OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Bon. Jo. Kunsohik, Cori8slormr
&me8U of I&or bt8tlstlos
Audln, Tous
,I,
Dsrs sir,
Oplni0B wo. O-2059 '\,.\
Be: whbthbr or n0t '&v8, Deput-
mentOtmpti"rikh#ablmtm
vego on+ybllo vork# laws.
Th8Bk you for
in& thb apiaion of this
or not tab Toxu Stab
po~i~i088 0r md0lb
insofu u 8 ocnrtr8ot
falloatouoortdn
Pbr'diON V8@. iB
or type of VorkmB or
b OontMot fo thb OOB-
b r ly stb nl
o nm g h v8y
lo .
in TM ViBc o unty.
body 8h&lMOeP- th. ~nW8l~V8i~~bin
thb lootiity lnrhiohthowrk 18 to k p.?,to=d ioF
eaoh 0-t or tn. O? VO?km8~ or medm~i0 BMdbd t0
lxeOUte the OOntl'0Ot, and th~l 8peOifJ 8UOh W48 8-O
in it8 call ?or bid8 anb in the oantrrat it8Olf.'
Bon. Joe Kunachlk, Prge 2
Artlola 51598, Veron'o bnnotatod Civil Statutea, Acta
1933, 43rd Legislature, p. 91, oh. 45, read3 a8 follovs:
"3ec. 1. Not less
than the general prevailing
rate ot per diem vases uork of G slmllar
for character
in the looallty In vhlch the vork is perfomd, and not
leer than the general PrevallIng rate of psr diem vages
Sor legal holiday and overtime vork, ohall bs paid to
all laborers, vorkw~~~and ntschanlc~ employed by or on
behalf of the St&to oi Tex&3, 01' by GI- on bahalf of
a?g county, city and dounty, city, tom, dlotrlct OF
other polltioal rubdivision of tho State, engaged in
the oonstructlon of public vorks, exclusive of main-
tenance work. Laborera, vorkmn, and meabanlcs mployod
b3 contractorb or subcontraotors ir, the execution of
any contmbct or contraota Par Fiblic works vlth the
State, or any officer or public bcdy thereof, or in the
exeoutlon of any contract 01’ contracts for public vocks,
vlth any county, city and oountg, city, tom, district
or other political subdivision of tNs State, or any
ofrlcer or ?ubllc body thereof, shall be dewed to be
employed u;>on public works.
R3ec. 2. The public body warding any contraat
for public vork on behalf of the Ytato, or on behalf of
any oounty, city and county, city, tom, diotrlct or
other politioal 8UbdiV18iOn Ohersof, or othervlsc under-
taklna any public vork, shall aaoertain the genolul
preva.lllng rate or per dir vages in the locality in
vhich the vork 1s to be perfomod for eaoli oraft or
type of vorkman or meohanlc needed to execute the con-
tract, and shall specify in the call for bids for said
contract, and in the oontraot ItaeLf, what the general
prevailing rata of per diem vages in the #aid locality
is for each craft or type of v~rlmmn needed to execute
tha contract, aloo tho prevalllng rate for legal holi-
dsg and overtime voPk, and it ohall be nmndatory upon
the contraotor to vhom the contmct la avardad, on3.upon
any subcontractor u&or him, to pay not lees thsn bho
said specified rates to all laborera, vorkmen and neoh-
anlcs employed by them in the execution of the contract.
The contractor shall forfelt aa a penalty to the State,
county, city and county, city, tom, district or other
polltical subdivision on vhoae behalf the contract Ia
mbde or avarded, Ten Dollus ($lO.m) for each laborer,
~~dsman or me=hanIo ewloyod, for each calendar day, or
portion thereof, such laborer, vorkaan or meohaalo Is
non. Joe Kunschik, Page 3
paid less than the said otlyulatcd ratea for any work
dons undar ml& contract, by him, or by any subcontractor
ur.darhim, and the aald public body avardlng the contract
shall cause to be Inserted In the contract a stipulation
to this effect. It shall be tho duty of such pub110 body
awarding tha oontract, and it3 agents and officers, to tako
cognizance of Complaints of all violations of the prorl-
sions of this Act oommittsd In the course of tho execution
of t&e uontraot, and, vhen making payments to the con-
traator of monies beuoming due under said contract, to
vithhold and retain therefrom all sums and amounts vhlch
shall have been forfeited purouaat. to tho herein said
stipulation and the terms ot this Act; provided, hovevor,
that no sum shall bo 80 vfthhold, retained or forfeited,
exoept from the final paymsnt , vithout a fill lnvestiga-
tion by the avardin~ body. It ai be unlavful r0r my
contraotor to vitbhold from any subcontractor under him
stiflclcnt sums to Covar any penalties vlthhold from him
by the warding body on account or’ the said subcontractor’s
ralluw to comply vith the tonns of this Act, and if payment
has already been audo to him the contractor may roomer
from him the smount or the penalty or forfolturo in a
suit at lav.
