Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1944 )

61
OFFICE OF iHE ATTORNEY GENERAL ik -
AUSTIN
Boaenble George W. Co%
stat. Boalth 0iilo.r
Teum State Board or Baalth
Aurtin, Tour
DOI? 81r:
therela mntion
ited Str terlruotod
n Uroh 16, 194) aa
horpitil mat.?&
8 Md iafaatr of oa-
la mi11tary 8OrT10,.
h lo E. P. 29)s 78tb
-9ederal SeourlJ 4-
Undrr Title 1 the i.o
Ilow-
I)to State8 ror luorgonoy matomit7
and infaat oare (national drfr.~eIl ?or (rmtr
dltlcm to rimilar
mdloal llU81ll4
rant oar* for WiV.8 aad
in the armed Soroer of the United "tatoe, under
allotment8 by the Sroretary of Labor mlplan8
derolopodand ldaLiBi8tOrOdby State Health Agw-
0108 and approved by thr Chief of the Childron*
Bureau, #4,400,000.~
Honorable George ‘J. Cox, page 2
vThe legislation rhloh made prorloion for the
Emergenoy Maternity and Infant Care Program rwulrer
.partioipatlng Stat68 to present plans for operating
the rbrriobr to the bite3 Stat68 Chlldrbn*s Burtaa,
the a&ency which dls?enses the fund8 and supervises
the opbratlon of the senlce8 tkiroughout the rarlour
Stat68 l
bB6rorb Texas inaugurated a program tar emergbnoy
maternity and intent 06~8 it requested an oplnlon
of the .rttorney General Of Tbxa8 upon the Iegalltp
of almlnleterlng federal funIs under the rultr and
regulation8 promulgated by the :Snlted States Chlldren’e
5ur6aU. The Attorney General, in thl8 opinion, hsI
this t3 ray wit& r6fcrence to the federal legirlation
gortrmlng this sbervlce:
“‘The foregoing act bxprc;ssly proVide8 for 8UOh
funds to be bdvlnlsterb3 by State health agenoler. ‘-IO
oonstrub that portion of the 31rbotor*6 letter 863
out above, toaethbr wlth thb ruleb prozU.lgeted by the
SureaJ to maan that the Texas State libalth 3bpertment
must only assume rbspon8lbllIty ior the pollolea and
espbats of a%r.Inlsterlng the rUId8. That la, to oee
that the f*unda are pald t:, the proper person entitled
thereto for serrlces perPormcJ aocordlne to the
adopt 6 i rUk8, and that the Federal Lgenclee do not
require the Texas C,t&te Zealth 36partmant tr, obll-
gate the State of Texas to asaumb re8ponsIblllty for
the payment ror the berrloes rendered.
“The State Health Ofriobr of Taxer pr68ented a
plan for inaugurating the Xmergenoy paternity and In-
fant Care Program to the ‘Jnltbd State8 Department ot
Labor, after sbourlng 3plnlon Xo. O-5583 IrOm the
Attorney General of Texas. On Deoember 13, 1943, the
State Health Oiflcbr reooived a letter from the X-
rector of the Xvlslon oi Health Sbl'ViO68, 'Jnlted
State8 Children’s Bureau, Zashlngton, D. C., stating:
‘This Is to lnfora you that your Emergency i’btbrnity
and Infant Cbre Plan has been approved.’
*The State Depertnbnt of iiealth lmmedlately put
the plan into operation in aooordbnce with the Attorney
.
6’
aonorable George w. Cox, page 3
Cbnbral’8 oplnlon and the information 8upplled by
thb Ptdtral Bureau.
*The ZSnIttd States Childrta~s aurrall lnforned
the Tbrtt State Health Grfloer, through ::CIi Circular,
No. 14, i88Ut?;i :.%y 6, 1943, that fund8 for admlnls-
terlng this program should be requested aa follow6:
“‘2. iieqUe8tS for Fund E
A. Iii0 conditional apportionment8 or
Fund F; are being made to the States
ror ths fi??CGi year 1944 slnot the
amount of monthly allotments will
be based on the number of 08808 tu-
thorlzed and the oo8t of oar6 ptr
oa8e in each State.
