Case Information

*1 239 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS

AUSTIN

Hoaonblo Stanrall Bryan

Diatriot Attomer

XoLoaaul maatif

Waco, Tex88

the above rhted being diatuzbd ln the proamst “2. DcO~ Artid 4$76A bdIi$ chaPt.0~ 3A Of Title 1 of thm 3evl8ed Statutes of We Bbte of Texas 1 Acts of tb 46th Leglmlature, l.sfS, p.376) support oomplaint rplnst a person vho menufac- tUl"W in I(OhXlMll COlUlt~, bXA#, fO&' Hell*

[240] Honorable Stauaell Bm, Pago 2

nattreaa vhlch oonkina aeacnd-hand aaterlal

vlthout atk h%q to much uttreaa a

rovlded br 1 o) of 3eotion 2 of raid Artlale

P 476At

5. Doer Artialo #76A born Chapter 3A of Title 71 OS he Beviaed Btatutea of the

Stat. OS Texas t Aota of the 46th Legialeture, lgfg, pr 376) mo p p o rt a aoapIaint l girut a person who Mnuf~0tura8 la lcLenMn Collar, Texas Sor male, a rttreaa vlthcut attach-

ing t&w&o trg rovlded by (a) of rkotlon

2 of maid Artiole P 476At

” . . . .

“It vi11 k obaarved that (a) of Beation 2 of Aptlole U76A vholly fall8 to dofIrm arq prrtioubr aot vhloh ahall oonatltute an of- fens. ad fiila to dealgtnte my partiaular

parron vhoao aat woultl aonatitute a violation.

Than la nothhg in thm Aat that mkoa the

meow8 0~ nie oc p088088ion of UI 8r- tiolo of bw¶din$ dovoid of the required tag,

a vio&tlon under Bootion 9.

“Uhat ham been a&ted above appl1.a elao or maid Section 2 of Art1010 0476A. ¶%%a ubdivialon La l.ightly aore defialte in that the exprea$ion ia uaed ‘Every artiole

bedding manufactured for remale’, there but no provlalcn that aonatltutoa the aot of

aanufaoture the aot of rearlling, or the

act having in ono~a poaaeaalon, an offense.

I . . . .

“(b) of Seotioa 9 provider aoh day OS vlolatlon shell oonatitute epalwlto of- tenme, mid ft is manLteat at once that there la no provision in the statute that vould ln- dicake ubat la meant br ‘day of violation’. L

I . . . ,

Eononblo 3tanr.11 Bryan, Page

300. 2(o) of Artlolo 4476a, Vemonta Annotated Civil Statutes, providema

%vory article of beddlng rmUaotumd for renal, aontainlng second-hand mate&al, shall b oar, l rounly l ovn thereto on all four aider of th e k g, attach e d to both l idea the article bedding, aubatantial vhito inches in 010th tag four (4) by olght aim, upon vhloh &all bo indollbl~ *tamped In red ink, in the Bngliah laa- orprlnted

~~r~~~",~,n~~~~*~o~~~f

l Uebato r~a Intematloaal definer verb %mnu- ircture” aa “to make by haad, by uohinmry, athor ageno~.’

In a almllar altuatlon it vea hold In City of Louiarllle vs. lvlag Vol-Allmen Dairy Co., 105 3.Y. (2d) 801, 268 Ky. 652 thatr

“A corporation oagaged ln paatourialng mv milk vu8 not ongaged in %anufaoturlng~

. rinoe no nov produat van created and rmf&md aftor the paateurlalng iniy*mllk proaoaa.”

In view of the prooeaa doaorlbed In your letter, in vhloh bedding, am vholo, paaaoa through the process vith ~elther the coverigg nor aay part of the structural M- turo ot tha mattmaa being disturbed, and in anavor your first quoatlon am stated above, rou zu reapootfully advised %otl.on 21.) vi11 not support a complaint under your de- orlbed proaraa.

Your l o o ond and third queatlona are anavanblo in 8frirrative. Art. 4k76a reads, in pot, am follova: '(a) The ton %wlding~ a$ uaod in this Aot ah11 moan mattroaa~a, pillova, bolsters, feather beds mid other filled boddlng of any doaoriptlon.a

Honorable Stansell B-an, Page 4

‘3ea. 2. Wmlllng of Bedding Required: ‘(a) All bedding shall b oar l eouroly at- tached thereto and plainly vlalbl~, l ubatantlal vhlto cloth tag upon vhioh shall bo lndollblr stamped or printed vlth bl&ck Ink, in the IPlgliah language, atatomont l hodng vhathor now rtorl- ala or second hand ntoriala hvo ken used ln filling much boddlng, and tm or gnde of cotton and a11 other mtorlala uaod In filling rttroaa to vhloh l tk oh e d vhen nov rtorlala are used, rlth l pproxlmto p o r c ontag ea vhen rlxod; vht if any, ham born applied gwmioidal troatnnt,

to tha utoriala or to the beddlngj date auoh gemloi~l treatment, number o? the por- mlt of the poraoa manufacturing the bedding; and tha numbor of tha penalt o? the poraon applying much gmmloldal if any. traatment,

‘(b) Tha tons used on tha tag to deaoribe materlala shall k restricted to thorns defined in the regulationa of the Departrent, and no trade or ubatltute terms ahall be used.