“330. 3. The contractor and oath subcontractor
shall kee;?, or cause to be kopt , an accurate record shov-
ing the namea and OCCUpatLon3 of all laborera, vorkntm and
machatica employed by him, in connection vlth the sald
pub110 vork, and shoving also thn actual per diem vagsa
puld to eaoh ot such vorkers , vhich record shall be open
at all reasonable hours to the Inspection of the public
body avardlng the contract, its o:ficors and agents.
“3ea. 4. Any construction or reqair vork done
undlirr contract, and paid for in vhols or in part out
of the public funds, other than vark done dlrootly by
any public utlllty company pursuant to order of the
RaIlroad Comxlsslon or other public authority, vhsther
cr not done under public suparvlslon or direction, or
raid for ~-holly or in part out of public funds, ~211
be held to ba ‘public vorks’ vlthln ~tho meanlry ot this
Act. The t9rm I locality in vhich the vork la pertormod’
shall be held to mean the county, city and county, city,
tovn, district or othar political subdlvlsion of this
State in vhlch the building, highway, road, exaavation,
or other structure, projeot, development or lmproveasnt
is sltueted in all cases in vhich th3 contraot is
warded by the Stato, or any public body thsreof, and
Bon. Joe KunrrahIk, Page 4
shall be held to n&u the llmltr, qf the county, city
and county, oIty, tovn, district or other political
subdlvlslons on vhoso behali the contract Is avarded in
all othar cases. The term *general yrovalling rate of
per dims vaps’ shall be the rate deterfined upon aa such
rate by the publIo body avardIng the contract, or author-
Ielng the vork, vho8e declolon In :tho matter shall be
final. Rothlng In this Act, however, shall be construed
to prohibit the payment to auy laborer, vorkman or
~chanlc employed on any PubUc vol‘k 03 nioresald of
more thau the aald general prevalllr~ rate of vages."
Tour rlrst questiozl Is vhether or not the Tombs State
3Ighvsy Coxnlaslon coznes vlthln the provis1o.m of Artlclo 515ga,
vo.~-non’s Annotated Civil Statutes , providing ror the pxw~aIlIng
per dl&n vage r&to on publio vorks.
The Texas IIIghvay CommIssIon is an M.mInlstratIvo
agency of our State emtrusted vlth that segment of government
daali$lg Vi*th the eatobllshment , m?dntonnnca and control oi :he
st8tam @rays. Article 6663 Vernon’y Amoated Civil Statutes;
*itton v. 3tit.h (Clv. A p.) $2 S.U. (26) lOc5; !+wks v. State
App.), 88 3.U. (2dP 131; Flslrn v. lkes, I.21Tex. 355, 48
;;.I24 fm. In matters of judgment touahing its ftmctlona,
I; is Invested with ride dlsoretloa. Johnson v. Ferguaon, 55 3.W.
(26) 153, writ dlsalseed. Moreover, a controot asde by the State
~i&hvay Comlaslon Is a contraot of the State. Artlole 6674k
Vsrnon's Annotated Civil Statutesi Sherman v. Case (Clv. App.!
279 3.V. 508.
Consequently, vc hold that the State Aigbvay Commlsslon
Is the "public bodf' dlrectad by the Legislature In Seotlon 2 of
hticle 5159a, Vernon's Annotated Civil Statutes, to ascertain
the general prevalll~ rato OS psr diesi vagos and to specify
t&e sama In Its calls fw bldii.
In tbiu conhectlon you point out that;
"In theso protests, our attontlon vas called to the
,CAct that the Texas State FIlghvay Department had adver-
tised a scale of va@8, vhIch for aovoral types of vork-
men, vES huer than the scale being paid on the Harsh~ll
Ford daa project and the wale being paid on vcark for the
Travis County Hater Control and Improvsmnt Dlstriot Ko.
1, as ~011 as on other construction vork In the City of
Austin and in Trawls Countg.R
lion. SOS Kunsohlk, paga 5
The deteWnation and reguletlon of prevailing vags rates
mcler ArtiCle 5159a 13 a legislative and not a judicial function
(gocthem Prison Co. v. Rennels (C.C.A. 1937) 110 S.Y. (2d) 606);
md an admlnistretive finding of that revailing rate by the State
mghvay Comslsslon 13 tlnal. Section t of Article 5159, Vernon's
hotated Clvll Statutes, Southern Prison Co. v. Rennels, supra.