B. Enter on 6 ssparote budget series
form !.!CH-3a an item number--dlffer-
tnt from any number included ln the
maternal end child health budgot-
for an iten dbbigII6tbd ~8 mIC5bretnoy
Xedioal and Hospital Care ior Yothbrs
and Inrantv and triterin colt 10
the amount of Fund t, 6stisUted to be
needed for the fitoal year 1944. Th6
htadlng of oolumn 10 should be ohangbd
to rtad *Fund E.? Thls form KCII-?a
should br rubmitted along wlth the
regular LGH badgtt for 1946.
c. ‘iYhen a State maternal and child health
plan 18 approved for th6 fiscal year
1944, approval will not be given In any
8p6oiflbd amount of Fund E.
D. L!CH-8, m.2uarterly :. stbGt6s of Fxpend-
lture," atrouli sot be subnlt ted for
rmd :‘. Insteal, telrgrans should be
rubnitted to ths Children’8 ijureeu on
the rlrst Jay of baoh month lnclullng
the r0ii0wlng laformatlon:
Honorebla George Vi. Cox, page 4
*Number of oeeee luthorlzed during
( prerloue month).
“The estimated total amount of obll-
tetlone Inourred ror luoh oeaea.
‘VThe eatlrurted number of lpplIoetlona
that will be authorized during
(Month In which telegram la rant).
*On the baala or the Information In
theae telegrama, allotment8 will be me3e
and payment8 or Fund E will be oertlfled
to the Stetre.’
*Upon e baele of lnatruotlona aa oontalned In
XCH Information Circular, No. 14, the Texas state
Health Offloor haa aubmltted to the Children’8 Bureau
on tha iirat day oi eeoh month the Inform&Ion requested
In this olroular.
*The United States Children’s Buraeu hea not al-
located to the Texea Stete Department of Health in eo-
oordenoe with !AXi Intormetlon Ciroular, No. 14, ha quoted
herein. It ha8 allooated fund8 upon e baa18 of unex-
pended belenoea, ea oompered with the eatlmated needa ror
funde during the ooming month. This la lvldenoad by
the following oommunloetlon from the Dlreotor or the Dl-
vlaion of Health Sanloea, gnlted States Children’s
Bureeu, April 30, 1944:
“U.S. Department or Labor Copy ror Ceo.W.Cox,
CHILDRSN’SB-JiE4U X.D.
E!!IC PiWGRAM
NOTXCE OF H.LOTE3?T OF F’iD E FDH TE? XOXTH
EXDINOAPRIL 30, 1944
State or Texaa Prepared by Stats Aullta ‘Jnlt
April 8.1944
Maternity Infant
Caaea Cases
1. Ceaee lncomnlete 88 0r
Yeroh 31, 1344 1/ 5g473 1/ 304
2. Eatlmeted new care8 for
April 1,963 244
3. Avsrage ooat per oaae oom-
plated during March 59.91 6.33
yonoreble George W. Cox, page 5
4. ~atlmatad Fun1 Z needed
ror i.prIl:
. (e) I;;: ; multlplltd by
$327.887.43 3,924.x
(b) :“,z; ; multiplied by
117.603.33 1.544.52
(0) T&;)lIttW+(e) plus
445.490.76 3,468.64
5. catlnstsd Fund E needed for
incomplete end new maternity
end Infant caeee (awn of
eaiounte In Item 4(o) ) 448,959.60
6. Total previous allotment ot
Fiil Ii 646,000.00
7. Total expenditurea ror oases
w$letad through 'March 31,
‘15 (894.71
8. Adjustment: hnount 0r pre-
vious ellotmant avelleblr ror
oeats reported in item8 1 and
2 (Item 6 tinus Item 7) 630.105.29
9. Allotm6nt Of Frtlli B needed
$r April (itea 5 mlnua Item
$ 2J---
Vurther!nore, the Znlttd States Chll~ren’e
Bureau, tkrodgh P:IIC Circular, No. e, April 3, 1944,
haa lnl’ormed the State I!eaith Cfficer aa ioiitwa:
‘70
Honoreble Oeorga W. Cox, pegs 6
**To obtain neoeaaery lnforaatlon for determln-
fng the monthly lllotment or Fund ii to thr Stetfa
and to provide en eooountlng 05 oeaea for whloh
lenloee here been euthorlted by the States, end
of expenditure8 made under luoh euthorltetlona,
eeoh State pertlolpetlng In the EXC program la
required lfter approval of their enoumbrenoe oon-
trol to submit every month on Form EL!10 - 8 a re-
port 0r oaaea, allotmente, end l xpendlturee of
Fund E ior the month and an eatlmate of Fund E
needed ior the follorlng month, ee provided for
In the regulationa of the Seoratary of Labor.