"(0) It shall be unl~v?ul make any ?a180 rial~bding statements on the tag n- qtired by thla moot&m. It shall ba unlav?ul for uq person to move, deface, altar, or cauao to be moved, dofaord altored, any tag or tatoment contained thereon the pur- porno of dofoatlng any of the provisions of him Act. The plaolng of ngiatmtlon ataapa ro- quimd In Bootion 7 Act over any lotter- lng on the tag, shall ba oonatruod to ba defaoe- mult of the kg.

‘(d) The also of the tag to be ??i.xed to nev bedding required by this section shall not be loam than mix aqume Inches, and the lot- thomon, ooverlng tatomont of fllllng trring rtorlala, ah411 be in plain leas than not typo on* l lghth (l/8) inch In h eig ht.

‘(0) Bvery artiolo Eeddlng awwfaotund for reaalo oontalning second-hand matorlal, shall *5 Honorable Stanroll Bwan, Pago 5

bear, oourely awn thereto on all four alder of tha tag, attached to both aid~a of the ar- tlclm of beddIn& ubrtaatlal vhlts cloth four by eight (8) lnohea la also, upon vhlch shall be lndollblz tamp@d or printed l.n red ink, in the Zngllah lazquage, in plain type not loam tlmn one-half ( ) Inch la height, atat- ~r.eoond-haul mbter t 1. t ingj

. . . . .

“s.0. 5. Enioraament of lot: ‘The Stat. IWard of Health %a hereby charged vith enforcement of this Act, for the pro- tection of health and to provent spread of dlaeaa~. It further empovand, and its duty shall be to make, uond, altar or ropaal gmwal ruler and regulations procedum for carrying into offeat all the provlalona of this Act, and prescribe metma, methods, and pmotioea to make rffrotlvo much provisions.

. . .

. .

%eo . 9. Puialtlsa:

hq poraon, who ahall be oonvloted of i of’ any of the provisions Act, violeX. - . . or tno ruloa and regulations eabbllahed thora- uadar, shall ba sentenced to pe a flno of not leaa than Fifty Dollara ($SO.OOf nor non than One Hundnd Dollars ($100.00) each offrnao. “(b) Xaoh dar of violation almll aonatltute repante orfenae. . I . * . .

Aa rot should k given fair, ratlonel, reasonable and aonalblo oonatruotlon, considering it.8 language and aub- jeot mattar and vith a view to ooaompliahlng the leglalatlvo intent and purpose. (Tuma Surla. Vol. 39, p. 172, with au- thorities olted thonin.)

24.4 Honorable Stanaall Bryan, Page 6

Section 2(a), upra, applier to “all bedding”, Certainly a vmnu?aoturer o? bedding would br on notice that an-omlaalon the pnacrlbed tag vould bo In vlola- tlon of that r*otion.

Section 2(a) and the dofinltlon of bedding In

fhctlon l(a), l upra, rafor to tha bedding after the manu- ?8oture g*zsloldal treatment. Uo oonolud* that upon the oomplotlon of manu?aotun romnufaoturo, 3eotlon 2(a) beooma applloable and the prescribed tag la required to thoreon forthvlth. be p&ad

I? tbo kg la omlttod, or not am preaoribad, See- tlon 9, upra, provider penalty for tha “vlolatlon of m of the provlalona Act. (Emph8818 ours) -

Sootion 2(a), aupra, prcvldea, ‘Evrry article bedding manufrotumd resale oontalniag second band material shall bear , . .’ It is l ppareat upon the oomplotion of manufaoturo and if t&n la an intent to m- sell, an orlaalon plhca the prescribed tag thereon forth- with lr In violation of that section and thereby punishable under Bbctlon 9. It vlll bo not& beddlmz vithln Section 2(e) that are also vlthin Sootlon 2(a) and tkt two dlffomnt tags

n&red.

Under Smtion 2(a) and (0) the mrp~albflltp for A violation la personal by expnaa twma of. Section 9, duty sup=, and mompI tti person or persona oharged vith the of attaching the teg.

lo reforonoe to “day of vlolatlon”, It la our opin- ion that the &glalature intended an offeaao upon the failure to p&co pnaorlbwl upon much bedding am above set forth, and th8t each day, or fraatlonal pbrt of a day, auoh SalLure continued vould be a sepamto offenro. 3y the vord or from midnight to midnight, %8y’ la msnt a “oalomdar daf, Truatlng the foregoing ?ullr answers your in- t&t quiry, v* remain

Yours very truly Al’l’ORllEY OERERAL OF ‘IWCAS