Case Information

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. . . . . . . OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN

ionorablo Joe C. Rtmphrey, Ctmirwn

Bouro OS aeprssent8t1rer

49th Legirl8ture

bl8tiU. ?U8S

Ieglsl8tlOn, re- Ion 28 o? Artiale 8titutlon.

Committee on Con- triote, I would you in reterenae d8tive Iledi#trlot- d by the HonorsAle 0 given 0merEenoy rtatur by oor Of the ilOUse t0 t8blO tion 08rried by 8 rate or

*The question whlah I 8m direotlng to you is this; C8n the te~e~rtlwo t8blo 8 bil? Whiab the Constitution roqnlroo the Lsgi818ture to en- 8att

Beotlon 28 of Artiole 3, of the Conmtitutlon of %x811, proridem for the re-8pp0rtionmont of the Legi8l8tUre into fJen8torirl 8nd Reprement8- *2 Eonor8kle Jos Enmphray - p* 0 tire dlstriot8 iu 8OaOrd8uaa with the provisions

at Seotioas 22 8nd 26 of Artlole 3. Sinoe sea- tlon 28 st8tas. 'The Legisl8ture sh811, rt its first session rttor publlo8tion of e8oh United State Into

St8tes deaenni81 aensus, 8pportlon 68n8tori81 8ud RepresOnt8tive dlstr~eta, 8gree- 8bly to the provi8ion8 of Seatioam 88 86 of thlm Artiole* l a+, ’ I would like to 8sk of your dep8rbent 8 oeoond question1 n8melyr does this Mot&On Ete8n th8t th. Oblig8tiOn Of Hdi8triat- the Skto rest only 8ad OutirelT 011 tbo first

in6 MsdOU 8ftor United Sktes d808uni81 eenmr h8s bean taken, or 1s it 8 aontlnuing obligtlou at SPah session ot tbe Legisl8ture, 8tter

aensus h8s been t8ken, to redintriat Bt8te un- til awih tire 8s the St8te h8s been redistrlatedt'

Artlale III, Seotlon 11, of Constitution of Tex8s in part 8S t0110ws: is

"'&8Ch Rouse may determine the rules of its own proaeedlngs* l *a"

Seotionm 26, 28 and 22 of Artfcle III of Constltu- tion 8re pertinent to four Inquiries, and 8re as fOllOw8t 211. The Btste sh811 be divided into

“Sea. Senatorial Dlstrlats of aontiguous territory aa- car&ink to the number of qualitiod eleotors, as nearly 8s may be, and each dlstriot shall be en- titled to eleat one Senrtor; and uo single county sh811 be entitled to more than one Sen8tor. The members of the louse of

“Sea. 26. sentatives sh811 be 8pportioned 8mong several oountlen, 8aoording to the nUISbOr Of popul8tioa

In e8ahr as nearly as m8y be, on 8 r8tio obt8ined by dividing papul8tion of the St8te, as 8soer- t8ined by the most reaent Dnited St8tos aonsusl by the number at members of whiah the Bousa I.8 aoarpasad; prorlded, th8t whenever 8 8fnglO aounty h8s mtfioient popul8tion to be entitled ta 8 2epresent8tlrer such aounty shall be farmed IntO 8nd when two 8 sep8r8te Represent8tlVe Dirtriot, or more aountles 8re required to E8k8 up the r8tio suoh oountles shall be aontie of represent8tion, 00~s to e8eh other; 8nd When 8ny one GOUntJ h8s *3 Honor8bl@ Joe numphrey - P* 3 to

IbcO th8n sUf?iOibnt pOprl8tiOU to be ontitled suab Representative oue or more Repreaent8tires, 8h811 be 8ppOrtiOned to wOh or nepreuUt8tiYos OOUlltJ, and iOr 8II7 sUl'p1U8 Of J'OJIU'l8tiOn it m87 be joined in 8 ~epreronktire Distrlat with 8ny other Oontiguoam oouatl or ooantlss.

’00s: w. th0 ~e~Sl8tUWb sh811, 8t its first wsmfon 8tter the publication of e8ah Unl- ted Skte8 deoenni81 eens~a, 8ppOrtion the St8ta intO &tl¶8tal'181 &3pl'@s~t8tiY@ distFiOts, 8groerblf te tha prorldon8 of 8e0tiono 96 8nd 26 of this Artiale; 8nd until tho nsltt deaenni81 8ppartionment sh811 be oensus, rhen the firat m8d9 by tbo Legisl8tur4, the 8t8tO sh811 be, 8nd it im hereby dirided iuto Sen8tori81 8nd sent8tiTe dlstriatr 8s pratided by 8n ordtn8noo of the Convention on tb8t aubjeat.’

8aoh of those prOYisiOus is m8nd8tOry in tom 8nd in substanao, iOr tbeJ use the f8mili8r 18IIgU8ge Of OOm8nd. In the nurture of the thing to be done , hoverer, the Constitution 1s not self-en8ating, nor could ft be, but the duty of re-8ppor- tioalng the 6t8te Into Sen8torirl 8nd Sopresenktire distriats is expressly Imposed upon Legislature. It Is, of aourse, true the ConstitutiOn prorides no pW8lty or aonsequenae what- oYer for f8llure of Legiol8ture to ober this m8nd8ter yet the Legisl8ture is powerless to 8bsolYe itself from the performance of that duty by 8ny 8at Wb8tsOeVer.

SO th8tr you 8re respeotfUl1~ adrfsed Legislature. under Its own rules of proaeedlngs ) I!I8J t8hl43 a r8dfstriOting bill, but it oannot bl muoh p8rli8mentary prooedure deprlre itself of the power to oomplf, nor rellere itself of duty Of oomplylng with uld prorislons of tho Constitution other th8n by p8ssing some tom of redlstriatlng bill.

IOU 8re further 8drlsed with resgeat to Your seoond t.h8t the 18ngurge of 8eatiOn 28, quastion fbo bgisl8tUro sb811, 8t ita first l emslon 8fter th e publle8tioa of e8oh United St8tes beaennlal aenwn' is not 8 liniktion upon the power of the Legis- 18ture, but r8ther is 8n 8ooentu8tlon ot the iaportanoe of rubfeat matter of the Section. In 8nswer to your soooud question, therefore, you 8re 8dYised th8t this SeOtiOtI mean6 redfstrlat- fng of the Stata is 8 continuing duty of La~isl8taro until such time as the Stata hns been redlstrlated. 'I8 also refer you to our Opinion Ro. O-4899, 8 oopy of whlah JOII eridently b8te.

379 Boaor8blo Joe Iismphroy - p* 4