**Form EXtC-8 ahould be submitted dlreotly to the
Childrento Bureau in Weahlngton on or before the
5th dey of eeoh month. The rlrat report on Form
EMIC-8 Is due on or before the, 5th day of the
month following the rlrat month in whloh the ep-
proved enoumbrenoe oontrol ia In operetlon.
at;:onthly reporta on Form E?UC-6 will repleoe the
telagrephlo reports aubmltted in prevloua montha,
Special Report No. 1, end Speoip.1 Rsport No. 2,
Report8 on Form EUJC-8 will be used In ?hr. future
ea a beala ror computing the monthly allotments
oi Fund F to States on aDproved enoumbrenoe oon-
A. *
*Aooordlng to atetamenta ot the Xreotor or Health
Serrioea of the kited State8 Children*8 Bureau ea quoted
herein the monthly allotment8 to Texaa will be baaed upon
the coat of oompleted oaeea. Thla will not, in the opln-
ion of the State Xaalth Offloar, be a aetlafaotory beala
ot allooatlon, tar tha unexpended balenae does not In re-
allty repreaent the emcunt of runda ereIlebla, llnce en-
oumbrenoea have bern mede against the unexpended balanoe.
Thla prooedure, if followed, will result In the Texas State
Department of Fiealth enoumbarlng fund8 In exoe8a of the
emount eotuelly reoelred by tha Texea Stete Department or
Health.
Wonalderlng the above lnrormatlon I ahall appreciate
en opinion upon the legality or the Texea State Department
of Health Inourrlng Indebtedneaa In en amount exceeding
rundo eotuelly received by the Texea State Department of
gonorable Ceoca w. COX, page 7
t!selth, oven though the Texea State 3epartnant of
Realth haa been assured that rUndo will be allooated
upon l bee18 or the ooat of oomplated oeaaa.a
It la wall arttlad that no one haa euthorlty to meka e
oontreot binding on the State, except where he la authorized eo
to 30 by the Conatltution or e pre-exiatlng ltetuta. (Fort
Korth Cavalry Club v. Sheppard, 83 S. W. (2d) 660; Nlohola v.
State, 32 S. W. 452; State v. Haldenen 163 S. W. 1020; State
v. Wllaon, 9 9. W. 155; Stnte v. PerleteIn, 79 S. W. (26) 143;
State v. Heglend Cllnlo-Hospital, 159 S. W. (2d) 105). Arter
e oereful aearoh of the statute8 end tarloua provlalona dr the
State Conatltutlon, we is11 to find any provlalon authorizing
the Texas State l)apertnent or Eeelth to bind the State when ln-
ourrlng indebtedness In emounta exceeding funds actually re-
oelred from the rederal authorltIea by the Texas State 3epart-
ment or Eealth even thou&a the Ttxea State 3epertmtnt of liealth
haa bean tsaured that funds will b e lllooated upon a beala oi
thh coat of completed oasea aa mentioned ln the latter quoted
above. Therefore, It la the opinion of thla department that
the State Department of health haa no legel authority to bind
the State of Texas for any amount or auma of money under the
roregolng faota. Ii. R. 2935, 76th Congress, known aa the Lebor-
Federal feourlty Appropriation Act 1944 expreaely provides for
the funaa appropriated to be admlnietered by State health agen-
0108. It la apparent rrom the feote ateted that federal fund8
will be allocated upon a basis of the ooet of oompleted oases
end that the rederel authorltlea, in order to oerry out the
plane of the federal agencies, require the State Htalth Dcpart-
ment to Incur lndebtedneea in amount8 exoaedlng funds aotuelly
on hand; however, the rederel agenolea aaaure the State Depart-
ment of IIealth that funda will be allooeted to pay the Indebted-
neaa lnourrad under Ita rule8 end reguletlona. Kn oan ret no
reason why the State iiealth qepertment admlnlaterlng the above
mentioned runds would be prohibited from lnourrlng the lndebted-
nese heretofore mentioned In oonformlty with the tedarel rulte
and regulationa. Although aa ebore ateted, the State Depart-
ment of Health would have no legal euthorlty to bind the State
01 Ttras in oa?rylng out the program of the rederel agencies
under the rules end rrgulatlone of ouch agenoiea.
Yours very truly
ATTORNEYGE-KTtALOF TXAS
Ardell Williams
;isslat~
i OPlNlOh
COMMIITI