Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1942 )

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~FFIOEOFTHEA``ORNEY GEN``~ALoFTEIU~S
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lionorable
tiOr& 8. GhepQtWd
Comptrollerof.Publio Aooounts
Austin,.Texas
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Doer Sir:
:Rer .Diatribu
relatingto the above matter.
letter reoei*ed iron General
nG the Dmd mong all
laina to pensions hsve
d, shall.we teke into
of deceased penaloners
ed and filed?
inp,this quos-
,-1942 balance
uhen the I$!+2ad velorez~ tax psy?rentswill bogin
. to coxiein. The gaqz3nt.airon the fund in Say were
S67r743.95. Yach.succeedingaonth the paymnts
will decline in Lxeging with the decline in the
numb-r 0: penaio~ors. It is our estiziatet&at at
the end of Ociobcr, but before any of the new year’s
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honorableworge Ii,Sheppard,Page 2
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taxes me Gsposited to the fund there’klll be 8
balance of ag?roximtely
. In the fund.”
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You do quote fkon a report rr.sde
by the Et&e
Auditor dated yebruary 28,,1942,whiob $ndioates,that In the
last ten years approrimtely 31,12l+,987.0,2 heve.been spent
in xc8intaininghones Sor Confederatesen $nd wonen which sm
does not include an annual edniuistrationexpense of the
Conptroller'oDepartment in an approximatemount of $?,OCO.OO
You edvisc that it has been suggested that the sur-
flea% the ConfederateFension I'uudbe.:use&to,repky the last
rcsntioneatmouuts; .~,. :
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For t& purpose of thle.o&&&~we nkd~'c&sider‘ ,'
only the folio-w;uaprovisions of the Constitutionqud statu-
tory laws: i .. .: ., ,. _.
'Artibiti
~I?% Seotion a, of .th’e
CorAitution of
Texis, provides as foilo~sr
*The Legisiature'shallhqve'&``Dokerto u&e, : "
sny @ant or authorize-themkin~of arg,.grsnt
of pub110 moneys to euy lndividual,'aasooiation
of individuals,.,``olpal or other corporations
whatsoever; provided,~ho'tiever, 'theS,eglnlature~&p
grant aid to SndiSent and disabled~CqnfedaraCe.;sol-
diera and.seilors ur?d.er kuch rcEulatiotis and lo%&
tations es my be demed by the Lczislatura’ as’ex-
podlent. end to their ~Ldows in iucimnt oiroB:-
etances un&?r such remulstions snd lirultetions as
nag be d.ee~edby the Lori.sl~nture 8s ermdient; . .
.~. and also gxmt for the estsblisizmt e!:dmain-
teoancc of a,hoge for said ‘soldiersand eriilorn,
their vioes end v;idom acd v:o~:cu
;y*:~:-~Cdnfea*‘, uho side6 in the
VS.‘ rc!c.~,,,``der~..``hh-:raCuis.t3.0~3
and~llx3.tat,ioqe:
as p.eyte provided’for by law; provided the Lcgis-
lature cay ~providefor hushacd cud wife to rszain
together in the horn.. Th’%exeis hereby levied in
addition to cl1 other taxes heretofore u&ref.tt”cd
byethe Cocstitutlonof Texas, a State nh vcloren.
tax on proncrty~of 3ewn f&07) ccnta oa the 030
hundred (.ziiOO) dollars valustion for the purpose
of orcstins B special fund for the poymmt of pen-
eionu for zervico~ in the Confedorute6m.y and navy,
frontier ori:anlzaZions 6nd~the r:lliti~a of the State
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mnorable``George8. +epperb,
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or Texas; ana for
the v&lo;vsor such soldier3 serv-
ing fin 3cia srz!la3,
nevies, orfganlzationsor mill-
* . tic!;provided that the'ic~islaturelcayreauce ths
tax rate herein IcvioC, and providea further, that
the.provisions of thi3 section &hsll.not be con-.
strucd DO aa to sreveot the gml;t of ala ~ln,c3303
of pub110 oalanLty.n .(Undersoorin&ours)
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Artlole',6221, \';
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. A, Cy !ZLip~ovid&a3 follow3r
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*Cn the 1st &y oi'eaoh &a%& m&t& the
Co&troller ~ehall.-psyto.eeoh refried mteren w&o
is living with. his wire, B pension or i%rty Dol-
lars ($50.001 per nonth.Zor as-long 33 they both
may live, anilsfter the deeth.or either party,
.then’the said .yeterenor hL oPla0w stilly living
shall only.araw en einountequal:to other vetcrsns
or ,tbeirwidowa.. To.cash Veteran now ukarrled
or a wiaower or.wMow who ‘13 'Xlrewln& 9 pension or
whose applicationmzy.be hersafter approve&,:-shsill
. be pai& the ‘EU~ .oi’ 'Twenty-fiveI)oll3re($25.00)
pei?wonth for 'eeh&h mcr, and tho remainder or saia
jennion fund (3fter rcinbu--'-- A%- ---.----Revenue
ma ror 8nY eavancfn3cnt t 1the
tall.be ef4u&W moratiea aEong 811~ _,
claS.r33
toe-~ensiorshave
,-shod..s~oriled. %I.1:peksionssh$Q be-
&In on the first dey.or 'thocalenaar month follow-
,inti:
the approve1 of the smlioation.*
-- (fsnderecor-
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ing our%-- :’
_. We:eh3vo.bee&unable to rin& ahy~anthor$tlesk&oh ',
speoiiipal~g,~relate``to‘y~our
'questiossana~em therefore.rele-
Eated to e oonsiberation~of'thegeasrel ooestruotlonsplsoet:
on ponslon lews ana to an interpretationof th3.statute3 ana
constitutionalprovisions applying to our'partioulergroblens.
