Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable Gee. H. Shop ard
Omptroller of Pnblio L oounts
Austin, 'lkzas . \
Dear Sir: -nita ~. . .: i . . . . . . ,# r0ao.wP Ju+le:6S+fza,, a! .P. ,S., ~pro+l~s:
'That the State Highway Department fs hereby ~authc&%~a to aoquim by purchase *2 Hon. Coo. H. Sheppmrb, Page a
an&/ok to oonitruot adntain operato aid ooatrol m-ma, WC 0r thr dghmg lhnd of, tho.Bktr of T.xaa, over and aor any.bay, EL ~h~$f"~&~~F~r~ zzm.
the hli of Xaxloo an&w or other aavi- gablo wators .or this State whore suoh forrlw oonnoot designma .State highways, ma whfoh nay be ma0 l 0miiqaiaating o r partially ireir-llquibating by the ohargiag a$ tolla for the use thsrsof.m 7!bo insuiunoo pollolos the pdums on whloh gave rise to four inquiry, .worb Loss upon two ferry boats, oonneotIag a Stats highway wIthin the meaning of the above mtatuts in the ddnity .6i Galveston 3av.
?llhese polloios appear t-0 tpGr ~iarious rmk8, euoh as sin ma ilabilIty, the eraot ;Ilatum ana olassi- Sloatlon of whioh we arb not 0ai0a upon to dlrousf5, .’
There 16 no rpsoitio appropriation ma0 for the purpoee of paying lnsunmob~premium auoh is ‘thoss inv0iv0a j.n the present inquiry, 80 *at ws ars o&l@ @pg to oonsiaer rhether or not moh inrrur6.noo ooula be oimsl&mQ as a,arooreary lnoldrnt to .tho powbr ad authority of tho State Highway Camlssion .fo aoquiro’ ana openvito the ierry.uatlor ths mtatute abMo quoted. fi the Items are thun inoldbntal to the'mmjor powsr
-It iu crslliottla4 *ta 3.w rhx~b~oonfon a power, or Ampormr a alit ‘apon an #Hoer or -boar& me’ t'- r1.s dth itby iapliaa lon thiruthoritr-to a~ moh
thinga as l rs reasonably aeos~mry to o+rry into l tiebt power gnntbd orthg Wty In o&w& Thrrr, powbr 60 oortmln wo* to ioocmplls % a obrtsln~ Wsult, whloh oannot othenlrr bs l doanpllehtid, #mpllo6 the aut@orlty to amploy suoh l gsnts ms may be’ q.asonsblr neousary to oompllsh the woe or pur
and to mngagr them for auoh length of t l.Y upeol*iobg o a is reason- ably aeoe~~ary. (Sbb M ¶‘br.. Tur. p, ,+er, Bso. 68, ud MLS~S oited forth@ tart). *3 Hon. Gee. H. Sheppanl, Page S
It cmnnot be sale, m think, that it le n&s- sary to oarry any mart oi lastuwnoe to onable State through its state Highway DepmrtiMnt to~operflta the ferry in queBtlan.'~lhi8 LB Epsolally true slnoe the State is smply l olrant and ablo to respond fo +ny’jU&i log& olaim that My sbs.presmntoa, ab,~~apparsntl7., amp17 riubg t0 gmt 2.~~0 tcrth080.8ntifl0.a tbmt0 to me tha State in any 0ourt~~ot.o~p~t~dt'jtlrisai0tl0n ana sstmblish their ofdm~; .-Fire ~a~lia@Vity lnmr- ~(~100 in 8uoh a situation may:&* 4ee~,rmble~ .ana to au-q them my,be good.busltiosia &lgme.nt bub~dmes oomlbora- tlona are mabrefma ~to .the sound dlsorettlon'of tha stmto itsalf to be ~erolciealn,ths tisusl lieglslatir manner. In the absenoe.of ~suoh bIpres13 lrglslatlro intontlon, it oannot be held.that the power to aarry proprrty.or lnaus- lnsurmn~r te a boosasary lnoldrnt to.the giower trial operate the iarry.
Phaeelr af ~&IS ptimtlon have bmn befare this deparEment for deolrd on.
.Ir,oplnxon 80. 0401 it was.*ule,d that direstors of publio health dietriots had.nn aut+orlty~to lnsura State propsrty~igalnst flri'3.n their xwpeotlro offlore, and to pay the premix thexwgor out of thelr.loosl oan- tlngent ‘roam.
The oplnlon ultss as authority Sonate Conourrent Resolution No. .S'passea in the geoond asllod session or the 57th Leglnlmturf, in whlsh it is pr00iaa.
~sreafter:lt'shall 60 aaa ii fhe'flxad polloy'0r thin state and tho'stato‘dhkll oarry it8 own lnearanor upon Stats,buildLngs and oontante, and that,no lnmran*i policy dull be’tahien .Mtupon anyof 'thr:@Aio bulldingr aa doitent8;.:+nd that.&0 Lam+ an00 pollolir ~‘8hall be .bkeg .out ‘a$+ any 6%.
