Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1951 )


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  • Ron. Robert S. Calve&
    Comptrollerof Public Accounts
    Austin, Texas                 Opinion   HO. V-1255
    Re: Legality of expend-
    ing moneys to admln-
    lster the Act creatlng
    the Board of Vocation-
    Rear Sir:                           al Rurse Examiners.
    Your request for an opinion reads as,follows:
    "Sec. 13 of H. B. Ho. 47, Shapter 118,
    of the Regular Session of the 52nd Legisla~
    ture, reads as follows:
    "'Sec. 13. Upon and after the effective
    date of this Act, all moneys derived from
    fees, asaessments,or charges under this Act,
    shall be paid by the Comtulssion into the
    State Treasury for safe-keeping,and shall
    by the State Treasurer be placed in a sep-
    arate fund to be available for the use of
    the Comnlsslon In the admlnistratlonof the
    Act upon requisitionof the Commission.
    All such moneys so paid Into the State
    Treasury are hereby specificallyappropri-
    ated to the Commission for the purpose of
    paging the salaries and expenses of all
    persons employee or appointed as provided
    herein for the administrationof this Act,
    and all other expenses necessary and proper
    for the admlnistratlonof this Act lnclud-
    ing equipment and maintenance of any sup-
    :plies for such offices or quarters as the
    Commissionmay occupy, and necessary travel-
    ing expenses for the Commlssion or persons
    authorized to act for it when performing
    duties hereunder at the request of the
    commission. At the end of the calendar year,
    any unused portion of said funas in said
    special account shall be set over and paid
    Ron. Robert S. Calvert, page 2   (V-1255)
    into the General Revenue Fund. The Com-
    ptroller shall, upon requisition of the
    Ccmmisslon,from time to time draw
    warrants upon the State Treasurer for
    the amount specified in such requisition,
    not exceeding however, the amount In
    such fund at the time of making any requl-
    sitlon; provided. however. that all moneys
    exoended in the administrationof~this
    Act shall be snecified and determinedby
    itemized aonrooriationin the General
    departmentalAppropriationBill.' (Under-
    scoring supplied.)
    "This House Bill Ho. 47 was not
    presented to this departmentand certified
    as required under Sec. 49-a of Article
    III of the Constltutian.
    "I call your attention specifical?.y
    underscoreapr~vislon of Sec. 13,
    ?!bls department Is setting up its
    appropriationledgers and before setting up
    this appropriationfor the use of the Board
    we desire your opinion as to whether the
    fees, assessments,etc., under this Act are
    appropriatedand available to the Board
    from and after the effective date of the
    Act.
    "This Is a new law and this department
    has made no departmentalruling that would
    cover the above question. We are doubtful
    that the monies are available to the Board
    under the restricted language above quoted.
    However, It is argued that the language
    'specifiedand determinedby itemized ap-
    ; priation in the General DepartmentalBills
    j applies to future General Departmental
    : Bills and not to the present ensuing Depart-
    mental Bill. This Act Is a ninety day bill
    Hon. Robert S. Calvert, page 3   (V-1255)
    and does not become effective until
    September 7th, one week after the
    effective date of the DepartmentalBill
    for next biennium.
    "We respectfullydesire your opinion
    and answer to the above question."
    House Bill 47, Acts 52nd Deg., 1951, ch.
    118, p. 197, referred to In your request, creates
    a Board of Vocational Rurse Examiners to adminlster
    the provisions of the act. The purpose of House Bill'
    47 Is to regulate the practice of vocationalnursing.
    The Board is given the power to employ necessary
    personnel to carry out the provisions therein.       \
    Section 13 of House Bill 47, quoted In
    your request, makes an appropriationof all moneys
    derived from fees, assessments,or charges under
    House.Bill 47 for the purpose of "paying the salar-
    ies and expenses of all persons employed or appolnt-
