Case Information

*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN

Honorable D. C. Oreer

State Highvay Engineer

Texas Hlghvay Department

Austin, Texas

Dear Sir:

ot Art1010 6675a-3 are ~_I’. 3notor vehloles oper- .8ted by Housing Allthor- exempt license plates?

We heve~ reoeivc;b and. oarefulk’ oonaidered your re- quest for an opltioq,~n the,Srbovp matter, said request reading ‘\ as follow: ‘,\ . :

@We have ‘kdioed nukous requesta reoentlj from the Rousing AuthoHtiea of Texas oitiea requeat- lng thl8 WpartmenB L8rue fe6 exempt lloenae plates for :vehioles operated by auoh housing authorities. In eaoh instanoe ue are informed by the applioant that the vehicles have bean obtained from the Federal Pub110 Housing Authority on lease and in numerous lostanoes they have been operated by the local houaing authority unde~Fedsra3, license plates of some nature until suoh plates were wlthdravn by the Federal Government. Let- ter from the Housing Authority of the oity of Corpus Christ1 and from the olty of San Antonio are ettaohed hereto to give you all of the Information ve have in this oonneotion.

Iiona?abla 0. C. Ormm, Paga 2

propertt a@, ud uooeuoluoivoly io aa u?dao of tho 0. 9. Oovorweat, the Stok ot hrcra, 01, County, or Citr OS Sob001 Diataiat theeof aa th.

0800 wy k. uoaro notfoalllo~rith thelop etottu of hauoiaf g l utharltleo uaod, ~awod a@ rgon8orad by 'hgla aitlea ard tham fa 8omiuePab1~ that mot08 roblo -ted w doubt la our aiad such houa%ag ruthmftioa am 01; blo to ruooior exe4p~platoaaaxazwWd&byAlt P 010 6675 a-3abom referred to.

Ye aballk glad moiva 7oQs o&lo@ oa thla queatloo8t7omearllwtaonroalmoa in am3~thatmml8~repl~totb8lA&mmu reqwato VI hevo molvo4 oad are reooiw ia@ ruoh platoo adruaprotfull7raquarttht 7ouretumto tu tith your oplnhm the tvo lottom b onto l ttaahod.' Aruola 6675a-3 of Veraal’ civil sseleu Awototoa lo la port 80 i0llua: by 8 perma vho hale the pwper WthwitS, that euoh vehl- 0198 srethepopertpo?and urd UolwinlJ Lntho eervioo cd thm Uralted State0 Oowrmaeatr the Stat0 of TBfaa, eff County cm Cttr or P&O01 DimtHcrf th4rrOf, 836 the oars muy bo. . . ."

617 Honorable D. C. Oraer, Page

Artiola 6675a-368 of safd Statutea, in part, aa ia f ollovs t

“Beforo the d&vary of lloanea plates anyone engaged l xolueivaly In the aarvioa of and operating tahlolar vhioh are the property of tha Unlted state8 Owaramant, or the State of Texas, or any oountlaa, or oltiar thereof, auoh appliaa- tion ahall have the approval of the State Iilghvay Departmant before said plates are Iaauad to l ny such applioant, said vohi- and if It appeara t&t 01s vaa transfarrad to any auoh ganoy for the sole purpose of evading the payment OS registration taaa, or that tha aame vaa not made in good faith, auoh plates shall not bo lsauad; If, after the iasuanoe . of suoh, said vahlolas oaaaa.to ba, or are found to

not be the property of auoh aganoiaa, than auoh l& oansa raa receipt may be revoked, aald plataa may be raoallad, and taken into poaaasslon by the State Hlghuay Department.. . .”

Artlole 1269k, Saotlons l-23, of aald Statutaa provldaa for housing projaota in oitiea i.n Texas, but we find nothing thera- Sk shoving that a motor vahlola operated by a olty housing author- ity oomea within tha axamptlon from the paymant OS registration fees suoh motor vahfola because isame ia usad axolualvaly in for the sarvloa of a oity in Taxaa.

Seotlon 4 of said Statute provldaa that in each oity of the State there is oraatad a pub110 body oorporata polltlo be known aa the 9ioualng Authority* of the olty. Saotlon 5 provides that upon the govarnhg body of a olty adopting a ra8o- lutlon that there la a need for auoh housing authority Ln that city, the authority the mayor shall appoint flva parsons aa oommiaai~nara of

oraatad for auoh city, but no oommiarlonar o? an authority IM~ be an officer amployea of the city for which the authority is created, and the powers of the authority are Section 8 sets out the powers of vested In the oolmnle.slonara.

the authority as followa :

‘Sao. 8. An authority shall ooastitute a publio body oorporata and politic, axarolaiug pub110 and assbntial governmental funotlons, and having all tha pwars naoassary or convenient to carry Out and affaatuste the purposes and provisions of this Act, *4 Honorable D. C . @rear, ?aga 4

Inolndlng tha follinring parers In sddltlon to others herein granted:

‘(a) To me aad to be auodj to hare a real and to alter tha ssma at plaasuro; to hsva par- patwl ruoooarloa~ to mska ald uoauto ooatraota aid othaz lnstrumants aaoassrry or oonvoniant to to the l x er olr o OS tha poverr or the ruthorltyj mska sad fraa t&se to tlma mend snd rapasl bylsvs, rulaa, and ragulstlons, aot InaonsIrtont vIth this A&, to oarry intO l ffeOt th e p o reM ud p r p o8u o r the authority.

“(b) W1thl.n its area of operation: to prepare, oarryout, roquln, laaaa, aad oparata housIng pro- to provide ior the oonstruotion, raoonstruo- jaotsi tlon, Imprwanant, alteration, oc repair of any hous- ing projaot or my part tharaor.

