Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1940 )

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 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~$f"~&``F~r~ zzm. the hli of Xaxloo an&w or other aavi- gablo wators .orthis State whore suoh forrlw oonnoot designma .State highways,ma whfoh na yb ema0 l0miiqaiaating o r p a r tia lly ireir-llquibating by the ohargiag a$ tolla for the use thsrsof.m 7!bo insuiunoo pollolos the pdums on whloh gave riseto 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 Ampormra alit‘aponan #Hoer or -boar& me’ r1.s dth itby iapliaat'- a~ moh lon thiruthoritr-to thinga as lrs reasonably aeos~mry to o+rry into ltieb t the power gnntbd orthg Wty In o&w& Thrrr, powbr to 60 oortmln wo* or to ioocmplls % a obrtsln~ Wsult, whloh oannot othenlrr bs ldoanpllehtid, #mpllo6 the aut@orlty to amploy suoh lgsnts ms may be’ q.asonsblr neousary to loompllsh the woe or pur and to mngagr them for auoh length of t l.Yo lupeol*iobg a is reason- ably aeoe``ary. (Sbb M ¶‘br.. Tur. p, ,+er, Bso. 68, ud the MLS~Soited forth@ tart). 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 the State through its state Highway DepmrtiMntto~operflta the ferry in queBtlan.'~lhi8 LB lEpsolally true slnoe the State is and ablo to respond fo +ny’jU&i log& smply lo lr a nt 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- ~(~100in 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- trial lnsurmn~r te a boosasary lnoldrnt to.the giowerto 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.ntheir xwpeotlroofflore, 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$+ any 6%. the publ20 btdlalngr'oi'.thio,B~tb;:dor'\Ipon the ooatmts thereot,md.thr State! ~Bci& ef Oontrol:and~#ill~otbrboardr hair- ehargs-at buQaing&c*at:;thr ~Btatcanb'th`` eMtat oi'iuoh b``in~;-.``hiraby--inrt~oto(ljioat’td’hwi .suoh bullalngr n$r,~i6psrty@suri&aotithsta&idlAg there,pay b8 itam# in t&o mpproprlmtlan bill authorleing *he expendlturee of auaneyfor the pagment o? lne~sr prdtuka. * Hon. Gso. 8. Sheppard, Page 4 The oplaloa overru.bou the *opldon r&jthe 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~onwm8 wrPtten-by XL Yorrl8 e ages,Asslmtan Atzoy Oegarg, and approvedby the Attoee,yLie ) . .~&ekft&, in’oplaladBo. OhS4 ~%hedepart- m8nt in ~anothsr oplalonwrltton byXr.‘liodgerr, anld’like- wlss mppr6vea by Attorney Cemeral Ksna, ia reply to a request for ~JI oplnlon with reformor to luthorlty.to ~Sssue m warrant in payment o? a olaim drawn agalnet mmapeolflo mpproprlatIonw ?orthe payment o? instar- moo premiums, -h&her it be for fire 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 h o ld th a in t the lb r eioo r a 8psolfle appropriation for that pur-’ pose, you are not authorlaeAto lrsw warrant8 for the payment tiffiqsurmnor plwllumE.~” A lotter opinion wrItto%by Xr. T.'S. Chri8t- opher, Awl8taut Attorney UOxmral, of date Ootoborl, .x934 lb 3886a ~to th e -sta H te ig h ~6yz h p mb nt 8t- t&on h!r.~2.H. Webb, i8.b apparsnt mA pdhXy. 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 mmypmy the ‘lmaniom for fln immr- an00 proteotlng oar aarrleA; pub110 llabll- lty insaran ooye 4.G la88 of lit0 or dsm- age to propwtyg aa p~otaotlon lgeIn8t 4ol- 1181onwith othef $zzr, $I olthsr~ot~ths tno' r0mdng raya. The queution arore 8ut of the opsratl6n or the ferry involved in the prosant inquiry. Mr. Chrl8tophsr Hon. Gee. H. ShepparAi'Page 5 annjmnd.thmt thr Elghway depmtmentworlld‘brautism- iCCa t0 pZ?OteOt~tSd.f-bY inSUFMO0 eOSI b~1~g08 ~Stit- iJIg t0 pSSSSl@WS Or timOo$Jl t&O OpUIltiod UP?fh0 fSX2-Y. I? tbi8 @.nicin be in ooa?l%ot dth 0$iaiO4,80. O-801, he&,naboie w?errrA to it kwbaon wsq!&lo~Iby tho S@X3?8a Ike Of that OpiniOh, -%Or00?Ok, the i@ttU opinion O? XL Chrl8tOphOr 18 not in keeplllg with the deOl?3~d POliOy Of thiS stCitO.With r?rSpOOtt0 inrUZ’UlO@ 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 Sta te a nb a rin k mn s lnter p r lee whloh 18 usually carried on by l@lrldual pop EMS or 00XpldeS it vdl\mtn~y wmi~es It8 8OVC32'01~.ah&l'@oteianA is rubjro+ to Ilka regulatlane." The quotation proaouaoo8 4 oorrsot rule -0s law, but it 1ti no authority for the h0iainghssa tiponit. ~xt is &rue when a state rchatuily oa~m8 into the oourt~. house she must wear titieeni OlOtheS. '~+n otherwar&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 SSDWprooedure, -6 ~COW~SSis' gorerma by pr@OiSOlly the same rules 0s 8ubstantlve law lavolreA in that plrtloular prqoeduro 48. apply to other partlou. It dOO8not ?CiLhW by;urp &3uIS, however 'that the lngaging ti a.proprfitary~Bu~inSSS hi :tb.Staie or’ovan the.rciluntuy uurrcmdu oi'ltb iamait7 ?KUp 8Uit8 that &t in w riS~':~i``Sit8 d&t M OXOF o180 it8 own ju&msnt:with lw8pmotfo 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.$no::``;$ffho.ot~rrt.,thr:~mplant'r >ptlea. YOU .art3 .th0w0r0 aarised that la khi -~opinioa of, this ~epu-tmen~,you *z-e .mt luthc+teA to aDprovo Hon. cko. 8. Shrppard,Pe@ 6 the+ it4me for prjlaeat. very truly youi- AlTOmiY GmmiAt m By /a/ 0010 Speed- 0010~Spoor :. ., -i. : ; ;_’ .j .. : .;- :