Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1943 )

.; .- _.. 3. -1: ---/. Oi=FlCE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF, TEXAS AUSTIN ..~..-- Eonorabla Ray Wrider, page 2 *%a above-quoted order purportedly mde by the &ate lif@,hway Rnelnear Is apprrently wedlcrrted upon the statute rererred to. Please advise w’tetber: “(1) &ld statute is euffioient adhority to #tagport the ordsr aad agroemaant o? the 3tate EighWay En&neor, without &3&g iimitea to States having a smlar reoijwooal agreentent with Texas? 9a tUa~oonnectlon, yooar attention La iavitid to the raot.~that the statuta appqmtay rathorlse8 such an agreomnt by .the State Blgkwey Engineer only ’ au an reolprooal arrangesent with other States cant- ing to Texar amtorlsts like grlvilager. ,“(a) Is ~the statute ~entioued Conrtltutional : 2mofar a8 it rel4ter tomthe grazM.ng or exeaptlont3 .rromregirtratioa In Tsurr of truok&froiii otJier~State6 where malprocal s+eessat8 aiw %i&efrixot ail to Texas? “I rind no authorities on thesubJect. The rtatuta 1)eems not to hare been oonatrued by the Courts or Tex3o.” . ._?,Pi.’ article 8605pr-18, provfdes .as fol.lou~: “(a) In addition to ad regjardleJe or the p2!ririeloas0r this .4ot I or any .other hot relating to the operatlop of sotor tehlalea over the public highways &this &ate, by non-resldenta, the Stste- & ttawaat acttng by land through t&e State Klghray fllghwar’ i!z ~ ,‘@esr LB hereby authorized to enter into ayemmntcr. with duly authorized 0rri0im O.rother 3tat.68 sX+mptking the resldeats of art& other Zt%tes wing the pablto hi&hv+o. or t&J State from the papmat or rsgistratlon Peee i?r suoh periods or extsnaions or tiipo aa inay be ganttd residents ‘or Texas tlelng the public highways of such at&r 3tate. *(b) rhie sectioa shall be cuzmlstlva of &l other laws on this rubject, but LB the, went of a sofUliat between tbe provision6 of this aeotlon and a4 other +iot on this subject, the provlato~a of this mctlon shell prevail. “(0) Any p4rmn owalag of ojwrating a ve- Ucl,c not registered la this state, in rlolation of tb tuna of a4 agreement made under thla aeu- tioo, 0f in the absence 0r my ammmeat, in riola- tlon or the agpllaa)lc reglstmtion law of thla State, ahall be guilty of a aiadelacicnor and upon . uoaiLa%ioa ahall be fined any sum aot l x o ea din6 Two &tiidred f&00.00) Dollcrr." The authorization granted by tha above st%tuta to tba State 3lghw4 Depart;aent,aotlhg by and t&o& the State . Higha +@m~r, to enter Into agraammte with dlilg authorized oniaiula.or otlzear states .axamptlng tha raaidents oi rush other States. mm the pay5aot 0r raglatratlon rata r0r oartdn puioaa oi tLae lo oiearly aad derlaltaly limited by’ tha Astute to “such parlods or extensions of the as zay be granted residents oi Texas usFag tha publio highways of such other Stats.” It Is, thera- iore, not aubjaot to construction 00 this point, and it rollowe that 002 MIIZ to your Zirat question is that said statute ia not aufficlant atithority to support tha order and agrersnt or the State Highzfay 2Czglhear rarerred to azmva, ozless said order is liA$cd to etatea having a slallar rcciproosl agreement with Texas .~ Our rulewar to pour second question 1s that ttere axe ho’Srounds of uzconetltutloiiallty aypareht to us in the statute acd none hea been called to oux attention. Statutory anthoorlzatlon r0r r.aelprocal egrarmaots inuring to the banaflt of realdeata of other 3tatea wbera alal- lsr benefits arc granted to reslde~ts of Texas are r&her com- mon. Two axa;5~ples 6re ;rrtlcla 2e54, 3aotion 2, acd Artiole 3OUa, Versoals Annotated Civil ;Stetstea, The claseltloat~lon mcde ln auoh.stctutea scc;43reeaon- able to us because the baaefita artandad are to realdents ui other Statea extending similar benefits to Ba*eslder.ts cf Texas. Ze hale iowd no dacriaiooa bo’lding such cl~ssiff- oatlon anc$nstitutlonal. This statutedoes not aaam to ua to be ax h- proper dalagation of legislative power bacauae ntien prosrly oonatrued it aata up and daitaes the otaudarde and lk6lta within whbh tha Stata jiighway Departxmnt, aoting through the State Righway fa&aaer, lay aat. ” tcr6tata ~Txuoklae Corn pmw~alona and dia~uasad tha jdnta mentioned above.