Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1939 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN by 81, 19'39 GLIULD c.MANN .,.oam‘. .ml.“.L Ron. Roger thuraond Dlstrlet Attomef Del Rio, Texa8 Dear Sir8 ter of Bny 85, of this department aPleaee advise loo If, hi your oplnloa yl;znz.i6 repulred to obtain a ehauf'feur7: The W0rd "ChBUffCUP 18 d8rid ia 8 (d f3f scothat l,.af Article 6687a, Yernan’ri Annotated Civil Statutes, aI foUow8t All 9a0brrt3~s~ are teQulre6 to be lioemw3 under reotiai a 0r art1610 668Ta, suprar "On and afterApril1 193t3, no persontm- oept those expres8ly emu& underthl8 aot, shall drive any motor rehiole upon a hi this date unleaa ~euoh.personupon ap has bsfm l.ioenaedas aa operator or o by the bepartrmnt under the pmvleloa8 or this a&.- seotioa 3 of Artiole 6687a expressly‘lseta torth those pereone who are exeriipt ima'the oblLgation oi ob- taining a thirrew8 liaeo9e. The enployee8oi a oity are ad emmpteb ir= proourlng a ohautreuvr lloenee by the prorlslmror seo- tioa 5 0r artl.010668%. A0 @ate6 o-723 St this 40. out 3.aopinion ffofo. partmeat readem on S&y 10, 1959 to Ban, Chwlea 5. Ee- Yillen, Eounty Attorney 0r San rbngtiino County, Cexar, any person rho operates a motor tehlele r0z m$ purposr, whole of part tllps,as an elaployeeof a aity, whether aLd ig salary or cpoayai~8lon,iall uith3.nthe statutory de!l- nitim or %haurrew aa6 ir oblige& to obtdn a ohati- row0 llban80. It i8 our opinion the statutory deflnltlon olt ohlRutr%ur,in the absenoe of exoeptlon, appllea to any *ecqloyoem lrreepeotive of the hot that the e loyw im private or governmmtalaa long as other 0anUit“p me are satlsried. Where bn employer is a gowmnmental divlelaa, however, the guestim present8 itself aa to whether the Hoa. Roger Thurmmd, Kay 31, 1938, Pago $ The qusstloa now to be ooasldered is whether rlramea are olty aaployess or rlty 0frm~. Who are orrioers cut4orhoare emplo*er 10 to be determiasd by the pro~lsionr oi ths sharter snd the 8tatutes. Where tho aleottre an4 lp lnt- lte orrioere are absolutely named and rlxed r y the ohsrter, all others ootlnsotedwith the olty governzaentmust be smplo~oar, agantr or servant&i. Suoh a'eharter olassliioatloncannotbs ohan& by the Olty Commlsslon, as by lnaremting t&o m.ue~ ber of eleotlre or appointlre offlsara, or b making thoss designated as emplo@ss appoint Ive 0rrioOr8, unless ths obarter so phriha, :.M wed ia same oharters the term *any ortiter* Ln- eludes Only suoh person8 La the ssfuiso OS the alty who ham to do with the eueou%ion or a&&n- bye or the laws, and does not embraee . "blasbersor the polioe fbroe or 8 muniol- pal oorporatiao are gensra.Uy olas80Q as orrioera and uiiiql4 are state otiiosrb; but, under ammo ohartarg menAm oi the p01100 an&fire depart- ment tiolassed as employesn. A uupsrlnteaUent or publfa tttilltleohaB bssn hal& to bs an ma- plopes and not an off%asr. Vnder soas charter@‘ members or the Board oi Edusation or the olty - are my, an6 not oounty, 0rri0er0.* u c 8 t Under sordiohartsrs member0 0r the its department am3 olassed a8 0mpLpeeq an& oharters sonmtI&s PI&as tha under oiril ssTvi8S rsgulations.w See BRWlf v. UHR. l67 6W S31 (19161 . . to QI- l k k l T h e ohrrte? km8 se&~ pt'o``? tide tha servant8ot the city lrltosleetlye and appointin 0fri0er8 to be nomlnatod rot a potit- &eat by the mayor* The language at the eKarter will not bear mob a oonstruotlm and we mm& eonoelm that suoh wa8 the inter&i of the maker8of the @haHe?.