Attorney General Opinion WW-0567

. .., . nonerable: Jack ,Roae, Chairman Opinion. No:~ W., ,567 ~~Bi3azWoS~~Pardonr~ and, Paroles.’ ” ” ‘~ C,@pIitol Bullding : .~ AuetUG Texae I’ ‘Dear Mr. Roea: ‘36: Restoration of -1ichre~ of ~a ~prrrgn .t6 drlv6 8 motor ‘vehicle :upoti the public roade, hlghwayr, ,+ntl 8tSeete, of, the State of Texae after final’donvlction for a penal offense which carriss ag aut’o- matia auspenslon of such licenee. From your letter’ of June ,10, :Jge, requerting ah dffio,- ial opinion of this office aoneetining,the above rubjeat, we _, quote: ‘In ,view of the 1936 amendment to.Artl.cle ,*, Sectlgn,. 11, of th&~ Te’ias Conetitutia& Qplnions of tormer Attori .‘, I:~“. :, ” &y Qene~als end th& recent decibion of ‘then Court of Criminal Appeals ,in Cause No. ,29;5Weetltled Chester P Lee Daviron, A pelant v6;. The.Stite *of. Tefa8, Appellee, ~’ ,. .~ 313~ S. u. 28 8 ,3, It thls%oard t@8peetfullJr requests your. ,, .C~ ,~’ .,I /. . . . . e /;,, ~,’ ,opinion ,on the’ followln~: .” ..,~, : “Doee~the Board 6f Pardone ibd Paroles have the ” ., . power to recommend +nd,tht Qovernor~to~grant the restoration’ of a license~~~to ,drive a motor vehiole . upon the public reader hltjhwa@ end street8 of the ’ ‘,, State of.,Texas after fligrl a’olivlctlon of, a ‘penal dffenee.whlch, under the liwr of,the Stat) bf TCx-,. s, a5; .carriqe”an aut+matlo’ rurpenition ,of ruch lit- ; ~;; ‘elyise?’ n :.v ,, ~‘.’ ,,,’ ‘. .~ h&l& 4,’ section 11 ‘a8 am&ded November:‘J,: 1936; ” “’ of the Constit:tion of the’Stats’ of Texas, ariatar ~the Board:,,’ .,’ ; : of Pardona,.and Paroles and sets forth it8 .dutles .and o~o-, : : ‘viOe* in paI% ae”‘follow?: :’ ‘. ,. ‘, ,:, .‘. .” ~.’ ., ,’ ‘. ,” :i; ,., ..’ , .: . :: ! ., ,.:’ ,, - Honorable Jack Ross~, Page 2 (WW 567) . ,‘.’ ., Attorney General Opinion No. o-6052 (lw) held that ‘. unher the’Con&titu’tlon and laws of. Texas the Governor, upon the favorAble recommendation of the ,Board of Pardons and Paroles, has the power to.restore the right to operate a motor.vehicle upon the public hIghWaX to a person who,has been cQnVicteb’of driving .~hile, intolxiaated,,snd who:has eerved hlg jail sentence or. paid. hiE ,.fine,, ,oi* both, ,after iinal con-. viction. Such ‘opinli>n held that:.the aUtOmbtlC~ s~spenstion’ of a driver16 license of one.convlCted,fo~.the’otf6nse of “drlv- lng a motor vehicle while under:.the~.in+ence of..$ntoxlcatIng ” ls~coritemporaneous With.the CQnVldtl~‘Under..the Penal %%e~ (~A.?W.cle ‘802., Vernon ‘8’ Penal Cbdei’ ,snti 1s ‘an l+or- &lb *.&tit &d :iiariel”‘~rf~fh’~“‘~“:eniltjr’ ‘ifCpb&d ;“,,‘-&fi opin@n stated ‘that such dusp’etirioe of. ‘the dH+eF! 8: 1Icbi)s.e was a *forfbIturh” by way of pun’If#Menli afkr. .@onvlotlbn In ~a. trim- Inal, case, I.e. j driving a motor vehf~cle while .under the’ in- ., .~ fluence of intoxicating ‘llquori and ae a .conaequenoe,~Ia an . . . . ,.. : . .incldent of the: punirrhment deecrlb~d ‘:by.,,ArtIcle 802 .of the . 9’. “Texas ‘Penal Code. : ., .. .‘,.. 2 .,/. “’ .~,,..~ One’ Who has been, convicted of ,the’ #en&l offense of drlv- I,” ‘lng whilk intoxicated; a8’ 8e.t fbSth.:,In ‘Aktlcl~ 802 of. the a: ‘~ ~2 Texas, Penal Code, i+uffer# the~,autoaatlc:r~~paarlon of hi8 i .; .J.’ “’ ,.: drlver~a.llcens~ under the prov$sion’9. bf $e.ct$qp: 24, Artii$e ,, ; .+. - : * .; : ; . : ! ; : .6687b, .JTeercion’s ClYll Statutes,; me~~pdrtint4nt lsnguage with- :...‘. Sri Se&on’ 24 of Akt.1Pl.e 6687b,‘.~Virnonlr :CIvil: ,Statutea, iii&b whlah owe are here’ concerned,,’ $roVlde.e ai ~followb.: . . ., ., ,:.; I :.,: .~., ., ‘a. The lfcense of”&ny pe&n rh*3’1.‘~~.rU~tio=l,l~ :,.. .~.. ‘.. suspended upon final 0onvibtlo~ of. any of,. the . ..‘. 8. following off6nses: .&. . ...; ..,’ ‘~ ,. .; . . . ~.’ ..’ ,, ,.I,-’ i “In all~&imi&l,cabei, except treason ,and *peach- ment, thi Governor shall have tie, power,. after cbn- viction, one the written, signed recommendatldn and advice of the Board of Pardons and Paroles, ,or of a ti Jorlty thereof, to grant reprieves and commutations o t gunlcihmentS and pardons; and under. euch rules 88 the, leglslature,may preticrlbe, ,and upon’ the written ret- ommendation and advice of the majority of the Board of Pardons and Paroles he shall have the power to remit fines and forfeitures, ,’ *” .’ . In an oral discussion wi’th you’i~, ~~o#“kd~lsed that the “Opinitine of Former Attorney ‘Ge0eralfb., ..to -which you refer in your opinion tietjuest, consist, of. Attorhe’y ‘General Opinion ,Wo. 0-6052. .’ . t ., . . . . I Honorab1.e Jack R&s, ,Page’:‘3. (WW 567) 2. . . . ‘. driving a mo:tor:.vehlcle ‘while under : the influence of intoxicating liquor or narcot,lc drug. . . . “b. Tht~susptns,lon,above provided for shall in the f lrst Instance be f,or ~a period ol alx months. In the event any license shall be’bnrpended ,under the provision of, this section for a aec- ond time; ,sald suspenslon shall be for a period of one year.” ,In the cast ~of ~Chtsttr Let Daiidsim v. The &ate of Texas,. suma. br tht,Eourt of Crlmihhl A nneals. said court ?ifsszE Pres$ding iti %h&& the Honorable U. A. Uorrison, Judge, stated that~“the~r:lght to drive is a ~prlvlltgt~~ and not a r1ght.t and in tiiDDort of I)amt Cited the ciists of Qll~aaplt-v.-titp&ment bi Public Safety 177;~Tatum v. Department of Public :Safttx &?5~.s~.w~d2!67, and numerous other cases. Llk I In &Id op’lnlon Pre-. sl$Mng Judge Morrison further iia$ that the suspension of???> a’drliier’s-license Is not a part of the pqhment v td by the ltgiala~urt~ but was an ancillary result of the,ib’ convlctlon. .~ %&-ha& madi a .thorough st@rch of those. cater In which a drlvtrls .~llci?&e has been’ msu8pendtd” in accordance with Section 24 ‘of Article 6687b, Vernon’s Civil St&t&&s, ,md ‘we can find no case In which tht,oourtr have referred to such “suspttision~ as a “forfeitirt.* &de&d, th.e ~cour(ts of Texas have uniformly adhered to ,the wordirq of tHq statute itiwlf ana wed the verb “susptnd~ jrhtn, Invoking .the provlslons of Section.24 of Artlclt 668?b. Vernonas Clvll ‘Statute&. To ..Ac@ordlngly, we atit unqb,l’k ‘to~~di&b ,.to Attorney &tntral’s Opiniok:No. ~0-6952 which hOld8’ ,that the ,~urpetislon Of a’ liCbn6t .of, &rib convlct~d under ~Atiticlt~ 803; ‘Vtrn6n’,i Ptntl Code, 1’9 a ~nforfel’tir~!’ and hereby ovtrrmle irid bpihion. . ,’ Honorable Jack,Ross, Page 4 (WW 5671.~ ,: Intismuch as the Court of Criminal Appeals ,ln the Davld- son case ~saw fit to dtclare.that the, suspension o,f a dciverls ,llcfintie',as,providtd for in Section 24 of Article 6687b was :. no% 'b,part of the,punlshment Imposed by Article 802 of'tht Texas .Penal Code and 'a %uspenslon" is ,not.reftrrtd to'in Artlcle.4, Sectldn 1'1 of the Coristitutlon 6f Ttxae, supra, you are'advised that the Board of,Pardons and Parolts,'dots not have the power to recommend, and the governor dots not have the power tb grant restoratl.on of a llctnst to drive a motor vehicle upon the public roads,, hlghw+ys~arid"&rtttt of 'the State of Texas after f.lnal convlctlbn of the penal of- fense which under .the flaws of the Statt, yof Texas carries an automatic suspension of. such llcenst. The Board of Pardons and Paroles d&s not have then power 'to recommend, and, ‘thb ,gbverzIor~ does not have the power to grant titrtoratlon of a llcetise to drive a motor .Vthltilt upon the pub- lic z-0868, highways and streets of the State of Texas after final conviction of & penal offense which under the laws of. the State of Texas carries . an automatic suspqn?lon ~of synch lltense. Yours very truly, MRT,JR:fd : APPROVED: OPINI~N~COM?UTTEE ,. George P. Blackburn, Chiirmin Jack &odm&n W.llliam E. Allen C. Dean Davis REV&WED FOR TH@ ATTORNEY QEN$dL : ap: W. V. Qtpptrt ." ! ..e-__ . . '. '.