Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
Ranomble F. E. Rif;htoar, 3ocratery
Dear air: sbru4xy as, 10&l, 4pll her or not one 9r4- rssk OUP cplmnion vlml81~ aoaTlohs4
o to hold an 4ppolnt- lx4 enginaering of T%z38 40 s4t mlt in tubdivision a60 Bill 14 het8 of .~",' the 48th J&;me;i8~ 014 SeiQI 0) Y4mon'a ' a. that ao pardon 4lYil st4tut.l h4a b44n grant by telsphons that
no%Pa%d Is whethrr on. previ5ualy aonviet4d tube abare relWm%d to. "(0) r"rovided, that na psrson hall ba eli&ble for r&otration ae a ~rofeeaiioml sn- girssr who fa cf g5od chraatcsr mid. repu- tation; and grovtded furth4r, the% 811 ~~&nosr f ll44ri44d under this Aot 4hz~J.l be rile ble to hold any appointiva 4ngSo44rLo~g ~poaltion with ths Stat4 of Terse.*
lionorabls B.X. Rightor, Pag% 82
W4 havs oade an examinatton statut44 with respsot to the sp4aiPio qusetlon propound4d by you to d%t%r..
mins the statutory quallfioationa of angfne4r4 wboss p54G tlons ara prcvidsd for by law.
Arti 6669 Of ths &wised Civil 9tatute4 provides
that the Highway C0~uui6slsA 4hall %l%ct a State Highway BA- &ne%r who shall bs a ooxp%turt enginasr and 8 graduat,4 of some fint alLBs8 sohool of aifil %~&naerlng, sx9srieAosd and 4ltlll4d in highmy oonrtruetion and feaintsnante , , .*
Tb4 Bcwd of Watsr Pnginsers was croated by the Act4 of th% $Brd Ls~lalatur%, OhaBt4r 171 ofths Q%~sral Lawa, and ootxtinurd in for04 and effoot by aubeequsnt aot4 and 14 now provided for in Artlol% 7477 of ths Revl4rd Civil Stat- Ut%l*
lothing is uib with zcrrp%4t to either tlm Blghway Br&n%sr or the Bimrd of lWt%r B~gi~44r4 r%letfh ta tgoo& obaneter and r4putatlon. Our sramiaabion ot th4 statutea do44 not roY441 4ay POSitiOA of ellgios4r whloh %~qrl*rlUly araker pood 4hsraetar and rsputation a ~ualffl4ttian f4r ap- polntm4nt. It ceoeu,sarily follone tlast the applicant aaanot be d4Ai4d a liesnss c~c being &ualifieQ "to bold eny ap- poiatirs sngfnesriog OSitiOA *ith t.b% stat.6 or T%zasn ae ruohtarm In appannt f y m~in&%n.
W4 wish to point out, h0wev4r, tbnt ycm Board Ir
ctuwged with the Duty of aiaaertalnlng whather or not ths applfeant is a parson of *good obaraot4r and mput4tiosP.
We do nat hold 38 8 vxittsr of tiw that the annv~aticn of a person for a felrmy would remlor such yraon on% of bed ahnr- acte4r an& s4Gutation. The detanainst1on of whethsP OP not the obnvlation, to.;cth%r with all faota and cirsuaert4neem barore you, render4 applisaAt a pnnon of bad aharaetrr and rs;utation is s fact question which by law you or4 charged with the Uuty of detertllinlry;. Tt has bcsn repeatedly hold by the co~t0 of all jurisdlction4 that th4 dstcn-ia*- tlG2 Of @Cd CheraOtOr snd XQputitian bii a fact qusebiaa. It was 8aid bgths 9uprem4 Court of tdissouri in the eas4 of
State v. Thcmpsm, 60 3. I, 10771
-,eut drfsndeot olaim3 that Ssetioa 2 of th% hot d%l%p;otae leglalative wwer to on ~x4crutivr, officer, namely, the State Auditor, in thet it confers upon hia the riqht to %%y who arc 9arso~s of .qood oharaats,fr . . * - *3 92
while the LogilBlature eoure not d~lrgxito to the State Auditor the power to mko lam, it Qoos follow that it oould not blat- gate to hirathe pimar to ps$ upcn the char- acter of pereon, applicant8 for 116om10* . . . l . . 18 not the paY4$ The power dalr(prtod to mnke a To the uame offoot, $8 the holding of Harry 0undlIa6 1. City bi Chiaag, IT7 U.
In the oas* oi all Y. aeltp-iTQ~r,doqlau~, a48
0. 3* 539, the 8upPeM Court 0s the uni$rd State8 had ber for+ it the qu~stlon ol t& eoar$ltationulLt.tp of the Ohio 3ranrlt~ea tit. Inyolvrrd therdhral m attmk P 011 the grounga tint the awtioq to tha IMUwag C#erta* osao ai i power to dotemine "$;ood buujmsis repute' the •~ blr Mb*Qo .24th Amsndnnt plioant ,yaB uxlooa#titutlcMl to the Unit.4 StatW Comtitutfon. It8 validity -8 8\18- liPi Juatiee UoxenM said; tainmL ~eputatfdn sad ohanstm are quite
tan@40 ttrfbutsr, but than' oan be no 1*gialldtivo doffnltion OS tlnua that imI autmatloallp attaeh to ati idratdty indl- ridualn >brriering them, an4 n4~4rr~arily ;~;II;;: tf 8011~3 4xeoutlre agrnof mast be .
The auqhoopittss upholding ths.vdlidity of 8tatutea Qelegatlsg to exdwtire Mfioerr on4 boar& the duty of *am- lng upon ths ?a& quwtlon of good character caaq ropltatfon too numer’ouu fsr’detailed eltation iker4fn, but in addition are to those hsminebcws mentioned an the ea8aa air
Riley t. C&ernb4rr, 186 Pm* em mp. ct. Calif. x,&on v. city a$ Atlakta, 34 3. E. 403 (Ck.) city or Roa~oke v. Land, ll9 3. 8. 59 (3upl Ct. Va,) *4 Honorable Ir. B. Rlghteq, Page 4 \
we trust that the above dSaau4eloon of the lau and
author1 ties cited will amist vu in p4rtormnas your duty. Yours YOPy truly
ATTORNEY QEWRRAL QF T!!iXAS