OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable Gee. H. Shop ard
Omptroller of Pnblio L oounts
Austin, 'lkzas
Dear Sir: . \
-nita ~. . .: i . . . . .. ,# r0ao.wP
Ju+le:6S+fza,, a! .P. ,S., ~pro+l~s:
'That the State Highway Department
fs hereby ~authc&%~a to aoquim by purchase
Hon. Coo. H. Sheppmrb,Page a
an&/ok to oonitruot adntain operato aid
ooatrol m-ma, WC 0r thr dghmg lhnd of,
tho.Bktr of T.xaa, over and aor any.bay,
EL ~h~$f"~&~~F~r~ zzm.
the hli of Xaxloo an&w or other aavi-
gablo wators .orthis State whore suoh forrlw
oonnoot designma .State highways,ma whfoh
na yb ema0 l0miiqaiaating o r p a r tia lly
ireir-llquibating by the ohargiag a$ tolla
for the use thsrsof.m
7!bo insuiunoo pollolos the pdums on whloh
gave riseto four inquiry, .worb Loss upon two ferry
boats, oonneotIag a Stats highway wIthin the meaning of
the above mtatuts in the ddnity .6i Galveston 3av.
?llhese polloios appear t-0 tpGr ~iarious rmk8,
euoh as sin ma ilabilIty, the eraot ;Ilatum ana olassi-
Sloatlon of whioh we arb not 0ai0a upon to dlrousf5,
.’
There 16 no rpsoitio appropriation ma0 for
the purpoee of paying lnsunmob~premium auoh is ‘thoss
inv0iv0a j.n the present inquiry, 80 *at ws ars o&l@
@pg to oonsiaer rhether or not moh inrrur6.noo ooula
be oimsl&mQ as a,arooreary lnoldrnt to .tho powbr ad
authority of tho State Highway Camlssion .fo aoquiro’
ana openvito the ierry.uatlor ths mtatute abMo quoted.
fi the Items are thun inoldbntal to the'mmjor powsr
-It iu crslliottla4 *ta 3.w rhx~b~oonfon a
power,or Ampormra alit‘aponan #Hoer or -boar& me’
r1.s dth itby iapliaat'- a~ moh
lon thiruthoritr-to
thinga as lrs reasonably aeos~mry to o+rry into ltieb t
the power gnntbd orthg Wty In o&w& Thrrr, powbr to
60 oortmln wo* or to ioocmplls % a obrtsln~ Wsult,
whloh oannot othenlrr bs ldoanpllehtid, #mpllo6 the
aut@orlty to amploy suoh lgsnts ms may be’ q.asonsblr
neousary to loompllsh the woe or pur
and to mngagr them for auoh length of t l.Yo lupeol*iobg
a is reason-
ably aeoe~~ary. (Sbb M ¶‘br.. Tur. p, ,+er, Bso. 68, ud
the MLS~Soited forth@ tart).
Hon. Gee. H. Sheppanl, Page S
It cmnnot be sale, m think, that it le n&s-
sary to oarry any mart oi lastuwnoe to onable the State
through its state Highway DepmrtiMntto~operflta the ferry
in queBtlan.'~lhi8 LB lEpsolally true slnoe the State is
and ablo to respond fo +ny’jU&i log&
smply lo lr a nt
olaim that My sbs.presmntoa, ab,~~apparsntl7., amp17
riubg t0 gmt 2.~~0 tcrth080.8ntifl0.a tbmt0 to
me tha State in any 0ourt~~ot.o~p~t~dt'jtlrisai0tl0n
ana sstmblish their ofdm~; .-Fire ~a~lia@Vity lnmr-
~(~100in 8uoh a situation may:&* 4ee~,rmble~ .ana to au-q
them my,be good.busltiosia &lgme.nt bub~dmes oomlbora-
tlona are mabrefma ~to .the sound dlsorettlon'of tha stmto
itsalf to be ~erolciealn,ths tisusl lieglslatir manner.