    ed as provided herein for the administrationof this
    Act, and all other expenses necessary and proper for
    the administrationof this Act, Includingequipment
    and maintenance of any supplies for such offices or
    quarters as the Commissionmay occupy, and necessary
    traveling expenses for the Commission or persons
    authorized to act for it when performingduties here-
    under at the request of the Commission.
    While Section 13 of House Bill 47 con-
    tains the proviso, that "all moneys expended in the
    administrationof this Act shall be specifiedand
    determinedby itemized approprlailonin the General
    DepartmentalAppropriationBill, the general appro-
    priation bill does not itemize the appropriations
    to be expended by the Board of Vocational Rurse Rx-
    &miners. Therefore, if effect is given to the above-
    quoted proviso, it will be impossible for the pro-
    visions of House Bill 47 to be administeredby the
    Board, since there would be no money available for
    expenditure.
    In Dolan v. Walker, 
    121 Tex. 361
    , 
    49 S.W. 26
    695, 697 (19321, it was stateUS
    Hon. Robert S. Calvert, page 4   (w-1255)
    The rule is also well estab-
    lished Chat-the courts cannot adopt'the
    construction of a section of a statute,
    no matter how plainly required by its lan-
    @age standing alone, which would defeat
    the Intention of the Legislatureas re-
    flected in the whole statute: Moo&an
    v. Terrell, 
    109 Tex. 173
    , 
    202 S.W. 727
    ."
    It was also held in Wood v. State, 
    133 Tex. 110
    , 126 S.W.26 4, 7 (1939):
    "It is the settled law that statutes
    should be construed so as to carry out the
    lenlslative Intent. and when such Intent
    Is once ascertained,It should be given '.
    effect, even though the literal meaning of
    the words used therein Is not followed.'
    .SinceIt was clearly the intenti6n of the
    Legislature to regulate the practice of vocational
    nursing, it Is our opinion that the approprlatlon-
    contained in Section 13 will be available for ex-
    penQlture upon the effective dete of Rouse Bill 47,
    and for a period of two years thereafter,for the
    purposes stated therein. An appropriationof money
    from the Treasury may not be made for a'longer
    period than two years. Tex. Con&. Art. VIII, Set;
    6. In order for these fees to be available for ex-
    penditure thereafter, It will be necessary for the'
    same to be reappropriatedby the Legislature.
    In connectionwith your question regarding
    the necessity of the Comptroller'scertifyingthe
    appropriation,it is our opinion that the appropriation
    contained In House Bill 47 Is not the type of approprl-
    tlon for which a certificateIs required under Section
    49a of Article III, since the bill only appropriates
    the Sees to be collected. Att'y Gen. Op. O-6626
    (1945).                                  -- ``
    SUMMARY
    Failure of the Legislatureto make an
    ltemiaed appropriationIn the general
    appropriationbill for expendituresof the
    Board in accordancewith the proviso in
    Seotjion13 of House Bill 47 does not affect
    the availability of the appropriation
    / made
    Hon. Robert S. Calvert, page 5   (V-1253)
    by the general statute itself for the
    first two years in which the Act is
    operative. Otherwise,the Intention
    of the Legislatureto regulate the
    practice of vocationalnursing would
    be defeated.
    The appropriationcontainedin
    Section 13 of H.B. 47, Acts 52nd Leg.,
    1951, oh. 118;~. 197, will be avail-
    able to the Board of Vocational Rurse
    Examiners on September 7, 1951, (effec-
    tive date of H.B. 47), for expenditure
    for the purposeX?if-administering the
    Act.
    APPROVED:                        Yours very truly,
    J. C. Davis, Jr.                   PRICE DARIEL
    County Affairs Mvlslon           Attorney General
    Everett Hutchlnson
    Executive Assistant
    BY
    Price Daniel                       PLJohn Reeves
    Attorney General                      Assistant
    JR:em:gs
    

Document Info

Docket Number: V-1255

Judges: Price Daniel

Filed Date: 7/2/1951

Precedential Status: Precedential

Modified Date: 2/18/2017