Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1943 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN : State Department of Eublia Velrare Austin, 48xus .;:i.:, :' ``Dear #i&r IkraMeon: rouchop q’ warrants drquk w the State Comptrol- WI ihe paper 6csoMts of a mstate DeparG ent'af Fublib;..OalfareFund" for the purpoee of &muitting the Sfste Comptro iler to properly draw an;L imsuo mmh rawhers or warrants, the State De- padcmit of,pub$io Welfare shall furnish the Co-- trollbr kth wiist of or roll of there entitleid to oeskstanas'fron tine to tine, together with the amount to-which eaoh recipient ie entitled. When such vouohers or warrants have been drawn they shall be defirered to the Executire Mreotoc of the State Department of Eublio VoWare, who in turn shall supervise tho delirery of same to the parsom emtitlod theroto. idonorable J. s. Eurddson - page 2 3SEC, 27. (1) For the p-pose of anrrying out tho provisions oi' this Act, *&o Old Age Assistance Furd, thb UUti &ssistanco BsILlil,and the C%ildreri Assistance Fund 08 pmvidc& for in IL. B. 2, Acts of the Forty-setenth Leglslatura, Regular Ssssbm, arehereby msde oeparatePooounts of the *StateDe- ~Dartmeutof PubUc YelfareIRmls as oreateaby this hoc. Provided, tbatallwnies inthesaparate aooountr OS the State Depautmsnt 'of Public Welfare Fund shall be oxpedal unly for the purposes of carrying out the rorisions oithis Aot,rud for the purposes for ah% CE said separate accounts were created or appropriated. "'(2) The state Treaswor is heroby design&al as the Gustodian of any and all money which may be t-e- ceivoci by the Ytste of To%.% (which the State Dcprt- ment of IUbUc IWlfare is authorised to adndnister), from anj appropr%ations kade by the Congrces Of the Unitod States, for the purpose of oooperating with the ewersl pr``Iaions of the Fed- l200ial Bs~ur- ity Act,* and all noncy roooivod fron any other source; and the State Treasurer is hereby authoriaed to receive such money, pay it into the proper fund or the propsr scccunt of the Gonmal e3uv.lof the State Treasury, pro- vide for the proper custodJ thereof, sud to mabe dis- bursements thorefroaz upon the order of the State De- partmmt aud upon uarraut of the State Comptroller of Publio Aocouuts.* sitouse ~111 S, Acts of the lofty-swanth Lep;islature, regu- lsr session, as ammdti, providedin Art. XX, Sectlo% 2, Snb- section 4, the mount of aate fund uhich shall be allocated ai.2 tiunsCtm=ed to the old age assistanoe fund. In Senate Dill 425, Acts of the Forty-seventh Legislature, Regular Session, a su~is appropriated out or the old age as&ataxme +,. fmd For the use cf the State tieasurer, aud there is alse a sum approgriated out of the old age asdstance Lund Por the use of the Stat0 ConDtroXlor. (see Scneral aud Speoial Lass, pges 1130, l222 arxL xX83). *The agpro+aticns as Drorided in Seuste Bill 422 ham beeu used by the state Colcptrollcr and tho state Trousurer in pay- inr; tile OXpCnsds OP !lnntlliIlgthr? old cqe xmistzcc3 cLarAa. ,i su;J-co;iPitteecl the Senate Cipil Jurlqrudc~co COIm&ttce is stuayinq the Pinanoial yorisions roletinq to the old we assiotanoo ~roqrar~, and this Senate Sub-cormXt.tee ilns instruct- cd us to submit for your consideration the eollowiw quostionr’ Ronorable J. 8. hnrcbieon - pegs 3 Upon. tlrtsstatement you propound the following question( "1s them Lagislatire authorization for appropriating funds Plwm the Old age oeaistanee flux3 to pay espenaos incurred by the State Coqtroller or Stats Treasurer in conneoti~ rith the handling of old age aesistame cheoba orrraintainingaooount%ngreoords?~ Prorieion for old age assistance is clearly mlth- in the legfslatirs pmrogatZ*e, aal Is a proper ereroise of the polio6 paer of the State for the aeueral Welfare. Such legislat%on neoessarily coutomplates the lnoideuoe of cxpeusee for the administration of such Aat. Section 4s of Artiale III of the Constitution, limiting the power of t&o Le@slature in the matter cf the right to 1~ taxes or wee burdens upon the people, expre~ely except8 from the prohibitionor IimItation the rigis axxlpovor *to raise rcvemue sufficient for tha economl- a01 PdrrSPistrationot the gwemment, in wbioh may be inolud- ed th e fo llo ting p u r p o ses; 0 I)l 0 rhn payant of all of-ii- cers, agents and mployees of the State gwernment, and all incidental e.spensee oonuected therevltb. The authority to taxand collect neceesarily includes the parer to appropriate -- that iPB t0 apply tie k?UISdtwit6 Frop3-r ptqoS6. 8. Be 423, Acts of the 47th Legislature, lbgulnr Session, as stated by you, appropriated out of the Old Age iiss&tance ihand certain anuounts for the use of the State Gonptroller and t&o State 2reasursr in connection with the adadnistration of the dot. (See Cenersl and Special Laus, 47th LoSisloture, pp. ilm, EZS2 and lSS3). These ituce wore in pawent of ~oSiY.cas, agents und en~loVMe of the State gwernnenP*Sor serv%ces actually rendered in the ed- ministration of claeAct, and as such they are constitntional- 1y vaua.