lesaar -0pulstlcns 1~0x0 travYli% ez~ienstsri than is allowad comlas 1onsrs of counties of gmetsr poyl:lation, end in a failure In sons instsnoas to allow trovsling ex~ausca to comissiowrr. of counties of’ certrjl~n :mpultitlcoo srhils al- lowing rru,ch ax~ecses to coat:iiasioners cf ci;unttds of leaner ~qxln ti.cms. As rsrpota ::actiun la of house Bill 136, Aota of the Forty-sarenth irgisla tCire, it will be obrertd thst by that law travelin& orpaasoa of 25C per ncnth an allowed cocmnlusicnora of oounties of 38,000 to 85,tGO population, while wd find no law allowing suet traveling erpans~ to oozd5slcners of aounties imoving a popul,atioc above 132,000 and below 16C,o00, and nc prooleiose for tmvel.fz% ex&~neaio to be lllow~id tc oom&mfcners of counties havlcg a popula- tion in eaeeen of 2U~,GCO. For the reasona above etatad, thsrefora, &Qtion 1% Of souse ix.11 436 is uocoSatltuttoxIa~. Yours vary truly d. .*:p .-, i 1I\,G::hT:Ygg;?J;:.,$-L0%’v&g-;L; ay (a) Z. i;~. Fairahild !i. 8. Faairuhlld &+elatnnt