Please permit us to call your attention also to
&ticle 667hp, Vernon'8 Annotated Civil Statutes, Acts 1911,
42~d LeglsLoture, page 69, chapter 46, vhich deals specifically
vith minimum wages for hlghwap labor and reada as follws:
3ec. 1. Rereaftor the State Rlghvay Conunlsslon in
letting contracts ior the construction, maintenance or im-
provement of any deslgmted State iii$wvey, ~hsll be auth-
oTised to require that all contrectu f%r any such VOW%,
co?ltaln a provision that no peroon vi11 be mployed, by
the ccntractor, to perform manual labor in tho course of
the constmiction, maintemnce or lmyrovenent of any such
hlghvny at a uage of less than thirty cents per hour, u:d
that any violation of any such provlslons of the contract
by the contractor, subcontractor, or other person subject
to such provision of tho contract, shall authorize the
ComnLsslon to vlthhold f‘rom any noney duo the contractor
a suf~lclent sum to pay any person such minfmum vage for
any labor performed, or the Commission may, for the
benefit of any euch person, r&over such sum on the bond
of the contractor, if It does not have in its posaossion
monq wing the contractor, applicable for such purposes.
That citlxem or the United States and of the county
wherofn the vork la being proposed shall alvays be lven
preference in such omploymmt; provided also that af 1
other dspartzsents, bureaus, coamisslons md lnstltutlms
of the Qtote of Texas in all construction vork of every
character requiring employnont, of Cay labor shall llke-
vise be authorlsed and ompovered to exercise the same
authorlty horoln conferrod on the State Ylghvag Comslsslon.
%ec. 2. Hereafter, in advertising for bid3 for
the construction, maintenance, or lmprovomnt of any
designated State Hlgbwsp, the Comisslon, in the event
it deolres to exercise th4 authority herein conferred
to require a provision for such mlnlnnm vage, sball so
state in the advertlsezaent, so that all bidders may be
avaro of such requirement in subzzlttlng bids for such
York."
aon. Joe Kunschlk, Page 6
Consequently, it XSSYbe seen in harmonizing Articles
9598 and 6674p, Vernon’s Annotated Civil Statutes, that vu14
the State Ki@vay CO~SS~~ has the dut to detertsine and specify
the prevailing wag4 Mts, it 14 also +.nvosted vith the :-over
to require in Its contract that no person %--
s6nual labor In the course of the construe-
~a, aslntenance and laprore3mnt of State hlghvays at a vage
& 10s~ than thirty cents par hour.
A final question remains to be ansvered and that 1s
*&her or not a contract for the construction of a bvn sprinkler
spsta on Rlghvay Iio. 81 north of Austin in Travis County con-
stitutes the "construction of pub110 vorks" opoken of In Article
95ga, Yoz’.QoD’SAnnotated Cl~ll Statu?.ca, or the "constructioc,
~~tenanc4 or improvement of any daslgnated State hlghvay"
spoken of In Article 667&p, Vernon's Annotated Clvll Statutes.
y. hold that such construction fulfills both requlremsnts.
The definition of what shall constitute "pub110 vorks"
1s specifiCally set out in Seatlon Ir of Artlcl4 5159a, Vernon's
motated Civil Statutes, to read ea follws:
*Any construction or repair work done under contract,
and paid for in whole or in part out of the publio funds,
. . . shall be held to be 'public vorksf vlthln the meaning
of this Act."
S8e also EIsploYers C2uIualty Co. v. Stuart Abstract co..
(Co& App. 1!%9), in VhiCh Jud@ Speer held that the construction
or a county road Is a pub110 vork. Ue feel that the construction
of a sprlnklor systea for the improveuont of a hlghvay also 18
8 npnblfc vork" Vithin th4 m4ULing of Article 5159, Vernon’s
motated Civil Statutes, and the "iaproveawnt 0r A d4signat4d
statsBighvar” vithln the ming of Article 6674p, Vernon's
motated Civil Statutes.
Consequently, It is the opinion of thin de~rtaont
aad you am msP4Ctffily advised that the contract of the State
fL1ghvayCommlsslon for the construction of a lavn s?rlnkler
rJatsnon Elghvay No. 81, north of Austin in Travis County,
vi11 be governed by the provlslons of both Artlales 5159a md
g74p, VBCPOP'S Annotated Civil Statutes, that under the provi-
s;om of Article 51594, Vernon's Annotated Civil Statutea, it la
~0 duty of the l%lghvay Comalesion to nsoerttin the &moral.
prsdllng vage rates In Travis County and specify the sama
Eon. Joe Kmschik, Page 7
for each onft or type of rorkaan or mechanic %n its call for
bida (conditioned by its pover under Artlole 6674~~ Verncux's
kpnouted Civil Statute8). @%XJ.@lly, thst the flndla#l of the
u&vay Coxal8slon M to the prelaillng vage ntew am fInal.
Yours very tray
A!i’TORREY (mERAL OF ‘ncxA3