Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

882
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
&onorable U. A. Davis
Btats Registrar
Tour State Board of Health
Au&in, Texas
You have ro of this department
ou a:ix questions r tion of llle$itlmate
rsoordsd or aevti-
“(2)L..iIkthat provision retroaatlve, and doer
It apply to a birth rcgfstsred prior to the paar-
age of H. is. 1977
“(3) Shouid the County Judge, In aoaslderlng
a certificate ftled under the prorisrons of Sea.
15, as amended, (1943), asoertaln whether the ohlld
was or wa8 not legitfmate prior to the approval of
the cortificete?
885
Bonorable Y. A. Darla, paBe 2
‘(4) Would the provlalona of this Amendment
be tiolated it the item of legltimaoy be marked
out on the present form and used for the reglstra-
tion of an illegitimate birth.
'(5) Slnoe more than 95% of the blrths that
are reglatared are legitimate, would a birth oertl-
float4 upon vhioh no atatemeat 0r the legitimaoy
appeared 5.ndloate that the birth was lllegltieete?"
(6)"Should a birth reoord rhiah does not
make rry ltateaent aa to the leg~timaey of the
ohlld, and no name or other item8 IdentlSylng the
rather, be accepted by the County Court, and ii
aooepted by the Court and forvarded to the State
Bureau, should a oertlfied 00~9 of that reoord be
iaaued uhen ordered b9 a Distriot Court?*
We believe that that ortlon of Xouse Bill Bo. 197
at the Regular Seaalon of the 4 8 th Iagialature, quoted by you,
la so olearly unaonatftutlonal aa to render uaeleaa sag ana-
ver to four queatlons relating to it8 appliaation.
Prior to the paaaago of thla Aot, the only provi-
aion of the Vital Statiatlos frv of Texas aontalnlng an9 rea-
triotlon oimparable to the one quoted by you Yea aa follovar
%elther the State Registrar nor any looal
registrar ehell issue a certified copy of an9 birth
or death ‘eertlfloate wherein a ohlld or en adult
la atated to be illegitimate, unleaa such aertl-
ffed 00~9 la ordered b a oourt of oompe&ent jur-
ladlotion.' (Artiole 1477, Rule 47a (25), V,A,C.S.)
But this new provfafo5 goea moh farther, aud even
prohibita an9 indication of lllegitiraaay ln the reoord itself.
Seatlon 35 of &tlole III of the Constitution of
Texas provider ;
"Ho bill . . . shall aontain more than one
lubjeot, vhioh ahall be expreaaed ln it8 title.
But ir an9 aubjeot &tell be embraoed in an lot,
vhlch ahall not be expreaaed 1n the title, euah
aot ahall be void only ar to 80 muah thereof aa
shall not be 80 expreaaed."
-
Y
884
Xonorable Y. A, Davis, page 3
The title of raid blouse 8111 197 la aa fOllOQ81
“AH ACT to amend Section 18, Chapter 41, &a
of the First Called 3easion of the Fortieth Legis-
lature, aa amended~by Seatloa 2, Bou8e Bill Ao.
614, Aots of the Regular Seaalon of the Porty-
alath Legislature, as amended by Seotlon 1, Rouse
Bill Ho. 974, Chapter 564, Aotr of the Regular
Saraion OS the Forty-seventh Le tl.dcre, as
emtided by SeutLon 1, Eouae Bil-? Ho, 624, Chap-
ter 525, Aata of the Reguler 3esaioa of’ the Borty-
seventh Leglalature, lo as .to provlda for unliora
fees to be oharged for the laausuae of delaytd
birth and death ~ertifluatea by the Probato
Court, Clerk thereof, arrd the State Reglatrar~
aml to provide ‘Wet my cltixen of’ Taxer wishing
to file the record of any birth or death ooourring
inside the State of Taxaa nob previously regla-
tered, may aubmlt auoh record to the Probate
Court in the county where. such blcth or death
occurredi to provide 4~19aftisen of the State
of Texoa wishing to file the reoord of any birth
or death ooourring outside the State of Texas
not previously registered may submit such reaord
to the Probate Court in the county where he re-
alder; and deolarlng an emergenoy.’
It will be noted that, vhile this title goes beyond
a mere statement OS a purpose to amnd the previous acts of
the Legislature named therein, and attempts to specify the
things for wbioh it provldea, yet it la not ao uritten aa to
put a le~iafator on aotlce that one of the speoliia provisions
of t&e Act (and one new to the 1aU of Texas) prchlbita the use
of a form for reaordln$ births whiah mey indicate thet any
such birth was lllegttimate.
In our Opinion 80.0-25, Ye held uneonatitutlonal
en act vhloh provided for the payncnt oi half-fees to “off+
care and vltnessea” in eertain mfsdemetior aaaea, because the
title o? the Act stated only tbet it related to rcea paid
~conatablrs. ” That opinion, end the authorities therein olt-
ad, are, so applicable to the instant ceae, that ue take the
llbertq of quotintog from it St lengtht
ass
Honorable N. A. JBvl8, pago 4
". . . .