In the absenoe.of ~suoh bIpres13 lrglslatlro intontlon, it
oannot be held.that the power to aarry proprrty.or lnaus-
trial lnsurmn~r te a boosasary lnoldrnt to.the giowerto
operate the iarry.
Phaeelr af ~&IS ptimtlon have bmn befare this
deparEment for deolrd on.
.Ir,oplnxon 80. 0401 it was.*ule,d that direstors
of publio health dietriots had.nn aut+orlty~to lnsura
State propsrty~igalnst flri'3.ntheir xwpeotlroofflore,
and to pay the premix thexwgor out of thelr.loosl oan-
tlngent ‘roam.
The oplnlon ultss as authority Sonate Conourrent
Resolution No. .S'passea in the geoond asllod session or
the 57th Leglnlmturf, in whlsh it is pr00iaa.
~sreafter:lt'shall 60 aaa ii fhe'flxad
polloy'0r thin state and tho'stato‘dhkll
oarry it8 own lnearanor upon Stats,buildLngs
and oontante, and that,no lnmran*i policy
dull be’tahien .Mtupon anyof 'thr:@Aio
bulldingr aa doitent8;.:+nd that.&0 Lam+
an00 pollolir~‘8hall
be .bkeg .out‘a$+ any 6%.
the publ20 btdlalngr'oi'.thio,B~tb;:dor'\Ipon
the ooatmts thereot,md.thr State! ~Bci& ef
Oontrol:and~#ill~otbrboardr hair- ehargs-at
buQaing&c*at:;thr ~Btatcanb'th~~ eMtat oi'iuoh
b~~in~;-.~~hiraby--inrt~oto(ljioat’td’hwi .suoh
bullalngr n$r,~i6psrty@suri&aotithsta&idlAg
there,pay b8 itam# in t&o mpproprlmtlan bill
authorleing *he expendlturee of auaneyfor the
pagment o? lne~sr prdtuka. *
Hon. Gso. 8. Sheppard, Page 4
The oplaloa overru.bou the *opldon r&jthe Hoa.
1. P. Cave wrItten Ootobsr 5, loel; ana ?ounA la
book 56 page Z&Z, opinion X0. 2?i9E, MA all 8ub-
I0 uent oonourrlng 6pl 0as.w Se opia~onwm8
wrPtten-by XL Yorrl8 e ages,Asslmtan Atzoy
Oegarg, and approvedby the Attoee,yLie ) .
.~&ekft&, in’oplaladBo. OhS4 ~%hedepart-
m8nt in ~anothsr oplalonwrltton byXr.‘liodgerr, anld’like-
wlss mppr6vea by Attorney Cemeral Ksna, ia reply to a
request for ~JI oplnlon with reformor to luthorlty.to
~Sssue m warrant in payment o? a olaim drawn agalnet
mmapeolflo mpproprlatIonw ?orthe payment o? instar-
moo premiums, -h&her it be for fire lnsuranoe,
the?t, oolllsloa, or any otherioan o? tisuranoe,*
0itOa with approval opirrion Ho. o-e01 anb aaaeat
vie 800 no remson to tlliferentlmte
the ml- of that opInlon with the tmots
prerentea to u8 in your lstter. We ars en-
olosing a oopy o? oplnlon l?o. O-201 above
wferma‘to, and we beliers that the Zaw as
ellpresesa la that opinion 18 applicable to
the faot8. you relats.a
It 1s further rtated %a the opmogt
-we do h o ld
th a in
t the lb r eioo r
a 8psolfle appropriation for that pur-’
pose, you are not authorlaeAto lrsw
warrant8 for the payment tiffiqsurmnor
plwllumE.~”
A lotter opinion wrItto%by Xr. T.'S. Chri8t-
opher, Awl8taut Attorney UOxmral, of date Ootoborl,
.x934 lb 3886a ~to th e -sta H te
ig h ~6yz h p mb nt 8t-
t&on h!r.~2.H. Webb, i8.b apparsnt mA pdhXy.
reel Bontllotrith the rlew! hsrc'8rpra~roA. .Ths "p-
Salon snewend'tho-follows qusrtlqal
*W$ll pu pJea8r'aAti8e ‘1u at ~poru
sarll~8t.oontsnleaes It tho State Elgfnay Ik-
partment mmypmy the ‘lmaniom for fln immr-
an00 proteotlng oar aarrleA; pub110 llabll-
lty insaran ooye 4.G la88 of lit0 or dsm-
age to propwtyg aa p~otaotlon lgeIn8t 4ol-
1181onwith othef $zzr, $I olthsr~ot~ths tno'
r0mdng raya.