the publ20 btdlalngr'oi'.thio,B~tb;:dor'\Ipon State! ~Bci& ef ooatmts thereot,md.thr Oontrol:and~#ill~otbrboardr hair- ehargs-at buQaing&c*at:;thr ~Btatcanb'th~~ eMtat oi'iuoh b~~in~;-.~~hiraby--inrt~oto(l jioat’td’hwi .suoh bullalngr n$r,~i6psrty@suri&aotithsta&idlAg there,pay b8 itam# in t&o mpproprlmtlan bill authorleing *he expendlturee of auaney for the pagment o? lne~sr prdtuka. *
Hon. Gso. 8. Sheppard, Page 4
The oplaloa overru.bou *opldon r&j the Hoa. 1. P. Cave wrItten Ootobsr 5, loel; ana ?ounA la book 56 page Z&Z, opinion X0. 2?i9E, MA all 8ub- I0 uent oonourrlng 6pl 0as.w Se opia~on wm8 wr P tten-by XL Yorrl8 e ages, Asslmtan Atzoy Oegarg, and approved by Attoee,y Lie . ) in’ oplalad Bo. OhS4 ~%he depart-
.~&ekft&, m8nt in ~anothsr oplalon wrltton byXr.‘liodgerr, anld’like- wlss mppr6vea by Attorney Cemeral Ksna, ia reply to a to uthorlty.to request for ~JI oplnlon with reformor ~Sssue m warrant in payment o? a olaim drawn agalnet mm apeolflo mpproprlatIonw ?orthe payment o? instar- it be for fire moo premiums, -h&her lnsuranoe, the?t, oolllsloa, or any otherioan o? tisuranoe,* 0itOa with approval opirrion Ho. o-e01 anb aaaeat
vie 800 no remson to tlliferentlmte the ml- of that opInlon with the tmots prerentea to u8 in your lstter. We ars en- olosing a oopy o? oplnlon l?o. O-201 above wferma‘to, and we beliers that the Zaw as ellpresesa la that opinion 18 applicable to the faot8. you relats.a
It 1s further rtated %a the opmogt -we do hold that in the l b reio r o r for that pur-’ a 8psolfle appropriation pose, you are not authorlaeAto lrsw warrant8 for the payment tiff iqsurmnor plwllumE.~”
A lotter opinion wrItto%by Xr. T.'S. Chri8t- opher, Awl8taut Attorney UOxmral, of date Ootoborl, .x934 l b3886a~to th e-state Hig h~6y z hpmbnt 8t- h!r. ~2. H. Webb, i8.b apparsnt mA pdhXy. t&on reel Bontllotrith the rlew! hsrc'8rpra~roA. .Ths "p- Salon snewend'tho-follows qusrtlqal
*W$ll pu pJea8r'aAti8e ‘1u at ~poru
sarll~8t.oontsnleaes It tho State Elgfnay Ik- partment mmy pmy the ‘lmaniom for fln immr- aarrleA; pub110 llabll- an00 proteotlng oar lty insaran ooye la88 of lit0 dsm- 4.G age to propwtyg aa p~otaotlon geIn8t 4ol- 1181on with othef $zzr, $I olthsr~ot~ths tno' r0mdng raya.
The queution arore 8ut of the opsratl6n or the ferry involved in the prosant inquiry. Mr. Chrl8tophsr *5 Hon. Gee. H. ShepparAi'Page 5
annjmnd.thmt thr Elghway depmtmentworlld‘br autism- iCCa t0 pZ?OteOt ~tSd.f-bY inSUFMO0 eOSI b~1~g08 ~Stit- iJIg t0 pSSSSl@WS Or timOo$Jl t&O OpUIltiod UP? fh0 fSX2-Y. I? tbi8 @.nicin be in ooa?l%ot dth 0$iaiO4,80. O-801, it kwbaon wsq!&lo~I by tho he&,naboie w?errrA S@X3?8a Ike Of that OpiniOh, -%Or00?Ok, the i@ttU opinion O? XL Chrl8tOphOr 18 not in keeplllg with the r?rSpOOt t0 inrUZ’UlO@ deOl?3~d POliOy Of thiS stCitO.With genermlly, and fi it has not been overmled it Shotid now be 0v0rrul0a. ,~
As authority; Mr. Chrirtophu sites State 1. -Xlllott, ele S. W, 695, and qllot4lS thsrMrom as fO2.1OWS:
dz.n a State anbar ks in mn l nter p rlee whloh 18 usually carried on by l@lrldual pop EMS 00XpldeS it vdl\mtn~y wmi~es It8 8OVC32'01~.ah&l'@otei anA is rubjro+ to Ilka regulatlane."
The quotation proaouaoo8 4 oorrsot rule -0s law, but it 1ti no authority for the h0iainghssa tipon it. ~xt is &rue when a state rchatuily oa~m8 into the oourt~. house she must wear titieeni OlOtheS. '~+n other war&J, it roluatarily walres its 8ovuelgn ohmnotu lneo9ar ms~belng immune to Stit’iS 00n0bma, ma in the 11tlgation that SdllOwS it i8 WlbjOOt ,to &W8018~7 thr SSDW prooedure, -6 ~COW~SS is' gorerma by pr@OiSOlly the same rules 0s 8ubstantlve law lavolreA in that plrtloular prqoeduro 48. It dOO8 not ?CiLhW by;urp &3uIS, apply to other partlou. however 'that the ngaging ti a.proprfitary~Bu~inSSS hi or’ovan the.rciluntuy uurrcmdu oi'ltb iamait7 :tb.Staie ?KUp 8Uit8 that &t in w riS~':~i~~S it8 d&t M OXOF o180 it8 own ju&msnt:with lw8pmot fo ather Mttera oi ~roprlotarp.~terrSt~'~~oh~~th~'d~doaD Of .Wrylag $a- SUWOe 'UpOIl %tr $jproriOer m -iart it8 -8 dz riSkS,..~t is *~Mt-tsr cb goierameatal pol$st.iD :be .8xero1lCOb +ho.$no::~~;$f fho.ot~rrt.,thr:~mplant'r
>ptlea. that la .th0w0r0 YOU .art3 aarised khi -~opinioa ~epu-tmen~,you *z-e .mt uthc+teA to aDprovo of, this *6 Hon. cko. 8. Shrppard, Pe@ 6
the+ it4me for prjlaeat.
very truly youi- AlTOmiY GmmiAt m By /a/ 0010 Speed- 0010~ Spoor :. ., -i. : ;
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