"Thb unquest%omdru~e'io that a pension
wanted by public authorities 13 not 3 oontxoct-
uol obl5gti.m but a gxstuitous allowance, in ,tho
cOnCinuaocc of u;hichthe 2)msionar hss CD vesten
rights; snfithat a pemion is acc0rili;lgl.yterma-
blo at t&i0vii11 017th0 grtthtO?,either ~ii>
vkole or ..
RonorableGeorie R. mappard, P&e k :..
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*a,
in part." 21 R. C. I,.,s8OtiOn 7, page 242, et
seq. D8% 8160 32 T. J. pp..769 et Seq.; 54 A. L.
R. pp. 943 et se?.; Chalk v. Darden, 47 Tex. 438.
k'e observe th@t th8 QCUStitlltiOIlti PrOViSiOn r8-,
latingto Uonfederate pensions above does notoontain any
'.speciriio langueg8 0ontrOlling the dietribution0r the rmd
oollaotedthereunder but speoifioallpaeys that *the'l.egis-
lature may grent.%ld. 6`` .~under such regulations and Mimi-
tetiona as may be deemed es expedient". In pursueno to the
above constitutionalauthority the Leglsletur8 enaoted Arti-
018,‘6221, V:A. c.. s .,.whioh contains the only provisions
llOw On th8 StfAtUtWS W3tth[i forth derinit8 dire&ions iOr .i.,
.paying8Uoh pehsions; f&i018 6,221, 89 above set Out, pro-
vides thet each marri8d.Yeteranshall reoeiveyifty Dollars
per month and each unmarried vetcran, wid0~8r or widow; shall
be paid the.sum of Twenty-rive Dollars .pcrmonth and then
states "the remainder or. said penf&on fund. . ..shall be
equally proreted emonE 811 or said pansloners whose claims
to pensions h&V8 been6stablished eod ii18dw. This 18St
quoted~cleusa~do8snot ,stipuletewhather such remainder shall
be equally prorated.tomarried .end. unmarriedveteran8 or
widows 8lik8; when such~.proration~should be oaltulated or
mede; or'whether or not 'the claims ot d8086Sed pensioners
shonld be oonsldered in such proration..-
The general WI8 &i to ind8riniteprovlslons’of
sttatutes is that such portiono ere unenforoeable~88 is dhovn-
by the following quotetionr
*An eot o+ the Ie&slatdre, to hnve.tha force
and efreat 0r a law, mustbe intelligibly,expressed.
Xhere the term3 of an aot.are co vague a8 to Oonv8y
"no definite nuanlng to those vhose duty it Is to
it is in-
oxecutc it, ni``steyi~a,lly.o``jud~cfally, j
w 5g'Corpiis'JuriS.
~op6rotlvs. pp..691 et seq. ~fss
also 25 R. C. L. pp. 810 et seq and authorities
there oited.
The authorities indio%te thst such unQnfOroe%bl8
provisionszay be %opsratcd ani!rerralni2~portfons of the stot-
ut8 e&forced.
~klthou$~ an ect is open to thooritlciam
of lndefinitcncssand uncertnicty~asto eo:deot
Its provisions, such -factwill not render lt.vold
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-&norable George &Sheppard! P8ge 5
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r0F unoertaintyin Its aore esro&lal pr&lsions'
so long as they 8~8 capable of enlor~emmt, or
' ' in so far as the other provisions of the sot axe
oleerend ds~lnlto.n 59 Corpus JuI'i8.2~. 604.
%Q also 25 3.C.L. pp. 511 et seq. and authori;
ties oited..
.-ieniionseuoh 88 thorn under disoussionere gI-;FatL&
tous allow8nc88vihiohshould,bedetinitoly provided for by
statute.' bh8n w8 observe how.inderin~te is the language ln
Article 6221 IT.A. C.S. whichrefers to eny rersinder in th8
CoafederateFension i?und,we cennot.esoepethe conclusion
that~such ,lenguagemist reii; -although the.other portions or
this statute are definite and tbbra~ore eriforce8bLe. ',
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you 8r.eth&eio2& 8dvised“thatth&rplua.in th8
"Confederate?ension Tuna'is not~subjoct.to~proratlon enong
said penslonereatid,thatitis our opinion thet ~0 peymnts
may be ztadeir@a said fund except those specificallysot out
i&the statutes ieleting thereto. This anaVer precludes the
neoessityior's reply.to your other questions. .
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c-Yoursvery truly:.'
OF TE?xAs