* Et 18 our opinion that ia mualolpalltie8where oity riremen dririn4 tire apparatus oi the oity we omm- 84 att.om loyearm they must obtain rbautfeurr' lfoenrsr under artf016 6686a, Yeraon~s Annotated Oitil Btetuten*, The statue OS a if.?em%na8 either em loyee or orfloat $8 to be detemlnsd by the prorieiaar 0s the oityiohrter. In regard to your 8wma queutica, under the iaotb preS4ntedd, w8 h!kVeno~tmubla ia OlaS8lW a 8u e?- lntendent oi the auniolpally-oand water nyatea who irlveer a smallpioku~truok awnedby the rlty for the pwpaae of n&lag repairs as an w~ployee* ot the olty. A8 am *etaployeew he tads olearly rithia the l tatuta?y de$bi- tlcm or *ohatUteur*uhloh ap ller te wan cnaployee,sttryaat, agent or iaatbpMd8ti ofl ah&h* the oerg;loye? contrab-e $8 a private or ,gorernmw&al agenoy* He 18 obliged to @I- t&n a ohettWwtr*s l.toe38e under artids bb87a, Verntin~r motatea ai~il8tatutes. So? turther authoritle8 on related mttarr, we respeotfullyrefu? you to the tollowlng opinlo~s reoantly rendered by this departmeatt 1. Oplnlcm Ho. O-OS, Janunry 8, 1939, hold- ing thata county ooamleaiooe? 18 a publlr oiil- 05r atid not an mkployse, remant, agent o? in- dependent oontraotor ar there tsrma me wed in the defllnltlmoi 4 ohaufi8ur Ln art1010 6687a, and that a eountp oomal.sslcue? v&tiledriving an automblle belonging to the county and on oounty business 11 not a ahauffeur within the manl.rq SK 4 Eon. Tom DcBerry,Kay 29, 1939, Page 5 In calculatinginoolneand resources of the epplioont,the Comulsslonshall take Into account all money received by gift, devise or desaent." Seation 7 of the Act, in part, provides as follows: "The CoamIlrslonshall have full power end authority to provide suoh method of looal ad-* ministrationla tha.variousoountles and dls- triote oi Texas aa it deems sdrirrable+ + +* Seotlon 11(b) of tha Aot oraatee and eatabllahee a apsolal.fund of the Treasury or the State of Texaa to be kept by the State Treasurer eeperate and apart from all other funds to be known as the "TexatiOld Age Asttistenor Fund”, for the purpose oi payln(:the aid and asslstenoe provided,to? in the Ad. Seotlon 12 of the.Aot authorizes the Dommlsslon to prom&gate end errtablleh euoh rules e&d regulations es,may be naoeaeery immediately to make grants of eraletanoe to suoh of t&me persons.as may be eligible under the pro- vlslona of thI8 Aot. Seotlon 13(a) of the Aot provlaea a&'tOllOWs, "All old age aaslatenoebenerlta provided for ,under the term of thin Act shall ba paid by touohars or warrants drawn by the State Comptrolleron the Texas Old Age AeslstanoeFund; for the purpoee Of permitting the State Comptrollerproperly to draw end Issue suoh vouohers or warrants, the Texa8~ Old Ace ~AaslstanosComleoion shall furnleh the COmp- troller with a llet or roll of those entitled to aasletanoeiron tlma to time, to$etherwith the amount to whloh eaoh reofplent is entitled. lmen suoh vouohers or warrant8 have been drawn, they shall ba delivered to the Executive Director Of the Texas Old Ace AssistanoeCommission, who in turn shall supervise the d0livGry of the aame t0 the persons entitlad thereto." ., ATTO~QEXERAL OPTXAB COMMnTEL 2 .:: .