OFFICE OFTHE ATTORNEY GENERAL OFTEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable Bert Ford
nxas Liquor Contra
AP8tl.n) Texar
Deer sir8
rroa your lette
xea or mall,
par in aaoh
the highways of
to me that Seotion 6
of the Tsxae Liquor Con-
orides the euthoTlty wr8ua0r
the Tsraa Llqaor Control ihard a&&t by
rule and regulation corraot the situation.
"fn order to hare a barb for die-
ouaoing certwin le&alanprotrr of the QUW-
t&n, I submit herewfth the &lit of a form
Honorable ;iert Ford, Pags 2
of regulation representing substantially
the type or reetriotfonu whioh I think
might be helpful.
‘1 would like very muoh to have your
opinion as to thr Boara’a legal 8uthority
to adopt this or nimlltir regulation and
wtll appreciate a reply at your earliest
convenlonce ."
At the outset it 18 advi8abl8 to 8tatr th8 general
principle tbt oonotltutes th8 foundation u on uhioh any air-
. . of
cussion . - powers
thr -. . of tinereoutive 4ab 13 strativ0 body
mum 08 oases. That Is, such boa188 are orsaturo8 of the
Legislature; therefore, in the ererolse of their lunotioA8,
they are bound within the term8 of that rttltutory autthorlty
accorded thsm by their oreatlng agency. any aeviatloA iron
their delegated legislative ftmotlon is normally eubj8ot8a
to jualoial correction. Coneeqarntlp, if ths Texas Liquor
control i30ara has the power oontonaoa ror herein, it om3t be
found in the 6tatutorp provision8 areatlng that board and
aefhing its pwsrs.
Seotlon (a) of the Acts of the 44th Legielature,
1935, &d hii0a 5eoelon. p.;~l995, ah. 467, Art. I, 860. 6i
Aoto 1939, 45th Leglsiature, 9. 10!!3, ah. 448, 880. (I (Vor-
non18 xnnotated Penal Code, .+tlale 868-6 (a)) provldee th4t
the Board is:
"To supervise, lnspeot, tAa regulate
every-phase of tim bu6lne.w of manufaotur-
ing, iqmrtatlon, exportation, tranrrporta-
tfon, atorags, sale, al8trlbutloA, porre8-
1310~ror the gurpoee of sale, and poe8eseion
0r all aloohollc beverages, fAOiUdiA the
advert lelng @Aa labeling thoreo 7nTiAa-
reegeots Aeoeasary to aaaompllsh the purpore8
hemby Vested lth
=%P*
power tm authority to prfseribe
The B0ard i all AeoeZary
rulea end regulations to that end; to require
the riling of euoh report8 and other data by
all pereona engaged in Amy phaee of the
alaoholio beverage buEiAe88, which it may
deem necessary to aocompllsh the purposes of
this Act; to eupervlae aAd re~ulato all
lioensees aaa permlttao8 and their plao88 of
buslneee in all matter8 aifeoting the general
public, whether herein spsoifloall~ KfmAtioAed
269
XOAorable Emrt Ford, 2age 3
Ol'AOt, i;Ad to authorize it8 4goAts, #or'VMt8,
ana employees UBdSr Its alreotlon to carry
out the provisioaa hereof.* (UAa#r800riB&
ours)
Yeotion (t) of the saw Artiole provides that the Board i5:
*To require by rule and r8gulatloA
that DAY 1ipuOr #old iA this State shall
corafora~ln ill rospeota to ths 4dVQrtfSea
quality oi eucrh produotr; to promUlgat4
rules lrAdregulation6 governing 14belllng
itna advertising 0r 411 liquors IA striot
aooordanee with the labelling and adver-
ti#iAfJ r8@ll4tiOA8 Of the FOaer4i AlOOhOl
AddAi88r4tiOB; tv adopt and 8Aforoe 4
etanaara of quality, purity, and IdeAtity
Of all alcohollo beVSrA~e8, and to &X0-
UU&gate ai1 suoh a%188 and r8gUl4tiOB8 48
shall be aeomea Beo8884ry to,iul1y 84?8-
guard the pub110 health and t6 InsUre
S#IRitlrY OOAditiOBS in th8 ;uBUfSOtWiB&
r#ti.Billg,bleAdiAg, %liX.iAg,pUdfyiA&,'
bottling, pnd rebottling of 4ny aJ.$oholio
beverage end the sale thereof .* (Under-
aoorlng OUrS)
It 18 to be BOtOd i&it wherens SeOtfOA (4) tef8rS
to advertielng in 4 very goneral mep~er, seotlon (f) 4tteIspts
a ¬e detailed rAd elaborate de#criptioA or the r~l## and
regulation4 to be presoribed by the Board with r88paat to
the advertisemAt or 4100hollo beverages. Further, w8 ob-
SeX-VS that SQOtlOB (f) U8OB 4UOh phraSe8 48 %dvWPtkd qU41-
its* I "quality, purity, and ldentltg”, mea.feguard the publlo
health."
