Case Information
*1 %s : i
OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
Honorable T. M; Trimble, or Pttblio Ini3truotion
Firat A8818tMt State Superlaitendept
Austin, Texas
Dear Slrr
ne hive ix9
In whioh you 88k:the
oeptlomd question.
to eny particular ph
thererore, determine
and whether the sub)
that on whloh the Le
'-ales.' ':' ". : That &tiOh 39% Title 63 'Of “as%o.
the Redlsed aivil.statutes or Tekas or 192!i, be
tended so 8s to ht3rearter read a8 roiiows:
:
Honorable T. M. Trimble, Page 2
“‘Artiole
W*Eaah’ building rrhi?h.is or map be oonstruoted within this State at three ,or~nwre stories In height, '.
or in oase ,or.a aohoolhouae twdor more stories in
hei&t,, which ls~,o,rmed by this Statei.,. or by:any ofty,
county, or school, distriot, and in ,whloJi building
publlo asaembllea~ are permitted or .intanded to ba
permitted; :‘or in, whioh aoho9Xg !of--any, kind, are oon- :. .~’ ‘~., :j duotea, :,or in *iah sleeplng.:apar+menta ara i petit- ted or intei@e& ;t.@‘be permItted; on stir. floor. above ‘; : ,. ; .,;, 2.. -.. : ; ( the first;. shall. .bi3 provided aiid~:squlpped .#ith at least one;‘adequate.,:flrt, aeoapr ii: tha lot urea or
such building ,shall not exoaed fiva thousend (5,000)
square teats; Andy one additional adequate.t$re eeoape
ror aaoh: five thoutiand (5,000) square teat, or fiao- Z’.Lb~ ..:.:A)~ tion thereor, ii,‘suoh rraotion exoeads two.thousand ~I ,~: ,.,:;.:;..JzY,‘I (2,000) a uare : feet. .in. exoess 02 the &at rive thousand’ 5.,000) a~~ua.va”raet of’ l.ot~ area.“, -(Emphaals , ! ? .;: ~.. (., ‘~, supplfed)~. I * :..:...,,A I The’ .oniy ahangas made in AFtlolee ana 3959 : ,; ,;.\. ‘:y: i by House B1l.X 716 were -the add%tion oi the. underaoored parts; I .,)’ ,.~! i other than these addJtlons the statutes are exaqtly as they ~.
were berore tha.~axteqdmept. ,.
The ~apti&~+$:Hou.9~ ‘hill 716 reads*& &.lowmr- ~
*Ao-Aot &en&g Article and’.Artfo;e’ Title .63$ .or ~the Revised Clvll: Stat&it66 M Texas of’ ,(: il 1925, 80 .a13 ,ta.proVide. for fire, ea~oapea ror sohool- housas or. two ‘or moxe storise in ,height; and deolar-
p, ing an emergemy.?. 1 ‘~ ‘.,
;. : amendment in the’ body or the bill oaniorms therewith. We are be amended and speoiriae how they are to. be amended, and the or the oplnionthat the oaption ot then bill la stitiolent un- The 6apti& P&t8 &at the artioles ihioh are to
der Artlole III, Seotlon 35 or the C&nst$tutlon or Texas. : : See Guli Produotion Co. v. Garrett (Coin. ,App.);24 S. W. (26) Rutledge ‘v., Atkinson, 101 8. W;rr ~(26)’ 376t Lendrum to Centennial Rural ‘sigh Sahool Dlat. No. 2’ (W. 6. dlam’d.), ‘.. S. W.’ (26) 353.,
Xe shell~now turn to a ooaslderatlon ot the subjeot matter or the legislation.
“Then 3idi68 power inherent in the state has been llkonad unto the law of self-deransa that Is
Bonorable ,T. M. Trimble, Page
said to-be born In eaoh individual. Asthe indl- vldual haa the right to protect hle life or hod; from serious bodily injury, and hlaproperty whioh he has lawfully acquired iromdeetruotlon, so the state has the inherent right, under the police power, to proteot the pub110 welrare from thoee things which would produoe death or seriously ar- ieot the health of the publio'or its,gener$,mo;$ welfare. . . .* Lonpire v. %ute, . .*. "J. ., It-is mani&t~that~ steps tomard &teotioa or. I ..: the oltlzena or a state rrom iIre hazard8 Wnild be far the publio welrare'ot the state, and it,haa been ~held that atat- utee may validly be enaoted requiring reasonable fire es- oapes ana other recautions. See State v:Heldenhaln (Sup.
Ct. La.), ~Sor Louisv$lle Publio Lfbrary Co. v. City oi Loulatllle~fCt..~App.~Ky.) -80 S.:W. Ai.L. Roumfort ..' '/ Co. v. Delaney (.Sup. Ct. Pa;!, 79 A.6531~ 16 Cr:J. S. 553;
12 c. J. 916. ~ :
You ask that we pass on the oonetitutlonallty of House Dill 716 hit arrests the publio sohoole. The pro-
teotlon of the aohool ohildren of th.is State Ss oertainly
of prime importance., 'and experlenoe baa taught that danger'~ arising rrom,tlre hazards is one of the greatest. It Is our opinion, therefore,~,that House Bill ,716'la a velld and
commendable law.
Some question may arise as to whyfire esoapee ~~'~~'.i are required on aohool buildinga two etoriss~ in height, and
not on the other deeorgbed buildings unless-they are.at least three storlea in height. (See Artiole 3955,~'%tseq., V.A.C.S.) iYe are of the opinion that thle is a.validolassitication for several reasons.. -First, there ,le usually a greater, oonoen-
tration of individuals in e sohool house than in other types or buildinga; seoondly, school ohlldren Of tender years oan' not be expeoted to exercise as wise a dlsoretion.in times of panic as persons or mature years. We believe that there is
ample reason to make the dlstinotJ.on which the Legislature
has made between school bulldings and the other described
buildings.
In view or the foregoing dlsousalon and authori- ties cited, it is the opinion of th2s department that the
Honorable 4. Y. Trlmble, Page 4
requfrrment~l& House Bill: 716, Aate 27th Legislature, Regu-
lar Eession, of fire esoapas on aohoolhouses uncIer the oon-
ditions set out therein is R valid exerolse or the pollee
power of this State.
very +mlulY Pow5 ATTORNEY G-AL OF !BXAS BP
/, AsiRistant " GVSrmp