Case Information
*1 FILE rdc
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN ,. i 'i,
Eoaonbh wlllirn 8. Davir oounty Attoraey \
mmmlt oounty /r----4 I
rnon’a motat- reoeipt oi your letter opinion of thlrr aepmt- outIonuIll lie againat a busfness ortablish- public, preparing ana 8eouro a health oar- the mmef or rho lafebtio~us Ah&o&d 7050, Veruon*a hanotatoa Ponal Oode, r0uw6 I
"8eetion 1. 80 pernon, firm, oorpora- tion, oomaon earriw 8aooIatIoa o-rat-
Ina, 0aargIng ooaduotIn(l any hotel
any other pubilo rleeplng eating plaoo,
or say plaoe vehio&e rhww food drink
or oontalners therefor, of kind, I8 aan- transferred, prepmod, #to-a, uraoturoa,
Honorablo Wm. H. Darf8, Fagr e
paoked, rorved, sold, or othrrwire handled
in thl8 State, or any manufaotursr vendor
of oandlar or manufaoturea awe&a, shall work,
employ, or keep I5 their un lop, in, on, or
about any 8aId plaO6 reh 010, or hare de- lp
livered artiols therefrom, any prreon In-
footed with any traneml8alble oondltlon of
aay inteotiour or oontaglour dleeasa, wOrk, to work in, on, or about
or employ any person
any said ~laoo, or to delirrr aay artlole
thexwrrom, who, at the tf.me 0r hi8 or her am-
ploymeat, railed to drlivor to the employer or
hi8 agent, a OsrtIfIcatr rignod by a legally
lloaared physloiaa, residing In tha oounty
where said person I8 to be employed, or-is am-
ployrd, attesting the faot that thr bearer had
bern aotually and thoroughly examInad by euoh
phy8IoIan within a week prior to the tima or
suoh employment, and that ruoh examination din-
oloaed ths taot that suoh perooa to ba employed
was irae from ay transmisrible oondltlon or
aay InfrotIou8 oontagloar aissaasl rail
to Inrrtltute and hare made, at lntenalr of
tIms not xooeding 81x montha, aotual and
thorough xamInatlon8, seentlal the tlnd-
I588 0r frredom rrom ooamunloablo and inr00tiou8
dfaaaesa, oi all rooh employees, by a legally
lloonrad physloiaa rsrldlng in the county where
said person I8 employed, imoura In vI&enoe
th6r00r a oartiiloate 8ignOa by 8uoh physiolan
8tatIag that suoh examlnatlons had been made or
auoh person, dlroloslng the raot that ha or rho
was ire0 frcxn any tranamlrslble oondltlon of any
ooamunloablr and intaotfous disearrer.
“900. 3. All health osrtlrloates calha
ror thlr hot rhall bo dfspiay6a ror pub110
fnspeotion at tha plaoe whrra the person named
thereon Is employed, and rhall not br remOTad
rrom lruoh plaoe during the oontlnuanoe of ruoh
empl0mnt axoapt by a publio health orriosr,
hiteuly appointed agent, upon valid oourt
. . ." -soo. 4. The 0r any pmson, rim, iallure
oorporation, oommon oairler or aasoolatlon engaged
1.39 Hollorable Wm. E. Da?Is, Page 8
In any or the bu81508808 de8oribed in this
hot, to display et the plaoe whore aay of tho
op6ratIonr or 8uOh bUSi l ro king ooa-
duoted, a valid health or regIOt?atlon qettlil-
oat*, as requiroa by this Aot, ror l aoh person
employ& In, on, or about ruoh plaoe, 8h811 be. taoio rriaeaoe that the Said porsoa, rirm,
prima
oorporatlon, oommoa oarrlrr or l 88oolatIoa in
+iolatloa or requIre0i3at8 6aliea ror by this Aot, raflmd to requlrr thr l xhlbltloa or the pro~em- ploymat health oOrtirioate, or ruoh per*oa ma
failed to lnstltute and hav8 made or ruoh pm-
soa, aotual and thorough l amiaatloru n6oosrary to the ?i5di48 0r rn6a08 rror omunlaablo
ai8earsr at intervals 0r time not rxo*edi.ng 8%X
months.
