Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1942 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable J. 5. Murehlson, Exeeutlre Dlreotor
met0 L)opertmnt 0r abu0 xairt4r0
Auatin, Taxee
Dear Sir: O~lnlonXo. O-426
our Constitution and or H
47th Legialatute,or appl
to the Heady Bliad, $814A
I osy
or old-agr 8s8l8t-
e aot to rxoo*d'
&oh to.iotual
am ov&th, rga
$rovldeQ that no habit-
tual drunkard while'suoh
roquirrmentsi!rrlength~or tinm
mw in Texas ah611 never~ba less
years iiurlnCj
the nine (9) years
moeding tho appliootloafor old-
age a&sistanos ena aontinuouml ror one (1Lpar
proootM.ngsuoh appiioatlon.
lnnuedlately
The Legislsltursaixallhsve the authorityto
aaaept fror-the Oaernment oi' the W.teU %#DBB
suoh flnaaalel efd for old-age essi+~Oenoe ae that
covermeat my offer not idooneirtentwith 3;)~
reatriationehereinberore provided. (.see.Br-a,
he. 3, dktptea eleotiaa Aug. 24, 1935.1”
Ecnorable J. 8. Kurohlson,Braoutirc Dlreotor, Paga 2
OonetltutlonArtlala III, Pootlon 510 provides:
*The Lc2lalature ehall have the powcr by
Cencrnl Laws to provide, unciersuoh llmitatione
an6 regulationsand restrictionsa8 nag by the
Lcglalature be deemed cxpcolcnt,ror assletanoc
to the needy blfnd Over thb age of twenty-one
(21.)yeara, en@ for tht psynentof 80~0 not tD
axoesd E'lStcsnCollars ($15) per month per pcr-
ran; such aasiotmac or aid to bc granted only
to aotusl bona fldc oltlzans of Texas; provldcd
that no habitual criminal and no habitual druuk-
ard and no inmate of eny 't&e supported insti-
tution, while such inmate, ahall be eligible ror
ruoh aesletance to the needy bllnC over the age
or twenty-one (21) ycare; provided, rurther, thct
the rcquircmcnteror the length or time or eotual
reslbenob in Texas shall never bc lcso than five
(5) year8 during the nine (9) years lmmcdlately
preceding the applloetlonfor c8slstanOc to the
nced~ blind over the age of twcntj-one (21) ycrrrs;
ad oontinuously for one per lvmtcal8tclJprcoed-
lng suoh applioatlon.
*The Legislature shall hats tha authority
to ccocpt iron the Gwernment of the United.Statea
suoh rlnanoic~ aid for asdatanoe to the nec8y
blind aa that Oovornmcnt may offer not lnoonelst-
ant with the restrlotlonehereinaboveprcPvlde4.
(Sec. 51-0, tit. iIX, edoptcd clcotlon Aug. 23,
1937.)"
constitutionArtlole III, Gotion 5lLbprovides1
*Subjaot to the llmltatlona end rc~trlotloas
herein wntalneb, and suoh other llmitstioar, re-
strlotlona,end regulctione 88 nay be provided by
law; the Legislature @hall have the power to pro-
vide for aeslstsnoc to Qcstltute ohllarcn urrdcrthe
age cr rourtccn,(l4)Jcarst such assiatanoc shall
not cxaced Xl&t Collars ($8) per month for one
ohfld nor more than Twclre Dollcrs ($12) per month
ror such ohlldron of anp one farfly! provided
that the amount tffbe cxpcn%ad r0r such aeslstanoe
0th or state runas shall ne7er cxoeed the sum or
Boaorable J. 9. Murahiaon, Xxeoutloe Lireotor, Page j
Ona Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollere
($1,500,000!per year. The Legislaturenep
lmpoae reel&antis1restriatlonsend auoh other
reetriotlona!,limitations,and regulation8a8
to it may seem expedient.
"The Leglalature shall have the authority
to eaaept Srom the Sovarrmenf of the United %atos
suoh Skmnoial oaaistanoeto destitute ohildren
SE thnt Governmentmay orrer not inoonalstent
with the reetriotlons herein above provided.
(,Peo.514, Art. III, ~a0pt.d eleotion Aug. .23,
1937.1'
House 8111 611, Eeotion 35, provlCemr
*'Iseo.35. The purpose oS this Aat ie to
inaugurate a progxun of eoolal eeaurlty and to
provide neaeseary end prompt esalotanoeto the
oltixens or this %tat#.who ara entitled to avail
thaxmelves br ita pro*%-$ions.This Aat kshvill
be liberally oonatrued?$norder that lte pur-
poses may he eaoomplfshsdas equitably, eoanoaria-
ally, and expeditloumlya# posslble.*v ,,
Resfderrcle
requiremertsset up in the Aot are aa
seotion 201 *Old Age Aeaiafanoe ahgU ba given
uuder the provit~loneot thle Aot to any needy per#ou:
". . .
v(j) v:hohse~reeided in the %ate of Texts fox
five years or more v&thin the lest ntie yeare pnaedlng the
date of his appliastlonfor asslstanae and has resfded In
the Ttete of Texee oontiououslgfor one year lmnediataly
preoeding t&e appliaatfon; . . .*
Section 12: Wkaaistsnaeshell be given uuder the
provisionsof thi6 Aot to any needy blind person who%
11
. . .