The queution arore 8ut of the opsratl6n or the
ferry involved in the prosant inquiry. Mr. Chrl8tophsr
Hon. Gee. H. ShepparAi'Page 5
annjmnd.thmt thr Elghway depmtmentworlld‘brautism-
iCCa t0 pZ?OteOt~tSd.f-bY inSUFMO0 eOSI b~1~g08 ~Stit-
iJIg t0 pSSSSl@WS Or timOo$Jl t&O OpUIltiod UP?fh0 fSX2-Y.
I? tbi8 @.nicin be in ooa?l%ot dth 0$iaiO4,80. O-801,
he&,naboie w?errrA to it kwbaon wsq!&lo~Iby tho
S@X3?8a Ike Of that OpiniOh, -%Or00?Ok, the i@ttU
opinion O? XL Chrl8tOphOr 18 not in keeplllg with the
deOl?3~d POliOy Of thiS stCitO.With r?rSpOOtt0 inrUZ’UlO@
genermlly, and fi it has not been overmled it Shotid now
be 0v0rrul0a. ,~
As authority; Mr. Chrirtophu sites State 1.
-Xlllott, ele S. W, 695, and qllot4lS thsrMrom as fO2.1OWS:
dz.n a Sta te a nb a rin
k mn
s lnter p r lee
whloh 18 usually carried on by l@lrldual pop
EMS or 00XpldeS it vdl\mtn~y wmi~es It8
8OVC32'01~.ah&l'@oteianA is rubjro+ to Ilka
regulatlane."
The quotation proaouaoo8 4 oorrsot rule -0s law,
but it 1ti no authority for the h0iainghssa tiponit. ~xt
is &rue when a state rchatuily oa~m8 into the oourt~.
house she must wear titieeni OlOtheS. '~+n otherwar&J,
it roluatarily walres its 8ovuelgn ohmnotu lneo9ar
ms~belng immune to Stit’iS 00n0bma, ma in the 11tlgation
that SdllOwS it i8 WlbjOOt ,to &W8018~7 thr SSDWprooedure,
-6 ~COW~SSis' gorerma by pr@OiSOlly the same rules 0s
8ubstantlve law lavolreA in that plrtloular prqoeduro 48.
apply to other partlou. It dOO8not ?CiLhW by;urp &3uIS,
however 'that the lngaging ti a.proprfitary~Bu~inSSS hi
:tb.Staie or’ovan the.rciluntuy uurrcmdu oi'ltb iamait7
?KUp 8Uit8 that &t in w riS~':~i~~Sit8 d&t M OXOF
o180 it8 own ju&msnt:with lw8pmotfo ather Mttera oi
~roprlotarp.~terrSt~'~~oh~~th~'d~doaD Of .Wrylag $a-
SUWOe 'UpOIl %tr $jproriOer m -iart it8 -8 dz
riSkS,..~t is *~Mt-tsr cb goierameatal pol$st.iD :be
.8xero1lCOb +ho.$no::~~;$ffho.ot~rrt.,thr:~mplant'r
>ptlea.
YOU .art3 .th0w0r0 aarised that la khi -~opinioa
of, this ~epu-tmen~,you *z-e .mt luthc+teA to aDprovo
Hon. cko. 8. Shrppard,Pe@ 6
the+ it4me for prjlaeat.
very truly youi-
AlTOmiY GmmiAt m
By /a/ 0010 Speed-
0010~Spoor
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