"It ha8 been aon818tently held by all of our
appellate oourts that a tit10 or oaptlon exprersiq
8 purpore to 8mend a rtatute in a certain 98rtiou-
lu 1s deoeptioe and Isi8leadlng in 80 tar a8 the
body Of the aOt purport8 to amend the prior &V in
other partlaularr. 39 Tax. Jur. 104. While it I8
true, as stated tn paragraph 48, p. 102 or 39 Ter.
Jur.2 Wm title or an aaendatory lot 18 ordinarily
8urriant to allow an naendment geman to the
8ubjeot 0r the origina I rtatute, ir it pro9erlr
rpeallleo the ahapter and 8eatlOa. or the revl8lon
and srtiale, to be 8awutod;~ the 88ma authorit
further 8tater the lavt
**speoirloatioq 0r rmd 0r atmndrPsnt.-
“‘In addition to~h?i?it%iiient Of 8 pwp08e
to amend a given lnu or provlrion, a title m8 agp
OifJ the nature of the amendment nna vheFi doe.
80 thfi?itE --
-- m murt oonfo='-- - -
‘Among the many oaror alted in rupport of the
text 18 to be round the ease or Katl: V8r state, 54
SW (2nd) 130, In that 0186, the aaptlon read8 as
r0ii0w8 t
“An aat to amend Se&ion 14, Artiolo 7047, or
the Revlred Civil Statute8 or 1925, relatln to
bnd imposing an ooaupation tax on money
-----Id--
n era and
darinlng wuw and providing for Qartain erasptloru,
and declaring an emerge:.oy.’
“The body of the bill propoasd to plme a tax
on Boner lender8, but the 8eotlon ot th8 rtatute to
be amended vaa one taxing ‘loan brokerr’. The court
held the amendatory aat void. In tho oourao of the
oplnlon othe oourt 8ald;
*‘In rtatlng the prlnolpler from vhiGh ft my
be detormlned whether thr tltlo to a bill meet8 tho
requirement 0r neation 35, drtiala 3, 0r th0 con-
8tltutlon, YO 6re not to be underrtood a8 holding
that the titlo or an aot amendatory or an srtlolo
in a oode, such a8 our Revired Statuter, 18 inruf-
ridea ii it doe.9 no more than rarer to the oodo
.
886
Bonorablo U. A. ~vir, p6go 5
and the nuab~r of tho brtiQl0 themin. Tha OOUPtS
or thin Stat0 have hold that a r8forenoo to a num-
ber ot an artlok in a Code, Such 88 Our Revlssd
StatUteS, I8 SUrrlOiO5t ~JI th8 title Or a%i4Ot
aamndatory thOrooi, to allow auy aemndwnt ger~mbn0
to tho 8ubjOOt troatod in the art1010 rorerrod to.
English & Boottlah-Annrioan MOrt. & Inv. CO. v,
Rardy, 93 Tex. 289, 55 SN 169; Stato v. #oCrscicsn,
42 Tex. 334. Tho reason ror th0 holding appears
to bo that th0 nAming Or the artfalo to tn rprSiId-
ed dlreota attention to all Or th0 ~l’OVi8iOn8
therein, aa the rubjoat of the amending lot, and
that suoh provl8lon aan b0 aroertalned by read-
lng the artlolo to bc amended. However, when the
bgirlaturo rortrlotr th0 title 0r an ammdator
act by reiorenae to tho number in the oode ot t
Srtlole a?86 UOd. and anuounoo8 Its Durpo80 to deal
with th0 o~k.inalbill in re8Doot to Dartlaular
matters therein it 18 bound to gwern itself -
oordlnnly. and koeo within what itself dOalar$
would be tho liIIlit8 Oi LtS D,rODOSOd a0tiOIi. guther-
d Statutory Conrtructlon (2d Ed .J V01. 1. Sea,
3tate v8~hmrioan bkigar~Rer93& Co., 106 La.
553, 31 so. 181, 106.'
.
. . . l
“The trU8 rUh in ruoh OaSOSa8 Y8 have here
pre8OatOd is ruaoinctly stated in Texar Jurlrprud-
Onae, as rOliOvS$
‘Wwther a tit10 18 oompr8hen8ivr or rortrl.at-
ed, OXprOSSOdin gcnoral +aPS Or 111th partiaular-
lty, it must be in agroomont and oonforralty, and
not at V’Wi5~Nrs, with the SUbjoCt Or th8 hgiSl8-
tion. . . i h tit-l, 18 dOOeptiv0, ial oP PLiS-
leading ii lt dirguiser the tru0 purpose or the
not and ilnpOPt8 l SUbJOOt dirrOr0nt rroa that to
whioh the aut rOlatm. and uhether or not a title
StOtSS the gOIiOPa19UP908. Or tho aOt, It 18 Pia-
idbg ir it 8t8bIB8 SptOiriO pUrpOOO8in Such
lMIllk8r88 to dOnOOal Othbl’ 9lW908OS not Stated.’
