-.
218
OFFKE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
QDULO
0.MINN
.-001uu
Xoaomblr A. t. Brrag, fr.
CriminalMrtriat Attorney
BllUboro, Teur
Dam siri
or Dtate npn-
tte* ia orrtaia
add attor thr eiieo-
oouatiw .forf4
iaolud* TlotorialRopwon%8tiro, .iathe &e&l*
laturo,#hall hare hlB.or her name &or& on mob
primaq ballot in leh oeuntias, J 088 ad aatn
as
..
hs OT rho has pal6 to thr Countylkxaoutiv.Oom-
mittee of the politioalpart+ whose n~i~tiOD
ho of sho seeks, thr SUEIof tifty DolhrS ($50).
Tt being the purpose oi this h06tto require
c iF&: ant of Tlity Dollars($50) as a pnrsquislte
CL tha name a? tha oandidats plaood on tha
oitloialballot in any primaryslostlonin saoh and
all oouatieshsralnabovssat out.# ,
Ssotioabb of ArticleS oi the Uonstltutionot Texas,
reads, in part, as follows:
shall not',axespia8 othar-
*The I.8gislaturs
rlss providedla this OOnstit~t~on,pass anr looal
or spaoiallaw,euthorlaingr
*And in all other eases when a gsnoral law
aan br'mda appliaablo no looal or spsoiallaw
shall bs snaotsdIprovided, that nothinghsrsin
oontained shall br oonstrusd to prohibitthe
Lsglslaturr?rom passingspaolallaws for ths
reservationof the game and fish of thi8 Stats
4a osrtalnlooalities.~
The followingrulss are pertinentto tEe problemat
hand t
RUlassl~ioetionof oities aad oounties by
population,and legislationagplloablato suah
olassifioation,has gasrally bran sust@lned
w&err a substaati~l,r~asonappearsfor suoh
olassi?ioatlon.
*Xi the olassifloatlon a? oltissor oountlss
is based oa populatian,wEetheran sot is to bs
ngardrd a8 spoolal,and whother its operation Is
uniformthroughoutthe State, drpsnds upon whether
population affordsa fairbasis for ths olassiflaa-
tion with rsfsnnos to the mattapsto whioh it n-
laths,and whether ths result it looempllshssis
in taot a real o&ssifloatlon upon that basis,
and not a designation of a singleoity or oounty
to uhloh alone It shell apply, underthe gulsa OS
~.. 1’
* .
waomblo A* 7, 1#?7aa,
ifr.,740 3
..
Rrkor-Wa8hi4toa
lueh llassifIoatlon, 00. tsr Xumar
QIt7, 98 ma. t88 88 t. 981.9 blth vv *State,l80
Tea. ur.481*4* A.r. (U) ma. :
*TherlasrUlsatloa
840 toa must net is
real or rubstantial dietins PLou, uhloh mn4otr
011, olsss I8 truth, distlwt or dU?uaat fro8
aao*hw &or * l Tharmmust exist areamaablr
l
w$UloatIaa ror the olassifioatioa; thst is,
ihl bUI8 of the llasstileatlea lnro&odRust
hua a ,dnet ml&is8 to the tupow oz,ths
&m * l. t l I MoQulUoa on mmt l*l Oa*ratlom,
pp* 44, 4%
Zt Is olearthatArtfolo 8lM0, br It8 tom@, a)pllor
oril7to oountlw *hati a 70 ulatleaof not lers themfort -
three t&wand aa& not more t& rort7-thr.0thounnd oao htan-
clnd an@%8 all lountleria thL# 8tatehavl4 a popdatloa ot
not ilss~thurslxt7thoasanl&A& not row thanslrtfthousand,
oao hwdrdead la all oountles of this 8tato h&tin@not less
taut ninotpaI&ht thousaM anl sot man then alast~l~o~thow-
an&,rsoordt4to the lastpreorlhg 7obem.fOeasus
when such oouatlssooastituta a W nsoatetito l%mtrIot.*fs
UtiOlO 8~lbO'XS@#hMt t0 kc)tiW ib of &tlolo a of tJ30 ooa-
stitutioa of Tens? Its thlr an attempt 00 thomrt of tho
Legls&tura to oneeta leoal or 8 *la1 lawbra 8~ rnmllaw
lUI ba aa1 has boon mdo l pplisabret Wo hold thatf[
t ie.
k aPe wonsd that Bill Oaunty,Tans, he4 a
pulatloa08 iopt -thrso thouanti aad thirt7-dlq
c tholB8Otider J Osasw~ kmrro Oouat7, Teus, a
l
o o o ~f.A
$1~ of sixt7 th o w~,fIve h w& ed~4 so v~~ looorlr4 to-
suah OO~SW, ana %oLonw oOunt7, T&x&sa populatlorr d nlnotp
llghtthowan4 sir hundred and sirrrtphro lahabltaats. koh
oi thosooountk oonstltuto a ropnrontatire bistriotunder
A?tiol* lOcl,RetIs& oitia m4tuter Mu). BLWOaTo uio on4
oouatlas moroovor undor tho 1tOO kern1 Gonsur,to whirh
Artlolo$1.u* wilAppl7.
Ala lopntlosothrrthamthosoemmuatod IB ml.10
81180 ud Art1010 8ll.a of Torma*l)AaEetato4 Qivll Dtatutos,
an ro~I4od for In ths pnoral rtatuto ArtId 8114. An-
lorlr4 to this Mtlolo, *no orndi4ato lo* nomlnatlon for
-
.
