Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1946 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Honorable J. C. Roe County Attorney lyamrro County Corsicana, Texas Dear Sir: QQilliOIl NO. O-7260 Re: Validity of Yectlon 2, Par. 3, page 280 reads: "'Ho school dia under or vhich order to ahov districts in Ravarro viev of this section of eet all other requirements s of your opinion of the legality Ion of the Statute. It occurs to la unreasonable and arbitrary 1~ of the recipients of the aid, and enallaes certain school diEtriCt8 o conducted their finances as to be able to reduce their tax rate but still meet all the qualifications necessary to secure the a~ld provided, and that the qualifications placed on such recipients by such section of the stetute should be stricken from Han. 3. C. Roe - Page 2 the 8ame because of such unreasonableness and because same 18 an arbitrary classification upon olass legislation and vholly defeats the purpose, aim and object of the legislature. ‘Pleese advise me a8 to the constltu- tioI'i8lity Of the above Section Of the Bte.tUte above referred to at your earliest oonvenleace and oblige. n Your attack sgalnst the paragraph above quoted ~03 the Rum1 Aid Law is apparently b88ed upon the Article of qur Conatltution vhich prohibits discriminatory and class legie- lation, md also sec. 5 of Article 7, which define8 the “avail- able school fund” and declares this fund “shall be distributed to the several oounties 8UCOrding to their scholaatlo popu- lation. o Since the case of Numme Y. Marra, 40 s. W. (2) 31, deaided by our Supreme Court is squarely decisive of the issues raised by youp r8queat, ve quote very liberally Srom it: 1, . . . Since the Legislature has the mandatory duty to make suitable provision ior the support and maintenance of an afrf0id system 0r publie free 8ohoo18, end has the paver to peas any law relative thereto, not prohibited by the Constl- tution, it necessarj.ly r0il0v8 tbat it has a oh0lco In the selection of mDethOd8 by vhioh the object of the OP- ganic lav may be efte&ated. The Legislature alone is to judge what meaus are neoesaary awl appropriate for a purpose vhich the Constitution makes 1egitLmate. The legislative deters&nation of the aethods, re- strictions and regulations is final, except vhen so srbltrary as to be violative of the constitutional rights of the oitisen. 6 rtuling case mu, p. 1551154.. . “A.8 t0 vhether OP not a laV 8ecur88 due process end equal pmteotlon e,e required by the Con- stitution depend8 upon the subject On which it operates and the oharacter of rights vhich it affects. The con- stitutional guarantee does not forbid the state from aa. J. C. Roe - Pase 3 sdJu8tlng its legl8l&lon to di.ffkpences in sit- uBt1Qn. Equal prottitlon or law8 ie 8ecumtl if the atatutcse do not subject then individual to srbltrtuy oxerclee or the powem or govomment. It .~ 18 vell eettled that le@ektlon te not open to objection if a11 who are brought under it8 influenceam trertsd alike in the name clWiaa8tances. 9 Texan Jur+b- pTud-to, P. 553 11.17. Xn the very nature of oooiety vith its mar&fold ooaupitlonoand aontaat8, the L&a- latum laut hove. and alearly doe8 hove, authority to 018882.Q 8ubjset8 of legt8latloa,and, when the olarsi- rtoatian 18 narwable - the* ir, h8Bd MpQn 80# real differonoe exl8tlng ia t-ho sub sot of tit4 emotmat - and the lav applier Mrmly L tho8e vha are vlthln the partlo*r e&08, the not lo not open to conotl- tutlorml ob Cction. 9 Taxar JwiePmdcuroe, p. 555, il19, P. 554 , ~120, P. 5611,I121. %ho pmvlriaa of the lav ttmt a 8-1 rhall not be eligible to retelve ruml aid until it vote8 a tax of 75 oents ma the @OO valuatlan o? the texable propertyofthe dUtriotl8not au unmmson8bZs roqulmmmt, becouee vell belov the m ~@e%u&tted by the ~onotltuUen and 18~8 of the state. Xt YJ bo rot.4 or not, u detonrtn+d by tb t yen tbomelvee. mor 18 it di8oriminatory,Wwe It app T ieo to all dir- tracts auka which 8pply r0r aid.” Ys belleve the b8t quobat,ion dea the quelltianet haad agd you am themfore rbvirsU t&t the leo tlo nof the rural Nd I,eyInquired about ie oan8tltutitUWl. Although you have stat& t&t the rohool dirtriots In q\rrstIonare not eligible tar Sbte Aid by ma8on ot the abov8 quotd pamgreph, VB are enclosing copies of Opiniono Ho8. O-6768, 0-7017, a-7096 and o-7Sl7, vhieh i+el?pret thl8 wrqwph. Yews very tmly BY uooaTQv lEdwml8 Asrrirtant