“(39 Tox. Jur. 100, citing Bitter v. Bcxrr
County, 11 BY (la) 163, and OthaP CaSeS.)
goaorable U. A. Davis, page 6
"The original 0 inloo in the ease 0r ltr parts
E$ut8111, 38 SH (2d? 803, held the attempted amond-
story SOt invalid, and on SUbSOqWot motlOM for
fzpv~8ing 811 tWbO~8 Or th0 00-t OXp4JSSOd them-
. Said tho oourt through Judge I&timorol
"'hll -VA JMSSOd by the k@ShtWe Or t.hiS
State orLglnat8 la blllr, Upon laoh oi whloh must
appear a aaption or title, and Seotlon 35, hrt. 3
of out Coastitutlon iorblds that any bill, vith
oortah oxaoptlona ohall ooatala aoro tbm on4
SUbjO%t, vhioh Sh8i1 b o~orood ia it8 tith.
It has beoa held br the court8 that whoa the ex-
~e88 vorbiaga Or such tit10 linrit8 onb r~Stl“iQt.8
tho 9W9080 Or the bill, q StteIII9t to lOglSklt0
OtherWi8~ Fn 8Uch bfllmriant rrofa the pW'pO80
prerorlbad, i8 in exae44 0r the 1egl41at1v0 paver,
and that A 18P SUbjQUt t0 this OOm9lalnt iS UA-
conrtltutlonal.~
'The aaptlon of tho ammdatorg act hero under
conrlderatioa lndtoatsd the 9~r9080 or tho bill
related to ona Si.4510 thing, l.o., to the feO8
9aid oon8tabler. The tramore 0r the bill thus in-
rormed the publla and theLr rellou l4gi8lator8
that the pUr908e 0r the bill war to arreot the
feO8 of aonrtabler only. In the body or the bill
substantial change8 vero made arrwm.0g all roe
orflcers. All of them would be oatltlsd to hali
their costs in all their mi8deme8nor oa868, ex-
copt thoao di8lal88od, and mama vould bo 9ald by
~8varlou8 0ountlO8, unla8a paid by tho dofond-
.
"The Suprome Court in the ease or Yard Cattlo
& Parturo 00. v. Carpenter. 200 Sli 521, Wherein an
aot Of the Thirty-Third fsgl8latkWe (1913) 188 ln-
volvod, reiured to ranatlon an amaadaent to Artl-
ale 7235, R. C. S., exoludlng Xatagorda County
rrom a list or laumratrd oountict8entitled to la-
voke tho 8tOGk hV. Such lo tomittsd nstagorda
County under a aaptlon lnaludlng othernamed coun-
tiea. Chief Justloo Pht11ipS uaad the rOllOWg
languagei
888
Boaorablo li. A. DaVl8, pago 7
"'lhr purpO80 Or the OOMtitUtiOMi PrOViSlCn
la r48peot to tho~titlo or logi8lat1v4 aotr 18 well
und4rstood. It 18 that by mans of the title tho
lOBiSht0~ lEaYbo rOS8OMblY aDpr184d Of the SQODe
I the bill SO that SWDri84 and fraud in lOBiSlU-
&on may b wevont4d. True, aooordlng to provlour
a40i810n8 zr thf8 OOUTt, ir th0 tit10 had O&p do-
oluod that th4 ptlrpO84 Of the aOt Van to 8m4nd
artlolo 7235 or the R4vl8ed Statutes, it would
bov0 lup p o r an toSot
d amending the artlOlo 80 as
to omit Hatagorda County. But with thirr tit14
anaounoing, as it dobe, that the art1010 Was to
bo anendod In a partioulu Yay, no lsgislator
uould rrasonably havr aonoolved that it ma@ to
bo amended in another vay lx8Otly contrary to
that stated. This la a oaso illustrating the
vlddom and Justla8 of th4 oonatitutlonal prov1-
81On.'
'For addltlonal 08898 and authorltler on this
propo8ltLoa, a001
"guthorland on Statutory Construotion (1st
Rd.) Sea. 90, pa 99.
'39 Trx. Jur., sea. 48, 9. 102, et 84Q.
'H0h8an v* Widen & Sutherland (Clv. App.)
158 sU 571 (vrlt 0r error roiured
"Bwxusbttv. Stato, 42 SU (26
Rlia<on v. Rallvap Go,, 283 SU 75
'Arnold v. L8owd, 273 BU 799
"Bitter v. B4x8r Cbunty (Tex. Coma. App.)
11 SW (ad) 163
Vulr Roduot1on co. v. Garrett (Tel. Comm.
App.) 24 SU (26) 389.
1). . . l
mTho 0r 8 statute
Q,gtls haa no lnawzq roroo.
Vhsn tho body and thr tltlo are in aonfliot, th4
latter lW8t yi4ld. . . lI
In view 0r the abovo rules, therefOre, it 18 our
oplnlon that that part Of said HOuee Bill NO, 197 vhioh pro-
vider that 'no pr48orlbed form for reaordlng birth cartilloates
889’
Bonorable it. A. ikwlr, page 8
shall indicate that any birth reoorded or oertifhd wan ll-
legitimate’ 18 invalid h4vlng been pawed in oontraventlon
or %GtLOli 35 or hrtioie III of the Texas CoIl8titution.
Very truly yourr
ATTaflrn o- w mxA3
u. RI hllen
b88i8tWlt