'500. 5. whoever riolatir any prorlrioa O? this Aot Sh11 bO tinOd In On -0-t IU)t l X- oeedIn# ho Hundred DOllara ($800). mob aot
or OtiSSiOn in rlolatlon 0r any the prori-
SIOIU of thIO Artlole, shall oonrtitute a rsparate
offenre end shall by yI5ishabl. a8 hereInaboro
pnsorlbOd.*
As w6 polntOd out In 0pInIon O-16851 *It I8 plala to see thin lot makes It unlawful, rlr8t ror proprietor6 to work
aaploy employees with Intootlow oontaglour sooond, ror proprlatorr to work employ-
dissasr) 808 wha aid not hand over to SuOh mployOr8
mid health oOrtlrIoatr8; third, ror proprio-
tars railing to requlN physloal xaalnatlotm mployOe8; tourth, ror manufaoturerr or TOa-
dors 0r aaadio8 maauiaaturad suwts to 8011 persons who do not hatO ralld health Oertifl-
oatw, who do aot hare display oeaes a8 re-
qulrmd by lawy rlfth, ior proprietors iOllIn@
t0 display, oert lrioatos.* SMe doubt as to
fn that opialon we XpM88Oa whetha not ArtIolO 9050, the PenOl 0oae, ~&es It an offense proprletorr work with Infeotlour OOB- ta lOUS ai860s6, or for to hare a a l xaalnatlon railurr m physlolan or for failure to airplay their own % health oOrtlflOate. TO&U rOqUe8t 5Ot rai8@ tbm CWStiOn
3.40 Ho5orable wa. 8. mVi8, Rge 4
0r whether not it Is made a5 OfreaSO ror proprIetora to work with Inieotlour or oontagiou8 dlsaasa, and thare- roro we shall oonriae this 0 lalon to the quastioa or not It 18 ualawt up uuder Artlola, whother o? tha Panal 0046 ror a proprietor to work without harlng axam- Inatloa made by phy8Iolan or ror a proprietor to rail to display hIr owa health oertlrloate.
ArtIOlaS 1, 3, ana the mm1 ooae 0r thI8 State provide t
"Artlola 1. T h6 aOSi&S Of l MOtin(; thio aoa0 la to dot150 In lain lan(lua&e Tery oftea8e a&al&W the ws oi this~ P State, l f?Ix to each offense Ite $ropor poniShI&O#lt ."
~Artlole b. In or&or that systu palrul law la roroa in this Stat6 lpay be oom- plot0 within it86ir, and that 50 ryatan or rore@i laws, written unwritten, may ba ap- pealed to, lt 18 doolarod that no poraon shall k puaI8hea any aot oml88Ioa, unlrss tha SaDLO 18 made a'penal ofren88, and a penal- tharrto by the written law of t&Irsg;sod .- Artlole 6. Wh6nrv6r It appsan that a
pSOYiSiO5 0t the panal lw I# SO inaerl5itely framed or o? uuoh doubtrul oon8truotLoa that it oaa aot be wd6rStOod, either iron the langwgo la whloh It 18 XpMSllOa, r r cm some othar written law or the state, suoh ;;;;l law shall be rogarad as wholly Inopora- .a
fn keeping with thaOa Artloler It 18 thm law this State that a panal enaotment must a6rin0 with o*rtainty th6 l ot o r omIs8loa aenouaoed a8 o rt6a8e. Lealle, 69 Tax. or. Rep. 496; tea S.W. lle9l tr
Sx part0 parte wllmuth, X85 Tax. Or. Rep. a941 69 S.W. (Ed) @891 Clnabr ‘I. State, 100 Ter. Or. l&p. 149, 800 8. 91.
warm; v. 8tate, 118 Tar. Cr. Rp. 351, 48 8. W. (34 515,
. *
Hoaorablo Wm. 8. mris, Pagr 5 We do not bsllevs ths statute suffloisatl~ da- aounoss the aot or omlsslon or tha mployar in raIlin& to obtain phploal examlaatlon of his owa prsoa
In falling to 6lsplsy Us own hsalth osrtirloats so as to onats aa orreaee 58 to him. Moor a0 rr bb1iet8, as w ahall later DOllIt out, suoh was the lntsat.of tha k6iSl8tUSO.
In Murray v. stat., 51 Tsx. App. 550, a 8. w. 757, 57 Am, Rap. 683, an lnformatloa against ths derena-
ant oharged him with vlolatlag Artlole 685 of tha psaal Code ror wiiruri~ and nlsohlerousl~ lafurla5 a looolnotire engine. i3ald Artlole 555, however, related the Qastruotion or, or iajurlas done to, .?grow~ grain, other (rloultura1 pwduots or fmlt, oora, property, real OS persoaal+) ad the oonrt held the fa- oharge an orreasa. fn this r0mti0n in8urri0iwto oonneotlon the court quoted with approval the rollswin# language of ILr. Dillon in the ease of U. 8. 78. Qlaytoar
“8 . ..For these rsasona, whose oogsnor
is obvious, the law 18 settled that, in ooa-
atruing tatutss, the language used is sever
t0 b0 lOat Sight Or, 8na tb8 pIWStU@tiOKi i8 the language la used in no 8xtmWllna~
that sense, but in Its oommon, rerpl@T msaning.
