Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1945 )

416 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN *norable ild.#. Cbnmbero, Chairman :Ieyenusand TarnLion Coznittes FUSS of iiepresentatlrar tosty-ninth Legirlature kuetin, TaXAs Fund, and it be- law, arid tlw General uo Pun4 raaoM8 tha de- lnt, would it be r0r the Stats 1.r of Publlo AO- t0 iO8uO a6ri0it Ei**lJt. OOVWia@ th6 appro- DrhtlOn? AIla Othar rd.&tea opinion ruque0tamain viewof u, understand you deriro an opinion ~IPtllG Lefi$slat.ure, by a row-firm8 rote of the tots1 rnembershlp of each House, passes an epproprlatlon bill, rnrrklag an approprfatlon rrom the General kevenue iQnc¶, and it beoobtda a law, and th6 General fierenue Fund r6rohre tkm befioit point, would it be porrlbie for t&m State Com9troller to tame vwrrants coverlag, the appropriation? e. *Should an e?prcprIatIon bill be passed by a four-riftbe ;najorIty o? eeoh ,Houae, would suoh a vote be evidence than An eaargenoy Au An lmperatlre nroeealty exietea:’ 3. nShoulathe approprlution by the IPglalAturo be within the Comptroiler*s ratimfato a8 tilea under oath with the Oovernor, and ir Itluba~pwntl~ should develop that for some UnfOres6en oauao th e louroea of revonw 8hou~a aiminlnh to the poIht that it w0uia not aeet tha a~proprlatIon, w0ua the aerioit thus oreateb be A la& obllg~tloa upon the StAte?v Tha eourta hove never oonatruad the language In Seo- tlon 49s of krtIole 3, as adopt4 by the voton at the oleotlon held In Hovorobar 1949, and we ahall attempt to oonatrue 8a.ae to- gether with other asotiona ol the Constitution, particularly the ioliorlng lmotIon8: “Se0. ars,Art. 3. He bill aball have ths form oi a law, until it has bean real on three several daga In eaoh Heuse, and tree dlao~usalon el- low0a thereon; but in oases OS iqmmtlve pub110 naoeaalty (whIoh naoeaaity Wall ba atsited In n preamble or In the body of the bill.) four-fifths of tha Houaa, In whloh the bill maf be porrding, may suajmnd this rule, th8 ye@8 and nays bein@ taken on the question oi auspenaion, and entered upon the ~Olml418." “Soa. 39, Art. );. Ho lew psaaed by the LagIs- lature, eXoept the general aQpropriAtiOa Pot, ahall take ofieot or go into for00 uhtll nloety day8 after the AdjOurrrPIIntof the session at whioh it was lhAoted, unless In owe of an emorgenoy, which emergenor must be Arpreeaed In u preaablr or in the body of the act, the Legislature ah~ll, by a vote of two-thirds of all the nmzbera alooted to each house, otherwIse direct; said vote to be taiiea by yeas aWi nuya, and sutered upon the Jo arIluls. ” *tiea.49a, at. 3. It aball be the duty of the ~m~troller 0r Pub110 ncomnta in crAmmoe or Ohoh ii+ gular seoslon of the Ls$ialr*ture to prsparo and sub&t to t&e Governor and to the LegialatUre upon Ita conven- ia a atatewnt under oath skiowing ruliy the tinanoial 8onAItlon of the State Treasury at the OlOae of tbo last flsoelpsclod end an latlncrte of the probable neelpta und dIabUr6emntr for the then ourrent rlaoal par. her 8hAl.l 18o bo oontrined n as d 8tctteiuent en TJto zed eat bi at0 of the ant101 pate 4 revenue baaed oa the laws then La afieot thet will be rooelred bf end fop the ritete from all aoero~a l howlng tha fund scootit to be aradited during the l uooeeding blonnium end maid atetosent ahell oontela lueh other Informetlm 0.1 may be mpulr@3 by law. Supph~ntSl 8tAbISSnt8 ahall be aubnitted to any