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