whan oourta, in oonstruin~ statutea, depart
rrom the language emplaTs bv ths lsglslator,
they hour the risk of mlstakIag the lsglsla-
tire will, or bsolarlng it to exist where, in
truth, it has nef6r had an sspresslon, The
legltl0ate runotlon oourts is to inte
ths leglalatlre will, not ts supplemen -&p
or to supplr it. The jUdiOi8I’y mUSt lieit themselres to expoundlag the lawi they OaIUIOt
ppake it. It bslonga only the leglslatirr
department to oreats orlmea and ordain punlah-
mats. Aooordingly, oourts, in the OOnStrUO-
tion statutablo offsnses, hs.n always ragarded it as their plain duty oautlousl~ to keep
olearly within expressed will of tha legis-
lature, lest otherwise they shall hold aa rot
or omlsslon to be a orlam, and punish It, when
1.42.
Eonorable Wm. 8. Derls, Page 6
g faot the lsglslatue had aevsr l o Intended w this rule is rlolatea*, says uhief Jukoe BEST, %h e fate o r th e l o ouaea person la 4eolded br the arbitrary dlsorstlon of the judges, and not by th e exprsss l athorlty of the lava.* Ths prlnslple that the Xaglslati+e la- tent is to be found, if posalble, la the enaat- meat ltaelf, mad that the statutes are not to ti xtsndod by oonatruotlon to oases not falrlr aail olearlr mbraoed in ttmlr terms, is one grut lmportanos to the oltlzaa. Tha ookqts hate no Rover Oreate Ofreneea, but lr,. bf a latltudlnarian oonstruotioa, they oonstrus oassa not provided for to ba within the lsgls- latire l naotmaats, it is manlrast that the earety and llbsrty of the oitlzea ara put in peril, and that the lsglalatlts d-la has bsen irmadeb. oourse, aa snaotaant is aot to ba rrittared by utaphysioal avay by forord oonstruotlons, aloeties, mere rsrbal and sharp oritloisms. Nerertheloss the dootrlne la fundamental 5.8 IEq- law that there oan bs ao ooa- llah and marloan struotlre orfenaes; that, before a man oaa bo punlahed, his oa8a Bust be plainly and unalstakably within tha statute, and, ii then bo fair doubt whether the statute mbraoea it. that doubt %a to be reaoltsd $n favor of the ooused . l .*a
In wtlxlo v. stats, ciao Tex. Cr. mp. 55a, 47 s. w, (ad) 847, it was held that a St@tUt# penalislnd rld- lng on "train street oar or interurban oar* ln ooaoh oompartmunt mob 4ealgnated ior ens*s 2800 was inapplloa- ble to one r’iblag in a *bus* operated by a street railway
We believe lt equally Olear that an aat aimed 8t ~loymr se@ that his employves hare health gi%r& oertlfloatea aad are regularly sxasiinsd does not apply to oompsl the employer hlaself to subait to saoh examination or dieplay his ova health aertlfloate In the abernoe of language raqulrlnd this be done.
Ths intent of the Le~;slaturo is of par4aouat in- portanoo in ooastrulog a atatute, ths oonolosloa nashed in the praosdlng paragraph la @tr#ngth#nad lookind to the *7 Eonorabls Wm. II. Darls, Psge 7
emereeaoy olause of Howe 5111 142, Aots 1939, 46th Lsgis- lature, Oh. 6, p. 551. T his is an amendato ry l naotmeat, but saoh mot or Laglslatura slnoo 1991 4eall with ths saira subject amtter has had tha sams or a a I3 lar emerpnoy olause. 688 8eO. 7, Asts 1991, 57th Leg., Ch, 66, p. 154; 880. 4, Aots 1957, 45th Leg. oh. 559, 9. 707.
This olauae rea4s in part as follows~
m0. a. mergenay clru5r. .ma raot aant rood drink stabllstieata en4 hotorles are not required under thm present
tar hate tneir l wlo reas examined seoure , .* (Vn4erseoring oura) h ealth ssrtlrioates. a proprietor a rood and drink stabUshmant for hhs
failure of suoh proprietor tc have examination of his per- son made by phploian ror the purpose determining freedom from lnfsotlous sosmunloable 4lssase ror fallura to dls- play his own health osrtlflsate In him atabllshasnt.
very truly yours ATTOl?NiY CBNXRAL OI TEXAS ;PFBOVECJUN 15, -1940