223.
EoaorabloA. 7# Br7aai7rr, pas* 4
..
Stat0 Saaator or ~opnsoatatlvo In the Lo s&two shall bo
requiredto pa more thanOn0 IkllW (81.8t1 to 8gIrz;7
aooutlvo oomttoo
I or y other person or aa7
sonittoo l# his portion o? suoh oxpoaso for hording suoh
9m*a
Oanoodlagthe pwor of tho Lo#lslatur& to okssI?7
laoardI to pepulatlon,Is th ellassI?ioatloa
herebased on
poao: Y 8 grouad~t 28 then sas dlffonaoo ln tho oouatlos
pulatioab?mkots, whloh bean a just and proper
nlatloa ci the nrbfootutter of the legIslatloa? Lat u8
oxaminotho praotloalopontlon o? this ststuto. j
0horok.oOOuatf,Tsxaa,aeoor&I~# to tha 1980 Yodoral
ula tio a of ~ort74&00 thswaa& on0 hundred
T Pl oa.u&l&ator for stateroprrsoati~In In that
tount7 4 nqulrod to pa to the Count7 xxocutlvoCam1tt.0
*not pro than On0 Bollar I#l.)t* rot oandI&atos for nprosoata-
tire ln Bill Couat7, Tssas, suoh oountrharlq a po ulatlon of
on17 fort79fourporeoarloss thaa OhorokooCouat7, 48xas,were
nqulred under Art1010bllbo to pa7 ofor to tb Oount Bwoutlro
Oormrittoo tlftt404ars. Burol7,hen is a aoro arbl I rar7 and
oaprlolourr lslootloaof HI4 Oumnt~,the olassl?1oatIoa harI4
no naeonablo rolatloa8hlp to the subjoot matter of the on-
lotmsnt.
Insofaras tho seooa& 7opIllatIoh bnokot Is oo~~srao&,
8Ixt7 thoueea&to sIxt7 thousand,six hundro&,asoordIag to the
19SO ?o&usl 01asu8,Satarm Oount7, Texas, is the on17 oouatr
ofAn& withis ItI 7ot fhlrostoa Oouatrrith a populationof
sIxt7-row thousaab ?our hundredaad oao, aad Uraysoa aouat7
with a pepulatioa04 sM7-five thousand,eight huadrodand
fortf-throoInhabitants as nomplss, a&-otroatod dIffsrontl7.
LIlwwlso,KO~O~BW Want7 with a poprr;latloa e? aIastt-oI&ht
thousand,six huadro& and lIghb7-twoinbabItaats Is tho onl7
oount7 aooordlagto tho 1980 ?edsnl Oomus, ?allIa&within
tho bnokot aiaotpol&htthauson&to aInot7-alnothouBan&.
In oountlorabove tillbda thatpa ulatlonbraokotosn&I&atss
are a~oorao&airr0Pm tnatmoat. t ust * mndidatss for
llootloa to the Loglslaturoin Bill, lkture and YoLonasa
Counties should. bo required to par ?l?t (#SO.OO) dollan to
the Want7 hooutlvo 0uamitt.o and oendI dates for the same o?-
tloo rosldlngLa ooPntio8 o? @water and loss populationshould
pa7 oa17 one (#LaOI &al&r Is lp nt neither ?rtm tho statute
nor aa valid mason w 9aa ooaoo!- vo*
.-
222
Boaorablo A. 7. ErJOn, fr’r, -60 5 ."
i
600 the nosnt oa8sof Ih Parts Iorgusoa ~13t8. 1.
(ad) 408, whoroin the Courb of CriminalAppealssaid1
~onoror, the olassI?IoatIoa soot td be
based men17 on the numbers o? poop10 In the various
oountIos 6Ot a sto lgor sos, o? physloal IB?IMtIss,
or in w other manner whioh would appear to be a just
or masonablo basis for olassl?Ioatloa.Uo are not ua-
8Ia&?ul of the power a64 authorit o? the Loglslaturo
to olassl?7looordiag to popQst:oa,,but rush ~okssl-
?IoatIoawet bo based oa re&mnablo&ZWI6&8 - mm
U??oronoo whioh boars a jwt and proper mntatloa to
the lttmpto4 olassISioatloa ‘dl aat a men-•rbltrw
solootIoa. Willou&b~ aa the OoastItutioa,- Vol. 8,
sea. 458 (1910 tditioa)r This boirq true, wo rail to
890 a roasoaablo basis for the olnrdflsatloa Ia tho
lnstaat 0180. Just whf the poop10 tn Lamar Uouaty and
tho poop108of other oountlu talliagulthin the
presoribe6 populationbraoksts should be aooordsd
dlitomnt treatment to the pooploso? nthor oountlos
o? this Stat0 Is apparent aolthor tic% the Aet nor
frop the moor4 boron us.*
Ooasoquontl~ it 1s the opinion of this dopartmnt
-4 70~ aro rospo9tfuli7lavisoa that Art1010Wgo, Varaoa’s
Annotated ditll gtatutos being Ii.21.lOpb, Aate 1939, 4bth
3.06..r0latia6to pamaonC8$0 the Oouat hooutivo Uarholttoo
by oisbldatos for #t&to nprossntatIrr I osrta$a aountlor
n
Is null and rold,,@kdsame being rbpugaant to S8o. Bibof
Art1018S of *ho #nrtItutloa OS Tous.
Tom tru17 yours
ATTOI1poLT
t.SNMtUCl TEXAS
I
J /
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Combined Opinion