“(3) Who has resided in this State ror rive yeera
during the nlne years lmedlately preaedlng the date oS
..:
...& .rdr
,Ronorable3. s . Wurehleon, ExeautlreMreotar, Page 4
&pplIoetion,and who has realdeb In this Ftste oontinuouely
ror yie year Imediately preceding the dete of epplioetlon;
. .
Section 17 provides for aid to dependent ohildren,
and defines the term, ins part, aa embracing any IndIvIduelr
"(2) Eho has ‘&sided In this State for s period
of at least one year lmmedletelypreosding the date of the
lpp2loatIou ror eealetenoe~or was born within the Ptete one
yuxr imediately preaedlng the date of epplloation,and whose
mother hcs realded In the E:tetefor e period of et least one
year ixmeCIatelyprecedfng.thebirth of suoh ohlld; . . .*
.TheConetltutlonand the statute refleot olearly
the intention of the people of Texas that the eId oontelaplated
ahou2d be extended only to altizene of this Ftste. Obviously
Texas could not undertake the finanoial burden of provLdlng
eSoola1 CeourIty* for other then its own oltlsene. Eoreover ,
Texas aould not oerely a~w!m euoh burden with respect to 611
ubo might beoome oltleene, wIthout aome alnlmum requirements
dth wepeot to the period OveY which that aifizenahip ehou2.d
hare etieteii. 33 the abeeooe of suoh requlremmte, cltlxen-
&IQ Zn thla'%ete might be eoqulrad lumdiately by oltloene
or other states removing to Texas and %n reot and intention
establlrhingtheir hqe hare. Yhere wea the poeeibilltythat
lar#a nmbere of people Eight be fnduosd to make their homes
In'Texee for the purpoeq of obtelnlng Immediately the benefits
or ltu 9x3Ial Scaurlty pro~mmn. To guard against this, the
mfn.lmumresidenoe regulrementeof the Constitutionwere enaot-
e&l end these requlreoents shouJ,dbe oonstruedTg t.~.d.Igbt
of the purpose for whigh they were provided.
vreeIdew end WreeIdenoen, being words of elestla mneenIag,
the oonstruction to be placed upon them depends upon the
oblrot or purpose of the statute In whIoh they are eqloyed.
54 0. J. gage 708.
Since both the Cmstitutlon and the Statute con-
template extension of the benefits involved only to “citizens”
of Texee, lt Is clear that mere ph~ysioalpresenoe Ih this
State, wIthout the intention of viekingthis %ete the fixed
and permanent plnoe of abobe, Ie not the character of WresI-
Qenaaw required. CitlmnsBlp i.8not aequlred by mere phyal-
oal presence, but by phyelosl pmssnce with the Intention that
the plaoe of physIca presence sheli be the home. Act and
intent F-Ustco-exist and oo~+eagund. Xlsele vs. Oddle, 128
Fe& 94.X.
bls J. 3. ~urohlron, Xxeoutire Dlreotor, Page 5
tlonore
what than 1~ tha chsfaotfrmorthe wma~den~an
nqulrd c?vOrthe perlfid8aentfoned ln the Conatltotfon
(endthenot? Plainly, uo think, a oontlnuousphyaloal
p&escnoe dtihln thla State lagnot oontamplsted. Thus to
aonstrue the language used wwld wsult in the hsrsh and
unrkasoneblsdootrlne that phJaioal abmnos froa the State
to& even a day on buolnsas OF for plemsurs, or for other
koporar9 pu&po$o, Would Interrupt thu pdrlod. No euoh
anroasonableIntent should be ImpaMd ~108s roqulnd by
unambligmualanguage. Henos we mjsot suoh oonstruotlon.
Xn our oplnlon,the peiiod of RaotuOl &esldenoe* oi a oitl-
hen of this Stat. is not lntsrrupted~orbroken by mere phf-
rrloelabsence from the i'Satefor temporary purpoaos, when.
fho intent exiate to mturn to thla Btat*,whan those tom-
go&a&y pU&poaok oooasionin&the nbBeno0 a$feaatleflsd. On
tb othelrhand, the word *aotualwmdlfpimg *residonoo*
requlretithat the rea@OnOe ba *&%a1u-4hat It erlat in iaot,
rather than b$ fiotlon of 18~. .Thua,while oontinuouephy-
dosl prcsstnooIs not required, tha person mast be physioally
pmeont in this Ft8to under suoh ol&oumstanoosand for audh
a aubstantlalp&t at the time period involved es w$J&nr~-
aonabl9 1nQloate that hrrra Is in gaoti"rewell ?a Sp,tantioa,
hia fixed aa4 pwmanent place or abodo’(lurlng the eatlro
porlo(L
mqulreb.
PUS IntwprOted, the resieaaoa roqulmd is or
the lIJ,HI
@no@ ohimaotarla that nqulnd or oao who poti-
Mona ror a elm&or in thin State. Mloharl YS. Mlohaol,
3ljTer. Cit. Ap. 630, 79 8. W. 75; Spear Naydtal Righta,
'pm 725. We regmt thst It 1s noC poasibls,tolep do*a
a rule of thumb br arhfoht&e oxlatmaae OS the "aatual real-
dentmu esay be dotermined b9 90~; the lesue la psoullarly
.e one or root, ownpoundedof aot and intontlon, an4 ia to be
msol~od la the 11&t of tho oiroumstaaoesof Oho partloular
oaao, according to the neoeaaaril9germ&al rulaa stated lboYo.
PaSrohild
As&ehnt