Honorable George 3. COX, Page 5
Ta'ailure
to dimlay ceriiificate
"Sec. 4. Tb.3iaZ.lum 0: sny person,"iim,
corporation, aomion carrier or essooiation en-
cszed in any of the busluesssa desoribed In this
at, to display at the pZaoe where eny of the oper-
&ions of such busluozsen an, being conduoted, a
valid health or regis.t,'ationoortiilccte, cs re-
quired by this Act, ror etch person ezzployedin,
m, or about saoh place, sha3 be prl%a la&e evl-
dews that the said person, I%mI cor,sOratiou,cm
zon oerrier or aesool~tlon, in viol~.tl~,n 0r raquire-
ments cielledfor by this Act, railed to :e+i?e the
exhibl$tin of the pre-employzwnt health certifiioete.,
of suoh person end reiled to institute end have
nade of such person, actual tnd thorough ezuitiatlona
ueoeesary to the findings or freedom rroisoonuuni-
cable diseases at iztervsls ci tine not exceeding
six aonthe.'
Pen&g
Yieo. 5. .'Ehoeverviolates auy provision of
thlo Aut shallbe fined in an emount not exaeedlng
90 Hundred Dollars ($200). Eeoh'aat or omission
in violation 0r ‘%myor the provisions or this Artiole,
shall oonstitute a.separete ofTense and ahall be
punishable 'es hereqebove gresoribed.
Partial invalldl~
"Sect.6. If any provision, seotlon or pert or
this Act Is deoiared unoonstltutionel or held in-
valid; or the applicability thereof to any person
or cirounstanoes Is held,lnvaIid, the oonstltution-
&lity or thb remainder or the Act end the eppllaatlon
t%reof to the persons and other oirouustanaes shall
not be eiieoted thereby, snd to this end the prod-
sions of this Aot are deolared to be severable."
It is !ni.nto see that this eot makes it unlawful,
rirsti for proprE-
etors to work or employ ewlopees wita in-
.;cor cantagioue dleeese; seoond, iOr proprietors to
i:$&nloyees who did not haha ovw to such e%Ployers valid
he&t:-&ljifi~atee; third; ror pr0prletors~railing'to require
phpicsl e~atlons 0r employees; fourth, ror Panuraotur*rs
Zonorhble C+orce ?C.Cox, ?z;e 6
cz veziors of candies or =lautieotusedsweets to sell to
xrsfis who do act heva v&id l?L.th oeH.i~loats's,or who
tienot have display oeees as rcTsi:ed by law, and fifth,
e+nst proprietor3 ror rr:lins to display oertifioetes.
It is equally cioz, however, that the eot d-3
not, by its term, and In plain laugucge, oaeete ofienses
egxbst either physiaiau, mployer or employee for improper
or ne@igent iosuanoe of health ae,-tl~icete3. ..
There are oerteiu delini-;erules of' statutory oon-
struction, and other equally imil::ar rules &overning the
interoretatloa or 0rMnal statutes to whioh we must adhere.
As &ted in 12 !&erasJkrisprudenott222:
"The Penal Code provides #et the design
oi emoting it is *to derine in plain lsngusge
ova-y ofiense',;that 'no person shell.be pun-
ished for au offense whioh is not made peril by
the plaiu isport of the words or e law*; and
that a peael law must be rega?*dedes wholly in-
opsrative ii it is so inderiuitely framed or or
such'doubtful construction that it oannot be
understood, either frou the language in whioh lt
I.3expressed or from some other written law of
the state; and the ConstItuticn,gu3r3nteee't0
every citizen the right to !mc.wthe nature snd
oharaoter of the eoousatlons a&nst him."
On peie 224 of the sue book, it is.said:
ko warax& a conviotion the cot or omission
must be plainly and uazistaketly klthiu the de-
finition of the statute, ssd nithin both the let-
ter and spirit or the law, aha ir'there is any
fair doubt whether the statute embraces It, that
doubt must be resolved in favor of the aooused;
There osn be no oonstructive ortenses, and where
the statute expressly limits the punishment to
certain qlasses oi persons, or ror the,doing of
certain acts, pnlythose brought by the faots
within suoh definition are amenable . . 're
In our oonversation with you, 'you stated that it cas
your ICea that perhaps these physicians who were .guiltyor the
.praotic~s indiaated, could be punished or made menable to the
punishment provided in Artiole 705-C, Vetion's Annotated Zenal
Code; by holding them guilty es aoomtplloes or eooessories.
Honorable Oeorge M. 00x, Page 7
6e believe that it till only be neoessary *o set
ZTortb the derinltion of 2sr;ooxcpllce~
end ueocessory3 es
contained in Artiole 70 end Article 77 of the Penal Code.
Artiole 70 rends a3 roxtovis:
*An aooomplioe is on0 wko Is not present
at the comis3ion or an orreLse, but ~220,be-
tore the eot is done, advises, oommands or en-
3ourQe8 another to oomlt the orrense; or
The agrees with the prlnoipel orrender to
aid hlm in oommitting the Offense, though he may
not have glven.suoh aid; or,
,
Tiho prqnlses any ‘reqrd, revor or other
inducement, or threatens any injury in order to
proaure the oommission or the,orrense; or
Tiho prepares arms or ail of any kind,
prior to tho oommisaion.or an offense'ror the
purpose or asslating the principal in the exe-
oution or the~sane.~
A.&iole 77.of V&non*b Awiotated Penal Code, in
derlzing an e&essoq; reeds in part as rolloti: .
%n adoessory IS’ one, ;??~.a,kuom tlmt
an oirense has been cosmitted,'oonoeals the' .
oiioz@er, or'gives'hdm any other aid inorder
the% he may evade an arrest 02 trial Or the
executionof his sqtenoe . . .*
You be .thereiore respjo”.iully‘advised, and it is
the ODinion Of this DeDartment. that Artiole 705-C Or Vernon*s
¬ated Penal Code, does not-oreate an oirense for whioh
physialans may be proseouted ror the negligent or Improper is-
suanc9 of health bertifloates; nor may such physiolans be prose-
cuted as aaoomplioes or aooessories,
Yours very truly
xJ?TomEY G2mmL .OF pxAs