Case Information
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OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN Roaorable Oeo. II* Sbeppsrd Publia Aooounta
Comptroller
Austin, Texas OplllAon RO. o-tl648-
Dear Yr* Sbeppardl
,.-. our Opinion Roe 0-6648 16 88 fc-cT> au" 1 ental
Your letter reqwst opinion upon f o 0483. ;
la and repreaen
fuel'tax law
affIrmationa
$844 as tb whether i meal be affixed fa aubaoribed atrtment 4 4uah repreaentatire to 344, Vernon'4 Awotated Civil 8tatutea, r4ads aa foll4r4: gAmoa,g other duties Csmptroller
ah8lll 14 moure a l eal with r o rda - Oomptreller*a Offic+er State of Texasa engraved around the margin and a ii++
pointed atar in the oenter, rbioh shall
be used an ma1 of hi@ offioe to
autheatioate all hia offlolal rote, OX- dram on the State Treaa-
oept =“;r::ts
urn*
. ’
JBonorable Qeo. 11. Sheppard - pa84 2 *Will you please 8dvSas me whether 6r not
the admimintering of an oath or a??lmation as oontemplated former opinion ~111 require the impression of a meal on the aub- instrumsnt aoribsd and morn to before suoh Coeptrollcir representative in or&r to make oath or af- firmatiom one that is legal17 l dmf~nistered in the mum?+ required by law?" of a seal Tbb r4qUlr4m4nt to an oifi0sr’s oer-
t~fioafe to au a??idavlt or an aognorledgm4nf ia aatter Thus, Artlole 6602 of Revieed Ciril Stat- 4f 8tatak4 utes anumerates the offlao r l uthoriaed t0 make proof of in- for reaord. Artiole 8666 requires auob atrument~ of writing officer *his o??loial oertlfioate rlgned b7 him and glren und4l' hia seal of o??lu4~~ Agaln,,by 8eation 18 of ArUc1.e Sd,o? the Revised Ci+il Statutir; an affidavit is dsfined meaning .a atat4ment in rrit$ng'O? a faot or faots signed by the party makfng it, ahd sworn to beiore some offioer l nthorized to a8mialoter and official- oaths, 17 oerrfifled to by nuoh officer under his seal o? o??ioe~
Article 27 a? the Rtwla~d Civil StSttites declaresr and eaoh eaoh oommlssioa %W!I oomlmsloner board ubioh ia or ma7 be oreated by laws e? thla 8tate shall have authority ta adopt a seal 41th whfcrh t4 attest lts offioial doomaentd, aertfii- eates, or any o??iolal written paper of any kind. 0 4 4” 8p4oifloall7, the Comptroller of P&lie Aaaounfa iu to prooure a real tit? words 'Comptroller's Office,
required State of 'Iexam optgraved around the margin, and iiTs-pointed rh%oh oh811 b4 uwd the. real a? his of- star the aenter, ?I04 to authenticate a12 him offiolal otm, sroept rarranta drawn en State Trsasury~8
pb4 tatutes preooribo the oharaoter of seals to be II646 oertaln other o??loera~ It would appear. that -the use o? a the aeeessitj for fs purely one of statute,
seal by any offioer, therefore, and, absent such a statutory requirement, an offiaer therefore, 4bo o? ??idarit iu clothed with the power to give osrtlfiaatea a eeal l Th$ By eta temen t , of 8oknorledgment may do so without *3 Honorable Qeo. A. ,8heppard - page 3
oourse, is subject t,o ths requirement to those instruments registered, such deedu and the like.
The aut.horiaed rspreaentatires ot the Comptroller sith the posers vested in them , as shown In Seotion 24 of Article 7090bfbr Yer0on's Ciril Ytntutea, and quoted our Opinion 70, O-3349, are not speoifioal17 required to attest their aerti?ic.otes rltlr seal ) although the7 hare speoifio authorlt7 to uake suoh osrtifiaates.
It fe, ther+wer the opinion of this department that suah r4pr44eutatiT44 may msk4 s4rtifl4ates to a??idaTits oknoslsdgnwnts oTer theWow aam and offio~al status without th4 ireoealsty for affixing any oharaoter of seal.
Suoh eertifioate shoul~d be In the usual form used by lfofm- ies Public, and signed iu'fh4 inditidual nsus o? the repre- sntatirer follored by the o??lalal designatiou of ‘Author- lsad RepresentatiTe of the Comptroller of Pub110 Aaoouuts of T4xa4.m
It $8 ?urt.her Our opinion, hOwoTOr, that your ap- mah repreaeatatiT4 should be In your offioial pointment capacity and attested b7 your o??iolal seal. Tbia aonati- tUt48 the sour04 of his ~4pp0intment and aon44qu4nt por4r under ths statute. This is the offioiol rat of the Coup- troller shiohmquires statutory 4ea1, rhereas the aot oi ‘repr~rentitlre is in Tirtue of the statutory poser of such rapres4ntatiT4 in hta 0~0 o??ioial right, suoh repr4scntativ4 ha+iug taken the prosorlbed oath of 0ffioe l ft4 r his l pp4lutmeut. hat4 no pewer to rspresentatires O? oourse, such oerti?ioates exodpt r4spest t4 th4 partisular duties enjoined upon them by their appo?ntment. We ttaoh Opialoa Ilo. O-9900 oapha4iaing
hereto 44py of. our reaent upon power. It ~311 be not4d that the stat- this llxlktion ute of peaial. authority named dealt indiTidU8ls of there 8peoifioally with tie questioa of seals~
Yery truly yours