State Ex Rel. Board of Commissioners v. Wright

163 P.2d 190, 62 Wyo. 112, 1945 Wyo. LEXIS 31
CourtWyoming Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 6, 1945
Docket2328
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 163 P.2d 190 (State Ex Rel. Board of Commissioners v. Wright) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wyoming Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Ex Rel. Board of Commissioners v. Wright, 163 P.2d 190, 62 Wyo. 112, 1945 Wyo. LEXIS 31 (Wyo. 1945).

Opinion

*117 OPINION

Blume, Chief Justice.

This is an original proceeding in mandamus, brought 1 in this court against the State Treasurer by the county of Laramie, to compel the State Treasurer to disburse 25 percent of the revenues derived from the gasoline license tax on the basis provided by Section 115-1108 Revised Statutes of 1931 as amended by Section 7 (1) of Chapter 72 of the Session Laws of 1935. The amended act of 1935 provided that of the revenues mentioned 25 percent should be disbursed to the several counties in the state, on the basis provided by the act; that out of such revenue should be paid the interest on the outstanding highway bonds, and that the remainder (nearly 75 percent) should be paid into the State Highway Fund, for the use of the Highway Department. The cities of Cheyenne, Casper and Rawlins were, permitted to intervene herein, and they have filed a brief and argued the case orally along with the main parties in the case. The State claims (in part concurred in by the intervenors), that only 23 percent of such revenue should be distributed among the several counties (including towns with a less population than 1500), and that 2 percent of such revenue should be distributed to the several cities and towns in this state over 1500 population, in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 157 of the Session Laws of 1945, as *118 corrected. That chapter as printed provides for the distribution to counties, including towns of less than 1500 population, of 25 percent of the revenues above mentioned, and 2 percent to the cities and towns of the state of a population of more than 1500. But the state claims that the term 25 percent is a clerical error and should be corrected by this court to read 23 percent. The petitioner concedes the error, but claims ,,that this invalidates the whole act, and that, accordingly the distribution should be made in accordance with the enactment of 1935 above mentioned.

The facts are not in dispute and will be briefly summarized as follows (leaving out facts which are not involved in the contention herein) : On January 19, 1945, there was introduced in the House of Representatives a bill known as House Bill No. 37 to amend subsection 1 of section 7 of chapter 72 Session Laws of 1935. The bill, in brief, provided for the distribution of 23 percent of the revenues above mentioned to counties, and 2 percent thereof to cities and towns of over 1500 population. The bill was amended in the House to provide for a distribution of 25 percent of the foregoing revenues to counties, without disturbing the provision in reference to the distribution to cities and towns, and as thus amended the bill duly passed the house. The Senate refused to agree to the amendment made by the House, restored the 23 percent mentioned in the original bill, and as thus amended the bill duly passed the Senate. When the bill got back to the House, the latter refused to concur in the action of the Senate. Thereupon a conference committee was appointed. That committee recommended several amendments among which were — the only one necessary to be mentioned — that only 23 percent of the foregoing revenue should be disbursed to counties (including towns of less population than 1500), and that 2 percent of such revenue should be paid to cities and towns of over 1500 *119 population, as. shown by the original bill. Both the Senate and the House agreed to these amendments, and the bill as thus amended was duly passed by both Houses on February 17, 1945, the last day of the Session of the Legislature.

The bill as thus passed was enrolled, known as Enrolled Act. No. 96, but instead of providing that 23 percent of the foregoing revenue should be distributed to counties, provided for 25 percent thereof. The enrolled bill, containing this error, was duly signed by the presiding officers of both Houses, and was- thereupon presented to the Governor of State, who, on February 27th or February 28th, 1945, approved the bill and filed it in the office of the Secretary of State, accompanied by the following letter:

“STATE OF WYOMING EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT CHEYENNE '
LESTER C. HUNT GOVERNOR
ZAN LEWIS SECRETARY
February 27, 1945
Dear Mr. Secretary:
I am attaching hereto Enrolled Act. No. 96, House of Representatives of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Wyoming, being Original House Bill No. 37.
This Act as enrolled provides for the apportionment of twenty-five percent of gas license tax revenue among the counties in accordance with the formula set forth in the Act. An examination of the journals of both the Senate and the House discloses that the bill as ac-' tually passed provided for an apportionment of twenty-three percent of the gas tax revenue among the counties; so it must be apparent that the Legislature never passed the Enrolled Act, at least insofar as it apportioned twenty-five percent of such revenues.
*120 If the only subject covered by the above Act were the allocation of gas license tax revenues to the counties, I would have no hesitancy in holding the entire Act as enrolled void. However, you will observe that provision is also made for allocation of two percent of such revenue to cities and towns. This part of the Act seems to be in the form actually passed, and since it can be separated from the invalid part of the Enrolled Act, it is my opinion that it would be upheld by the courts even though the first part relating to counties be declared invalid.
Therefore, wishing to assist the cities, a few of which are in need of additional revenue, and, at the same time, believing this matter can be taken to and decided promptly by the Supreme Court, I am approving the Act.
Yours very truly
(Signed) Lester C. Hunt Governor.”

I. The intervenors contend that we should adopt the rule that the enrolled bill as signed by the officers of the Legislature and the Governor, is conclusive on the courts, and should not be disturbed.

Some of the courts have adopted that rule. Other courts hold that, in order to determine whether an act has been passed in conformity with constitutional requirements, the journal may be consulted. In 1872, the court of the Wyoming Territory held that “if it should appear from the journals that any act did not receive the requisite majority, or that in respect to it the Legislature did not follow any requirement of the constitution, or that in any other respect the act was not constitutionally adopted, the courts may act upon the evidence and adjudge the statute void.” Brown vs. Nash 1 Wyoming 85. Union Pacific R. R. Co. vs. Carr, 1 Wyoming 96 followed that decision. Section 25, article 8 of our constitution provides that “no bill shall become a law except by a vote of a majority of all the *121

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Bjork v. Chrysler Corp.
702 P.2d 146 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1985)
Sanches v. Sanches
626 P.2d 61 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1981)
Sanchez v. State
567 P.2d 270 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1977)
Budd v. Bishop
543 P.2d 368 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1975)
State v. Stern
526 P.2d 344 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1974)
Harris v. Shanahan
387 P.2d 771 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1963)
State Ex Rel. Brassey v. Hanson
342 P.2d 706 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1959)
Barber v. State Highway Commission
342 P.2d 723 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1959)
State Ex Rel. Foster v. Naftalin
74 N.W.2d 249 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1956)
Hanson v. Town of Greybull
183 P.2d 393 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1947)
State ex rel. Williams v. Robb
183 P.2d 223 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1947)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
163 P.2d 190, 62 Wyo. 112, 1945 Wyo. LEXIS 31, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-board-of-commissioners-v-wright-wyo-1945.