Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1946 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Eonomble L. A. Woods
Superintendent of Publlo In~truatlou
Awtln, Texer
Dear SLrs Opinion lo. O-7238
Rer Don8tlon or ml. t
Philippine Irland8 of d
textbook8 mluiai
of the state.
"A nilLag from hour
qllertiorm bRs boon ml38
or &dw8tioIlt
tcr the exuhongo al-
8old a8 va8te popor?
iirrt que8tlon 18 la
heStekBr~rd ofEdooetlon
thoro out-W-rdoptlw text-
c a r ra y nlxchauge *llcmacre in thu
1 to colzrtituted ebucetiowl ageaater
Iz4ledlafor the exobnga allcwmae
You have altad Artfalsa 2876b sad 28160. ArtioIs
28 6b euthorizm the Sktb Supwintmadent OS Publie Iwtrwtlon,
8u out to thm rpprovol of the St&e Board of'Edwatlcm, to auti
-k
Honarebls L. A. Voode - Pege 2
rwh epeolfla rule8 @I & oly deea prOper 10 -8Z’d to th lW-
qUilftiGC, dl8tributiOU, OIPO, u88 end dirpO881 Of fXV0 kxt-
bock%; prwlded th8t ru0h rules 8h811 not oonfliot ufth the
provl%io~ of Th8 Frre Textbook Aot, or with the unlfcm kxt-
bG3k lsv Under the terma Of vhioh contreotr iOF 8~ppllor &ad
bOGLroem anda ~11th the publirharcr or vlth the tena8 d 88id
UPthOF 89MJLtiO811J 8UthWm8 tb
ublla Iartrwtlon, vlth the lpp.1~81
of th State B0md of Bduo8tlGn, to prwlde iOr th dt8p~ltlOE
of ruoh textbook8 88 8r8 880lOia@Erin 8 fit aO<iQn to k urd
for puPpare of 1Lutruat1Gm, cm fcW diraerded book8 rrrm8ining
the property of th8 State.
'PhLO dO~rtI8Oflt,itIpWViOU8 OpiRfO8ix0. o-5443, W88
Z'O~U@8td tC+8n8WF th0 fOllWf~.ql888tiOR w JOU8
“There are 00. bad In the ICam Depe81t0Fy et
Awtln 888ny textbooka 088 v~FIOOT 8UbjOO$-# vhloh
h.W 8057UIRU1~t.dkoOU80 Qf fb OX@WtiOaoi ten
eontwet fw the porEl.eular book8 8183 mplmeunt
by edoption of otlmr book8 Lo tb lubjwt
flold.
Th8 Bo8rd de8lrre to kaw vhrt 8uthoHtlee 8re
enpcmiewd todleporo of lwhaf theae book8 88 lrv
wittmr under aurrent adoptlon new wed aa #up-
pleaakry 8aume utarlel ln the publie fse8
eohoole. YOur 8tkntlQn 18 dimoted to Arttile
287& c+f the Ro~isod Matut. SC E&jag. Ztn Bcmrd
he8 ken l pprorobed vlth 8 pwpe881 for rale af
the meblo texta vhlah bve boon diraorded k-
aewo of th8 lxplr8tlon crfttm ldeptlon period,
aad de8im8 t0 b0 Odri8Od oOW3Wf&lqELit8 authcwlty
la th8 mtter of the mle OS t?n8o booka, and af
fm textbook8 whloh, beoru88 af ooodltlan, em
no longer wable la tha publl@ frw 8ohool8."
GUF ewwr to th elbors ueted imulry la CqMlan No.
O-5443, af?m quotlag Article 2872,,, R. s. lw5, W88 #I iO11af81
"Th3.8 8ktUk 8m8F8 t0 de81 8fDtK3%fifWll~Vfth
the very ee8enae of your lrqulry, end eupplie8 tha
8nmmP thereto. Vhlle the book8 m~ntloued &re sot
in an unfit %Oulltlota to bo uled*, tbey~nevertheloee
8re 'Ct8ci3tiedbwka Z~WfUitk$ the pmX'ty Of tb
state’. Thera~ore thsy my b8 dirpO8.d Or by th, St8te
Superlnteacientof Public Iwtxuotlon, vltb the epprovrl
of th8 state Bo8Fd of Edwstion,
"The 6ftsot oi tk!m .%atUt& require8 the jatnt
aOtiOn--that is, byinitiativeand approval--of the
Stat0 Superintendent and 0r the Stat6 BoardSo Or-
reat e aale.n.
