ATTORNEY GENERAL
Under provisions set out in the Texas Constitution, the Texas Government Code, 
Title 4,  402.042  and numerous statutes, the attorney general is authorized to 
write advisory opinions for state and local officials. These advisory opinions 
are requested by agencies or officials when they are confronted with unique or 
unusually difficult legal questions. The attorney general also determines, under 
authority of the Texas Open Records Act, whether information requested for 
release from governmental agencies may be held from public disclosure. Requests 
for opinions, opinions, and open record decisions are summarized for publication 
in the Texas Register. The Attorney General responds to many requests for 
opinions and open records decisions with letter opinions. A letter opinion has 
the same force and effect as a formal Attorney General Opinion, and represents 
the opinion of the Attorney General unless and until it is modified or overruled 
by a subsequent letter opinion, a formal Attorney General Opinion, or a decision 
of a court of record. To request copies of opinions, phone (512) 462-0011. To 
inquire about pending requests for opinions, phone (512) 463-2110.

(Editor's note: The Office of the Attorney General submitted
 notice of Letter of Opinion LO-96-071 (ID #38869) in the November 8,
 1996, issue of the Texas Register (21 TexReg 10952). Due to an error, the
 Letter of Opinion Number was published incorrectly as LO-96-064, the
 ID number as well as the request and summary are printed correctly. The notice
 is reprinted here as follows.


Letter of Opinion

LO-96-071 (ID#38869). Request from David
 R. Smith, M.D., Commissioner, Texas Department of Health, 1100 West 49th
 Street,  Austin, Texas 78756-3199, concerning whether a special hospital may
 provide  surgical and obstetrical services.


Summary
Special hospitals, as defined in
 sec.241.003(11), Health and Safety Code, may not provide surgical or 
obstetrical
 services.