S9eolal Searion o? the kgl8- J.eter ende at luoh other tlm88 a8 may be aooeaaary to ahow probable ohaap8e8, Vkor amI aftor Jutwry 1, 194S, lava in tbr oaao OS emergency aa& lqetatlre pub110 aaoo8aIty and with a four-fifth8 vote or the total aeaber8hip ef eeoh Rouse, n0 lpproprletloa la oxam of tha oeeh end eatlol- pate4 revenuo OS the fund8 from whloh 8uoh appreprlotloa la to k pplde a&U be wia. Jma ana after JUUUU~ 1, 194b, no bill oentalnia&an approprlntion shall be aoa- liaerea am pa800a or k rant to tba Qorernar for oonaiaer- ation until and unloaa the coaptrollar of Publie ~ooounta udoraea his OertIflObk therWIll ShoWin that tha amcant appropxiatod la wlthln the amountlatlmtetl to k atall- able la the affeoted funas. When the Ccmrtrollerfind8 M &pproprli&lonblu exceed8 t&m latlamted. roteme bo shall andorae auoh flndlng theraon uid return to th8 mun In yhloh astee orlgiaated. i&oh inioroiatlan shell tn immdietely aadr known te both tha House of Lcqro- lantative8 end tke senate end the neoesaery atop8 ahnll be takoa to bring 8U0h epproprlatlon to rlthln the re- v*nue , either by provldlng aAdItIona1 revenue or reduo- lnc,tin appropriabioa. *For the purpore ot ftzmnolng the outatandl~ oblIg,tlona of the 5eneral he?enUe FuOd O? the state and 91AOlZ@ It8 eurreot ao6ounta on a oerrh baaia the tigial&tura OS the jtrte Of fOXa is hermby AUthOrisOd to provide for the Iasuanoe, SAh, and retlrentent ot 41.9 o4rial bonds, equal in prinGlp41 to t!-ie total outetand- ing, vdia, and 62pr0vaa oblig.,tiono owing by 64ia fund on &.j&r&ibar 1, 1943, provided o:ioh Sondo ohall not araw intereot in oroose of two (g&j per oent ;ler OMUPLand shall suituro within twenty (eo) year8 from date. ;idopted elootlon Hot. 3, 194Z." 1. Your queotion No. 1 lo aaowored in the aiilrn~tivo if in S;rat an emergency an6 on Imp4rative public neoo441ty exioto. TM language in Sootion 49o, hrtiolo 8 io olerr that In oaoeo of mrgeaoy and tip4ratIvo pub110 neoaoolty the Legiolaturo maay, br 4 four-flit~vote OS the t0tal a4mberohip st eaoh H0uo0, paa8 4n appSOPrlatiOn In 4xo4oo OS 4ooh and antlolpated revenue. E. Yie are of the opinion that a four-flftho vote would not bo 4vId4no4 that an and 4n iap4ratIve emrgeney pub118 n4440- oity 4rht46. Sootion 98, Artlolo 5 6~10 with ths qu40tiion OS “irpoxatlvepubllo nooeooItya in luopendlna tha rule r4puIrIng blllo-to k reed on three oeteral dnyo, and thlo motion provider that thlo neoeaolty ohall k ltnted In 4 preamble or in th4 body Of the bill. 5eotion 30, Wt1cl.o 3 de@18 with th4 queotloa or *4a4r6enoyn In prOVidill(l for th4 time 8t whtah 4 bill oh411 take OISeot, and thio oootion otateo thot an l~tgenoy auot be 4x- Preooml in o proa&blo or In the body of the Aot. It io true that DL)suoh require*& IO OontaIuod In SootIon 49a, but we think, ln view oi the above MntiOAtld oeotiono OS tlu Oon- Itltution, ths lair glan would be to state the emargsna~ and laperative publi4 neoesolty either In the preemblo or In the body of the bill. 3. Your third pueotion lo aneweraa in th4 arflrnmtive. 1f the Comptroller** eatbaste 4Qowo tk;it the oa4h and anticipated revonuea ~4 eufflolsnt to oovar th4 appropriation ena it later dvpslopo that the oouroeo of revenue, for 80a8 untorroesn 04~04, m dImInished to the point that o.~amwould not ar4t the appro- priation, the appropriation would k valid and a 14~x11 obligation of the State. C. F. Diboon Aoriotant