Case Information
*1 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 me that Seotion of the Tsxae Liquor Con- orides the euthoTlty wr8ua0r the Tsraa Llqaor Control ihard a&&t by 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 *2 ;iert Ford, Pags 2
Honorable
of regulation representing substantially
the type or reetriotfonu whioh I think
might be helpful.
‘1 would like very muoh to have your as to thr Boara’a opinion 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 any air- principle tbt oonotltutes th8 foundation u on uhioh cussion of thr powers of tin ereoutive 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 i30ara has the power oontonaoa ror herein, it om3t be control 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* The B0ard i power tm authority to prfseribe all AeoeZary to that end; to
rulea end regulations 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; aAd re~ulato to eupervlae all lioensees aaa permlttao8 their plao88 of in all matter8 aifeoting general
buslneee whether herein spsoifloall~ KfmAtioAed public,
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 r8gulatloA that DAY 1ipuOr #old iA this State shall
corafora~ln ill rospeota to ths 4dVQrtfSea
quality oi eucrh produotr; to promUlgat4
rules lrAd regulation6 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 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- (f) U8OB 4UOh phraSe8 48 %dvWPtkd qU41- SeX-VS that SQOtlOB its* I "quality, purity, and ldentltg”, mea.feguard the publlo health."
IA 00AEtrUiAg a StatUte, an a#oertafnssBt Of the intent playeaprirolrf and vital role. To 4000~t- law-makers* plleh thls, the OOAt9Xt of 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 subjeotr *4 3ert Ford, Pago 4
fionorable
not within their consideration. tlnd whiah,
If thought of. would havs been mre par- md carefully diapoaed of.*
ticularly an d on Strrtutorg Conatructlon,
Sutner 84a- -8 841. ti0na 254, 239 tht It awma ol4a.r ths Lagialatur4 aontamphted other than that of the size, ahapo, ohsrabter, regulations or location of those rarioun devloea employed aa a maaa of attracting the pub110 to 8ome oertain dispsnaary 61: dasignad to fooua th4 publie! up on l oma par- attention brand or branda of aloobollo beveragea. By palargo tioular to provide a rua ady fo r l of this aot, they were atteaptin(l. namalf, oen- avil whloh might aria4; oonoeivably groatar of outward reprasantationa throu& a&vor- trol tmd r4gulatlon or tha quality, purity and idcinttty of aloohollo tiaomanta thus deaigalng to insure the oonaumr againat bav4r4ga4, being adsled by &arapraaoatetlona pub110 adrer8lao- through he no hold.
aant. By raaaon or tha foragof~, tlmrefora, we raapoa*- ia our opinion that fully udvia% you that It 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 alcohol10 bavara&ea ualeas auoh advertlamaant of advortlaing and ralaaly repraaeata the quality, purltf or inaorreotly 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 end regulation shall be oonsiaared lllogal l qulpaant and aontra-
bemd 4uOjeot seizure as provided in
:;8OtiOn 30, Artioh3 1 Of th4 Taxa Liquor (ii44 Article 666~30.) Control Act.” Panal Code, ap- 666-90, V*rnon*a aM.414 -tatad p1j.84 only to Willogal l quipm4nt any aloohollo for m4nUfamkrlng thua clearly rajeoting any sign or billboard, used bsv4ruge8”,
&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