IA 00AEtrUiAg a StatUte, an a#oertafnssBt Of the
law-makers* intent playeaprirolrf and vital role. To 4000~t-
plleh thls, the OOAt9Xt of the 8tstUte mUat be OOAStXWed a8
a whole, and general words and provision4 are to be aonsider-
ed in the light of mOra partleulz oAe8. Further:
WLegi81ature4, like (IOurts, must be
considered ct8 u8lAg expreasione conoern-
ing the thing they hate in hand; and it
would not be e fair method of lnterprs-
tatlon to apply their words to subjeotr
fionorable 3ert Ford, Pago 4
not within their consideration. tlndwhiah,
If thought of. would havs been mre par-
ticularly md carefully diapoaed of.*
Sutner an d on Strrtutorg Conatructlon, 84a-
ti0na 254, 239 -8 841.
It awma ol4a.r tht ths Lagialatur4 aontamphted
regulations other than that of the size, ahapo, ohsrabter,
or location of those rarioun devloea employed aa a maaa
of attracting the pub110 to 8ome oertain dispsnaary 61:
dasignad to fooua th4 publie! attention up o n loma par-
tioular brand or branda of aloobollo beveragea. By palargo
of this aot, they were atteaptin(l. to provide a r ua a dy fo r l
oonoeivably groatar avil whloh might aria4; namalf, the oen-
trol tmd r4gulatlon of outward reprasantationa throu& a&vor-
tiaomanta or tha quality, purity and idcinttty of aloohollo
bav4r4ga4, thus deaigalng to insure the oonaumr againat
being adsled by &arapraaoatetlona through pub110 adrer8lao-
aant. he no hold.
By raaaon or tha foragof~, tlmrefora, we raapoa*-
fully udvia% you that It ia our opinion that the Taxaa Liquor
Control i3oard is not smgowered under the present atataa OS
the law to promulgate, adopt anO. onforoe rule8 and re&ula-
tiona governlug tha uaa oi al&W, billboards or other man8
of advortlaing alcohol10 bavara&ea ualeas auoh advertlamaant
inaorreotly and ralaaly repraaeata the quality, purltf or
identity of an aloohollo beverage, or in ol auah a nature aa
m&ht be d44nnd aa datrimenttal. to tba pub110 morals.
In ~onoluaion, we wlah to point out ior your ln-
rormation that tha rollowing portion or your proposed rule8
and ragulatlona la oluarly unauthorized:
"any billboard or eleotrlc sign whan-
aver and wharerar dlaplagad in a marmar not
authorized by this rule end regulation shall
be oonsiaared lllogal l qulpaant and aontra-
bemd and 4uOjeot to seizure as provided in
:;8OtiOn 30, Artioh3 1 Of th4 Taxa Liquor
Control Act.” (ii44 Article 666~30.)
aM.414 666-90, V*rnon*a -tatad Panal Code, ap-
p1j.84 only to Willogal lquipm4nt for m4nUfamkrlng any aloohollo
bsv4ruge8”, thua clearly rajeoting any sign or billboard, used
271
&norablo Yert Ford, Peg@ 5
for purgosss of advertismant, from its deflnsd oategory.
Truettng that ths above satisfactorily anawara
your inquiry, we rernaIn,
Yours vary truly
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Combined Opinion