Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1940 )

OFFICE OFTHE ATTORNEY GENERAL OFTEXAS AUSTIN Honorable Bert Ford nxas Liquor Contra AP8tl.n) Texar Deer sir8 rroa your lette xea or mall, par in aaoh the highways of to me that Seotion 6 of the Tsxae Liquor Con- orides the euthoTlty wr8ua0r the Tsraa Llqaor Control ihard a&&t by rule and regulation corraot the situation. "fn order to hare a barb for die- ouaoing certwin le&alanprotrr of the QUW- t&n, I submit herewfth the &lit of a form Honorable ;iert Ford, Pags 2 of regulation representing substantially the type or reetriotfonu whioh I think might be helpful. ‘1 would like very muoh to have your opinion as to thr Boara’a legal 8uthority to adopt this or nimlltir regulation and wtll appreciate a reply at your earliest convenlonce ." At the outset it 18 advi8abl8 to 8tatr th8 general principle tbt oonotltutes th8 foundation u on uhioh any air- . . of cussion . - powers thr -. . of tinereoutive 4ab 13 strativ0 body mum 08 oases. That Is, such boa188 are orsaturo8 of the Legislature; therefore, in the ererolse of their lunotioA8, they are bound within the term8 of that rttltutory autthorlty accorded thsm by their oreatlng agency. any aeviatloA iron their delegated legislative ftmotlon is normally eubj8ot8a to jualoial correction. Coneeqarntlp, if ths Texas Liquor control i30ara has the power oontonaoa ror herein, it om3t be found in the 6tatutorp provision8 areatlng that board and aefhing its pwsrs. Seotlon (a) of the Acts of the 44th Legielature, 1935, &d hii0a 5eoelon. p.;~l995, ah. 467, Art. I, 860. 6i Aoto 1939, 45th Leglsiature, 9. 10!!3, ah. 448, 880. (I (Vor- non18 xnnotated Penal Code, .+tlale 868-6 (a)) provldee th4t the Board is: "To supervise, lnspeot, tAa regulate every-phase of tim bu6lne.w of manufaotur- ing, iqmrtatlon, exportation, tranrrporta- tfon, atorags, sale, al8trlbutloA, porre8- 1310~ror the gurpoee of sale, and poe8eseion 0r all aloohollc beverages, fAOiUdiA the advert lelng @Aa labeling thoreo 7nTiAa- reegeots Aeoeasary to aaaompllsh the purpore8 hemby Vested lth =%P* power tm authority to prfseribe The B0ard i all AeoeZary rulea end regulations to that end; to require the riling of euoh report8 and other data by all pereona engaged in Amy phaee of the alaoholio beverage buEiAe88, which it may deem necessary to aocompllsh the purposes of this Act; to eupervlae aAd re~ulato all lioensees aaa permlttao8 and their plao88 of buslneee in all matter8 aifeoting the general public, whether herein spsoifloall~ KfmAtioAed 269 XOAorable Emrt Ford, 2age 3 Ol'AOt, i;Ad to authorize it8 4goAts, #or'VMt8, ana employees UBdSr Its alreotlon to carry out the provisioaa hereof.* (UAa#r800riB& ours) Yeotion (t) of the saw Artiole provides that the Board i5: *To require by rule and r8gulatloA that DAY 1ipuOr #old iA this State shall corafora~ln ill rospeota to ths 4dVQrtfSea quality oi eucrh produotr; to promUlgat4 rules lrAdregulation6 governing 14belllng itna advertising 0r 411 liquors IA striot aooordanee with the labelling and adver- ti#iAfJ r8@ll4tiOA8 Of the FOaer4i AlOOhOl AddAi88r4tiOB; tv adopt and 8Aforoe 4 etanaara of quality, purity, and IdeAtity Of all alcohollo beVSrA~e8, and to &X0- UU&gate ai1 suoh a%188 and r8gUl4tiOB8 48 shall be aeomea Beo8884ry to,iul1y 84?8- guard the pub110 health and t6 InsUre S#IRitlrY OOAditiOBS in th8 ;uBUfSOtWiB& r#ti.Billg,bleAdiAg, %liX.iAg,pUdfyiA&,' bottling, pnd rebottling of 4ny aJ.