:iithr%f%r%na% to the above-mention%& Statute%, 3876b
and +I5760ti.S. 1985, FUld the iOrU&Oin@l PrWiOUO O@liOIl Om8
departlaent,it 1s our 02lnlon in regard to the 8ubj0Ot inquiry
that th8 Stat8 tjuperintendentof Fubllo Instruotion and the State
Eoard or Lduoetion hm% th8 joint power, to sell to aormtituted.
l&u%ationel ag%noi%% Or th8 &ilippi~& II&?uI~s, or t0 8np &h&P
%gcnoy, out-of-adoption t%rtbooke or any other 0hB8 0r book8
whioh have at any tlav b&m a&Opt&d a8 textbook% sad rhloh are
no longer in a rit oondftlon to be used ror p-808 0r ia8trUO-
tion, 02 whioh %r& bisoarhd book8 rMi&iIIiugth8 property of th8
state.
It 1% our further opinion, hOW&~sl, that we o%zlnot
approve the outright donation or 8uob book8 a8 are U88%rlbOd
In the roregolng p%ragraph.
Beter8me i8 56d8 to t&O State Con8tftution whiah
provide8 in S6t3tiWl 3, h&i018 8:
-ax&t3 %h%ll b% levied and oolleoted by general
laws landror publio pUXpO8OfJ only."
Geotlon 9 or &t&O10 7 read8 in part:
” be the %uty of the State Bear&
It &AU
0r li&aXn*to ret aelde a 8uffiolent aumunt out 0r
the 8alb tax $0 provide ire8 textbook8 ror th% u%e
of ohildren attentig the publfo free sohoola of the
State.*
Seation 61, Artiole 3 reoit%e that the L%gt8latur%
8hall have no power to neke any gant, or authorlee the nrrk-
ing 0r any grant of publio tQOlIer8
to ma indiVfbU%l, a6800ia-
tfon 0r indlvidu~18, munioipal or other QOrpOEStlOnO whatro-
ewr, %nt¶f!i&OtiOII
6, Artlo 16 pr%vi~ee that no appropriation
for privet. or imlivldual purpose8 %h%ll be RS%~%.
In the 0680 of BoatI DIltriOt HO. 4. ShabP CoUIIt~
vI .Qlred (sup ct) 68 s.2. (a) 166, the 0ourt St&b&
"lt io the settled law of this State that fhe
above-quot%& COn8titUtiOld. pZoViSiQn (a%0 51, art 3)
is lntwzled to guard against and prohibit the granting
ox giving away of publio money exoept for striotlp
governmental purposes. The prohibition is an ab-,
solute one, enoept as to the olasa exempted thsre-
from, and opsratea to prohibit the Lsgislature from
atuitoue donations to all kinds of oorpora-
%$ & public, munioipal or politioal."
Again in Sexar County v. Linden (sup Ct) 280 S. il.
761, the court further held:
I
*MO feature of the Oonstitution is more marked
than its vigilanue for the proteotion of the publio
funds and the publlo credit against misuse. This
is exemplified by numerous provisions in the instru-
ment .
"The giving away of pub110 money, Its applioa-
tion to other than strictly governmental purpose8,
is what the provision (Seo 61, Art 3) is intended
to guard against. The prohibition la a positive
an& absolute one exoept as to a bist$!notlveclass
to whom the State is un&er 4 saored obligation
(Confe&rate Pensiona.) Not only areindiri.duaB,
association of lndividu4lta4nd private oorporations
within its spirit, but all kinds or pub110 or
polltioal oorporations as welli whether striotly
munioipal or not.W
And rin4iiy in .wtiple~v. kIaarrast
(sup ct)
108 Tar 5, 104 S.W. 180, the oourt heldi
I
*It is essentially true that (Sea 3, Art VIII
of the Constitution) does not permit taxation for
all purposes whioh in a broad and gensral sense
may bs regarded as public, but expressly oonfinea
Its exeroise to only those publio purpoaea ulth
whioh the State, as a government invested with
high and sovereign powers, but only 4s 4 grant
from the people and, therefore, to be solsly used
for the common benefit of all of them apd not as
a paternal institution may justly concern itself,
and to which, for that reason, the pub110 revenue
may be rightfully devoted . . . . It Is not all
things whioh answer a pub110 need or fill a pub110
want that it is with the authority of the State to
furnish for the people's use or support at the
public expense. Kanufacturing industries,
fionorableL. A. Aaoda - 2ag;e5
nllroaae, publio enterprises of many kinda, pritato
rohoola anC private oharitable imtitutlom ill afford
a service to the publio, but the &ate ia without any
power to md&taln them.*
Considering the above-quoted Oonstltutional pro-
rision~ and Supreme Court Deolsions, it is our opinion that
however wide and sweopiqg may be the &lsoretlon granted bj
Artiole 2876b and 83396sin dieposing of textbooks, neither
the Gon8~lon m-e Legislature autloipated conferring
pewee on the superintenbent of Public Instruotion en& the
State Board of Eduoation to 6onato pub110 property to pri-
rata aaenoles or ta public agenoies other than pub110
agenaiem of the State of Pexaa, rrgublesr of how Laudable
the purpose.
Yourm very truly
ATTOR%BY MDTBRIIIOF TIE.&%