“(0) To arrange or oontraot for the furnishing by any parson or aganoy, pub110 or private, OS aar- vloaa, prItIlagaa, vorka, or faoIlItIas for, or In oomaotlan with, a houslng projaot or the oooupanta tharaor; and (notwIthstsndIag anything to the oon- trary oontained in this Aot or In any othar provision of lav) Inolude la any ooatraot lat In oontaaotIon with a projaot, stlpulrtlons raquIrIng thst tha oon- trsotor. aad any suboontraotom oapplp with the ro- qulremanta sa to mInImum vagas and msxlmm hours of labor, and 0-1~ with any oondItIons whIoh ths Fed- eral @overtmeat rmay have rttaohad to It8 fInsnoIs1 eld of the projaot.

“(d) To lease or rant any dwellinga, houuaa# aooommodatIoas, lauds, buildinga, atioturaa, snd “c sub- faoIlItIaa in any housing woJ*at ambraoed jaot to the lirnltatlons oontalnad In this Aot) to establish and ravlaa the rants or ohargea therefor; to own, hold, and Improve real or personal property; to purohsaa, lease, obtain options upon, aoquira by gift, pant, bequest, devise, otherwise any real 09 paraonal property or any Interest therain; acquire by the axarolsa of the pbvar of eminent domain any real property; to sell, laasa, axohanga, assIgn, pledge, dlspoaa of any real or transfer, *5 Bonorabla 0. C. Oraer, Pago 5

paraonsl property or sny Intaraat therain to Insure or pravlda for tha lnsuranoo of say real or parsons1 property or oparatlons OS tha author- ity aglut any rI8k8 or hazardsi proouro Ia- 8uraaoa op guaraatoer from thr Federal Oovarnmant of the payment OS any debts or pstis tharaof (vhathar or not Inourrad by said suthorlty) saoured by mortgages on any proparty inoludad In sny of Its houalng projaots.

“(a) To Invest any funds held In reaarvaa or sinking funds, or sny funds not required for Immad- late dlsbursamant, In property or seourltles In vhloh savings banks msy legally Invest funda sub- ject to their ooatrol; to purohaaa It8 bonds et a prloa not mora than the prlnolpal aaount thereof and aoorued Interest, all bonda &IO purohasad to ba oanoalledd

“(f) Within Its aran of oporatiour to inves- tlgata Into living, dvallIng, and housing oondltlons and Into the means and mathodr of ImprovIng suBh oon- dltlons; to datermIne where slum areas axIst or where there Is 8 shortage of daoeat, aara, and aaniteay dwelling eooommodatlons for parsons of low fnoomei to mka studies and raoammcdstlons relating to the problem of olaarIng, raplamIng, aad raoonstruotlng of slum araas, and the problam of provldlng dwelling aooommodstIoas for pereons OS lw laooma, and to oo- operate vlth the oity, tha oounty, the State old say tharaof In aotlon polltloal aubdlvislon taken la oonneotlon vlth suoh problems; and to angsgo in %parImantatIon on tha aubjeot researoh, studies, OS housing.

“(g) Aotlng tblrough one or more oommlssIonara other parson or persona designated by the authorityi to oonduot examlnstlons and Investigations and to hear tastImonr:T and take proof under oath at pub110 prl- vata hearings on any matter material for Its iniOmne- tlon; to administer osths, Issue subpoenas requiring the attandsnoa o? witneaaas or the produotlon of books and papers and to issue oommlsslons for the axamlnatlon of witnesses vho are outside of the State or unsble *6 ?~cxmmblo D. C. OMOP, Page

"(3) To exwoIse 811 a l ?y pati 0 adaabirutior, of paver0 hbabin @mtad* Ro gra*irIw aS lav vlth 35fo~~~oop~ItI~, opwatia3,oraI8po8it2orr

&Em publlo bodlar ahall Ow applloable be toanautharZpaale0r th6Jsgklatum lrlUlcrpeoI#I- aal4soafiak."

the authmlty ahall have paver to pledg@ Its re0t8~ fa8sr c@ revenuea, mortgsgo its propert rrd do varIou# lpd SW other thfag8 that mfght projoot forward. be4 ceoeeaary In order to c6r 3eotun 18 pm9id0s that au ubligae cf celd aut T ority shall ha- the rl&t to ooqel maId authoritf, by 8 pa-, Suit, eotlcm or prcu#ding iAt lRv ar %!I RquItJ, to pefam itPl catraut8, but rflnvnnue af any of mid -ttIgtty bra aothlng to do vlth tho Sotion 20 provider that el r rssl pm~erty of 8n author- &, z&l 2je e.iw@, frcta levy end 0810 by VirtUO Of 80 6XWUt1’Xb ht that same &all not apply to or lIsdt the rleht tf 8~ OhlIgw sotiou 21 prowlam that an authwlt? foreolow 6n cwrtgaf30~

6’2l

Eonor.sble D. C. Qreer, Page 7

can borrcv rnone~ or rooept gl?ants from the Federal Ctovernment in aid of a housing projeot, a8 well an, take over or leame or iumagr my howlng projeot oonatruoted or ovned by the Federal Government, and to exeouto auoh agreeraonta, mortgages, to., a8 mny be neoesaary therefor. Seotlon 22 prodder that the property Is pub110 property and is umpt of' an autharity from all taxer and speolal assersments of the City, County and Stat@ any politioal subdlvlirlo~ thereof, but A0 protiIlon 1s made .xampt- ing It from paying rrglrtratlon fee8 on motor vehloles owned or la l asvo red la th@ noga- leased by It. your question Thereroro, tive.

Me are returning to you herevlth the lettera aooompaay- ing your request.

Trusting that this eatisfaotorily ansvers your inquiry, ve are

Yours very truly ATTOBHM GENEIUL OF TEXAS m:r0

Blo.