$oholio beverage end the sale thereof .* (Under- aoorlng OUrS) It 18 to be BOtOd i&it wherens SeOtfOA (4) tef8rS to advertielng in 4 very goneral mep~er, seotlon (f) 4tteIspts a ¬e detailed rAd elaborate de#criptioA or the r~l## and regulation4 to be presoribed by the Board with r88paat to the advertisemAt or 4100hollo beverages. Further, w8 ob- SeX-VS that SQOtlOB (f) U8OB 4UOh phraSe8 48 %dvWPtkd qU41- its* I "quality, purity, and ldentltg”, mea.feguard the publlo health." IA 00AEtrUiAg a StatUte, an a#oertafnssBt Of the law-makers* intent playeaprirolrf and vital role. To 4000~t- plleh thls, the OOAt9Xt of the 8tstUte mUat be OOAStXWed a8 a whole, and general words and provision4 are to be aonsider- ed in the light of mOra partleulz oAe8. Further: WLegi81ature4, like (IOurts, must be considered ct8 u8lAg expreasione conoern- ing the thing they hate in hand; and it would not be e fair method of lnterprs- tatlon to apply their words to subjeotr fionorable 3ert Ford, Pago 4 not within their consideration. tlndwhiah, If thought of. would havs been mre par- ticularly md carefully diapoaed of.* Sutner an d on Strrtutorg Conatructlon, 84a- ti0na 254, 239 -8 841. It awma ol4a.r tht ths Lagialatur4 aontamphted regulations other than that of the size, ahapo, ohsrabter, or location of those rarioun devloea employed aa a maaa of attracting the pub110 to 8ome oertain dispsnaary 61: dasignad to fooua th4 publie! attention up o n loma par- tioular brand or branda of aloobollo beveragea. By palargo of this aot, they were atteaptin(l. to provide a r ua a dy fo r l oonoeivably groatar avil whloh might aria4; namalf, the oen- trol tmd r4gulatlon of outward reprasantationa throu& a&vor- tiaomanta or tha quality, purity and idcinttty of aloohollo bav4r4ga4, thus deaigalng to insure the oonaumr againat being adsled by &arapraaoatetlona through pub110 adrer8lao- aant. he no hold. By raaaon or tha foragof~, tlmrefora, we raapoa*- fully udvia% you that It ia our opinion that the Taxaa Liquor Control i3oard is not smgowered under the present atataa OS the law to promulgate, adopt anO. onforoe rule8 and re&ula- tiona governlug tha uaa oi al&W, billboards or other man8 of advortlaing alcohol10 bavara&ea ualeas auoh advertlamaant inaorreotly and ralaaly repraaeata the quality, purltf or identity of an aloohollo beverage, or in ol auah a nature aa m&ht be d44nnd aa datrimenttal. to tba pub110 morals. In ~onoluaion, we wlah to point out ior your ln- rormation that tha rollowing portion or your proposed rule8 and ragulatlona la oluarly unauthorized: "any billboard or eleotrlc sign whan- aver and wharerar dlaplagad in a marmar not authorized by this rule end regulation shall be oonsiaared lllogal l qulpaant and aontra- bemd and 4uOjeot to seizure as provided in :;8OtiOn 30, Artioh3 1 Of th4 Taxa Liquor Control Act.” (ii44 Article 666~30.) aM.414 666-90, V*rnon*a -tatad Panal Code, ap- p1j.84 only to Willogal lquipm4nt for m4nUfamkrlng any aloohollo bsv4ruge8”, thua clearly rajeoting any sign or billboard, used 271 &norablo Yert Ford, Peg@ 5 for purgosss of advertismant, from its deflnsd oategory. Truettng that ths above satisfactorily anawara your inquiry, we rernaIn, Yours vary truly