Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1943 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN ,~ 8onor8ble Gee. 2, Gheppaml cempfrono Austsn. tezw DoarI;r.IbeppaHf ing April 14, 1946. The- lea8e contrrot call8 for 1~ m month rental and ia prryable out of the f‘atbooR Fun&. *You will notioo that this lo-&d con- tract YSS 5sde prior to the enactmmt of the epprupriatioa bill for the ensuing bisnnim. 849 tionorable 000. 2. Sheppard - page 2 ‘II&all thank 700 to advise this depart- . aamt rhethc this 18 4 t8lid aontract md whotber it ia aubjoot to tbo prwislona of Senate Bill 260. In this oonneotion I call your attention co Artiola a869 and Article 2667 IrC*rn., le8e.8 Irtioiea 2663, 2666 and 2666 oi the Raiaad civil watut4a bre aa follwa~ .Art. 2867. fn orda to ou-ry out the ;irwiaion8 of thta Aot the state boarb of Education eholl a meeting dealg- ammall;l at nated by thorn #et apart eaCil yew, out OS the ctrilable ire4 cchool fund of the state an awiount stafflatent to purchase marl dFatrib- ute the necetmary school booka for the uae or the pupils ot thia State for the soholoa- tlo year enauiq. ma-t. 2666, The State textbook fund of tUa Stateshall oonalat of tbo tund cot amide by the State Board of Edusrtlon from tbe available achool fund am la provided for in this Aot, together mitb 811 funds aacru- ins; from tbe #al4 of dimmed book8 and all moae78 dorited from the puWta8e of books ?rom boards of aohool trusteea b7 private ind&ridurla, by sobools, or Prom any other lo ur o e . *A. 2869. T h eState Doard o f Eduo a - tion shall require iros the State 6uperlatend- 4nt on Jul7 iirat of 44oh year a report am to the funds neo44s4ry for the purohaae and dis- tributiun of other n44444ary erpensea of soboot, boo&o for tbo regular sahool 448410n of tbe folloting your, and aaid board of Rlu- oation shmU lmvo the polrer to 64t apart fxwm the available school fund ftle astimrtsd amount with 26 par oont 4ddition81, thi4 nbdlti4n41 tin85 to be ustxi to ni44t eaerr;oncies or aeeeasi- ties oauscd b7 unucua~ inoreose in loholectio ottendanoe or b7 uauourL and unior4se- ox- 850 honorable Gee. 0. Sheppard - p8ge 3 p ena ea nndlo h o o olo nditio ua Tundr . trana- favrod la the tart book IWad mhall rrrPin peraanaatl~ in this fuawluntil expended, and ahall not lapmo to tEe fat4 at.tbe eloae of the Timal Tear. 3he st8ta suprintrrrbent of Publlo Lnotruotio8 ahrll be roqnirod te inolude la tbe aforamtioaed report to the L)tatO Wnrd of 18duontion a ltrtoment am to the aaoumC of this fund rhieh is unapaaded, ad rnld amount @ball be ooaa&0erod W the board in deters&lag the neoaaaw erpsadi- twos f DT tslrtb44kS for tha iolloriay Jonr.* In the gureral Appropriation Bill ot the 4lth Legisl8ture there mu opproprinted tot tbo Textbook Dttiaioa ot the Daprctmemt of I!Auo&tion, urder the head of Niialntsfutmo and Ylsosllan40urm, Xtaa 100, as follower lWfioe sad d4po8ltory 8uppliea. 0xpr488, drayage, printing, stationery, rent, oontia- gear expanse, freight On used boolrr, postage and her rant, t414phona, telegraph, tssasng4r mrvioe, lntersst and trarsl 4xp4aae,$19,000.004 for the reapeotlre fiaoal 74ara of the biannlua~ Correapoldlngl7, th4 bianmirl appropriation or tha 4nth Legislature for the Textbook Dlriaion, Itoa 87, dar 4k~ntemm44 and i.ireeli4naous~ ie 4s foll48r: kioe and depository auppliea, postage, aproas, ilrryage, telephone, pclat- t414grrph, ing, atotionsry, rant, ooatingsnt expanse, in- oluiling ir'bight 01) used textbooks,..``,ooo.~o= for the re*psotLve fir041 yenra. lo take it to be that tbs rentUs inquirui about coo4 wIthin the above itome aa .rent.. In Opinion NO, O-3427 this deptwtmcnt advised fou, lltb resp4at Co the comtruotloa and opplia8tion of Smnte ii111 NO, 266, 48 tb Leqfslature , Ilogular Gesslon, in the couru4 of which opinion ~4 atid: UoDorablo 600. 11. smppatd - pa&8 4 lAs aatidtopain adndnlmtc~ 0laim umlm thie leglolation, we ti@ it add rurthw that a11 ront*1 agrmD*ats ud leame*, whiob bat* not mxpirad pro- VimlSl;J, Will uatoMtiodl~ tamilute on klmmt a& lDI3, the last dy of cho our- reDt bi@lxdam* mm8uprs* a-0 hu rulal that @ho Dtate oumet bo booan up011 a learn* oontraot that ortads bwoad the tw*par period OOWred by the appropria- t&CD WdW WhtO& t6atuS thWWtiW U’O Port worth Crvalw Clob t. 8bep ;xy:a tea. $30, 83 8. u. (8) 800. Ttw#refore, ul ot8te depart8mntm rtfmmtod by this, lcl&i~l~tioa must wtw late nw lea*. agtewsatm to trlre alfeat OD septw- bw 1s 1943,* ainre you have this opinion, obtlousl~ you bars preoeated the dire& question her. us%.?’ oonmidermtion be- oauae of doubt am to whether it oaverm the prement mitua- tion, or possibly you reek a rooonsideratioa of the matter if it im thet broad. The mttet IS of ioportams, md In rler of' the taot that tho above-quoted lmgnage Smm our former opition was voluntarll~ ueal, and not in rwponse to a dire& quwtion, md in ordfw to rwwe all dubiety wrl8tww, we hare @TSD the matter a EW ard lndeperslsnt oontxitlration~ 8mtion 7, Artio1s VIU, of the Constitution de- 8lorwr allo money da811 b,e drfmn from t&w tr wl8~ b p t in p utmml~ oef8peoiflo lp propri8tiom a a d8 b yla w; nor sh a llq appropriation o fmoney bo nde for a long- * or tera than tvo pears. l 0 l. . PUm two-year perlad begins at the tlno these appropriations becomearatlcrble, rather than from the date OII rhioh the Act beeome8 legally ef?eotire. A gener- al appropriation act bocones BfiectiVe - that iu, exist- ing law -- upon tho day the oame im apptwed by the Got- ernot, (360. 30, Art. III, Coast.) but such ccnernl appro- priations usually PM mailable for the biennium, beda- nlnf: SoptatDet 1 thereafter, and eJrtend ror the petitted two years. They ate thus valid md ePteot.ioe Isr from the 852 i.iOUOrab~OY.0. 8. SbSppW'd - Pe&O 6 he0 or thair pcccego and lpprotel, aoootdiaZ; to the&r terse, but the ta ms thcccolClpccliiocll~ fiz the two- yea period for cxpenditnro, co above ltated. Fort forth Cbrrlw Club 7. Sheppard, 83 8. I. (2) 600, w OUT &lptOEO CWt , OitOd in WI' OflDiOD itOr 0-8427, held that a rectal lccco bct8ccc the Club cxl tho Adjuwt Yenera iO? armly parpemea, tar a term ot fir0 you%, wac TO&d es ac.ln~ iD 00ntraTeDticn of the acn- ~tltuLLoar The five-year tern, under the oontr800, began septwlMr 1, l@slr The lemmeo wtwd into poroecclon of th0 jWtW&OOO 011 tbt dote, Wd ttl0Frsrtt.tOOOUpiOd the same for the easnlng mlr ~onthc - that ic, up to Yaroh 1, 1938. The Btete paid the ctfgulatcd monthly rental8 ror the months Of scptatilJet, Ootobet, RorQnber end neeem- her, 1831, and J*rmaq end Pclwaary, 1932. lhO80 pe~cnta mere made b7 arrrranta drama by tbc Comptroller against the appropriation wdc by the 4i!d Lcgielcture tor the Adjutant f.icneral,o JJep8rtment, ~hioh approprl8tloa begee, o? Course, September I, 1931, and ended At@uct 31, 1933. At tbe time the oontraet eat msde tbae wa8 arellable utir the approprlrtlon, money citirtcientto pey. the rentals thereunder for the teo peata ooveted by much approprlatioar Afts tbc appropriation fot th0 year eadi~g Aught 31, 1931, ma8 OXhaUOted, the Qo1~- nor apprwcd octtaia dcfioicneiec for the AdLdjutantOeneral~8 DepWtWDt, Mr. Juctioe Crlta, in vriting the opinion for the sup r 50c o ur t, l1 36( 8Tl10 Attorney Ceaeral contend8 that tbe Adjutaat Uenerel 808 witheut power to aiake a lea80 contraot Tot a period of rite Y--D ati, bhatefore, the contract ma, and is, illegal. In thio conneotlon, the Attorney ocnerill contends that there *me no lw, etprosg or implied, in for09 at t&b the thta contract ~08 entered Into to authorlao lta ttakAagr V0 ate tompolled co sustain t%s contention. a l l, .ln tho case a?. bar the Adjutant Lienor- al *aa limited in his right to contraat to ths amount of his qqz@oprlation bill. Ue *am also licited by the tern oP such sppro- 85: r;oaorable Gee. il. Sheppud - pago g priu#ioa. Uhen Ire attePptckl to go beyond the powor. eonferrdb upon him br LOT, ha actel without mthorlty of low, und au& sot maa and is told and doom not bind the state, l l l. .1 1t 8wffio io ntto r a yua a t th eB a t maa not authorirul ia the beginning, md the only sot of rrtifioatioa on the part of the mgiolaturo ia the l ppropriatioa bore undc aoasidar~tloDr The Lqislwuro bad no power to rake suoh oppropriatio8 ualoar at the very tine it 1as amdo there existed aoao ‘pr*oxirtiag laT* authoririnq the same. It im o b vlo u~Chat no lueh Lor then exi6tsd.~ no present situation lo controlled by tho Uoeision in that casOe ki4WO at tho tiM the k&l'tiX-#OOdSlObOO ~a0 cxwutcil there ram a.a oxioting appropriation l’rolp rhiah the rcntals oould be -0, mhiuh, howover, will expire Anmat sl, lQ43. The oontraot , themfore, ostondo beyond the atollablo appropriatioa, and 198 thereforo raid, unleo8 eomo valid pro- exi8ting law authoritod it. Yo quoted in tho boglming OP this opinioa those artioler OP the statutes which wore thought to liavo axq poseiblo boating upon tho subjwt, and in our opin- icn they do not ounctitute pra-erimtiog 14~ neoasm6x-y to t&o oreatiunoi a 1irb;Llity ag+alnat tbo Btato. You ~0 theretore respeothrll~ wlvleed that it ir the oplaion oP tUs department the leeso contraot under con- aldorotian ‘la void. War we hare said doos not sffwt tho right and rlutr rO8peOting poyrpoat Por the period of time prior to September I, 1943. Very truly yours