Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

Hon. Jmnes C. Jones, Bxeoutlve Mwotor Veterans Affairs Coamiasion Auatln, Texas Qplnion Ho. v-687 R8: Whether Article 316s repeals ial'tlcle 3220-1, v. c. s., and a related question. Dear Col. Jones: we QUOte fl'Osl QOUl'r8qUeBt for alIOplUiOU (LS to11ows: 9400. 1, APT. 3280~1, R~v~s+~IvI~ Statutes, provides for the creation.of a SOldlerS' and Sallor~' trolpe, to be Operated in conjunction with the MensfiConfederate Home in the City of'Austin. "Sec. 1 and 2, Art. 3216a, Revlrred Civil Statutes; provide for the adalttanoe of senile persona to the Yena* COni8dePate Home. wQu8rtlonn: "1. Inasmuch ao Art. 3216a does not carrJra ssvlngs clause, la It in oonfllot with Art. 3220-11 "2. Does Art. 3216a repeal any portion of Art. 3220-11 “3. mArt. 32204 IS wed stfii 1U eifect, doe8 lt,n8CeSCiarilyinvalidat any part of Art. $!16a? "4. If Question 3 la anfwered In the affirmative, would It be porslble ior the Hon. Jsmas C. Jones, Page 2 e-687) State of Texas to enter Into negotiations with the Federal Government for aeslatmce In the support and malntenanoe of the U8nsl Confederate HOmS for 8oldi8r8 and Sailors?" The statutes to which you have referred are not lncompatlble, and an examination of their provisions and of the legislative history of the statutes will serve to reoonclle them and annver your questions. Authority for the original oreation of the Con- federate Home la found la Artlola III, Section 51, of the Texas Constitution, an&in Acts 1891, page 14, which la codified In~Vernon~s Clvll Statute8 a8 Article 3213, et Thereafter, by Acts 1939, 46th Leg :"1:;the Legislature authorlxed the esta&k&% ??he Soldl8rs' and Sailors' HOlDB,whloh, from Its very terms, "shall be operated in conjunction with and as a part of the COtIf8d8rat8Home at Austin, TexaE.' The Act oFeatIng th8 Soldiers' and Sailors* Home authorized the-admlsalon of veterans of the Spanish Amsrloan War and of World War I to such Borne, It being iocated in and a,part of the Confederate Hone. Thus the eliglblllty for admission to such Home was enlarged by the Act establlxhlng the Soldiers' and Sailors* Home. The admission of senile patients to the Con- federate Home, which la Inclusive of the Soldiers1 and S$l;,,I Home, wan authorlxed by Aots 1943, 48th Leg., age 18,'codlfled In Vernon's Civil Statutes as Ari. $1 6a. That Act In no way altered the legislative provlalons for add.SSiOn of VeteFanCito the time. The hospital facllltles for senile patients w8~lnadeqUate, and authority for the adaaiSSlOnof such patients to th8 Confederate Home was Indicated for the temporary relief of the situation until adequate and ap- propriate facllltl8s could be furnished for such senile patients. This 1s born8 out by Seotlon 6 of Art1018 %16a, which authorlxed auoh admission of senile patients to the Confederate Home, as follows: "Section 6. The preoedlng provlslons of this Act are cumulative of existing law govern- ing the Texas Confederate Home for Men, and it la the legislative Intent that xuoh home revert to the purposes'for vhlch It has been heretofore dedicated, when other faollltles for the Dare of : Hon. J-S c. Jonex, Page 3 (v-687) th8 senile aged patients, contemplated by this Aot, '3P8provldedr" This lx further xubxtantlated br the provisions of the emergeno~~latisevhioh readx, In part: "s8ctlon 7. The fact that there are now being nvtlntalnedIn the State goxpltalx of Texas many senile persona who should be ueg- regated from,other mentally Ill p8raonx, and the further faot that there are many senile persons In the jallx of Texas awaiting ad- mlaxlon into State Hoxpltalx for mxlntenanae and for whom there lx not now adequate room In Sttte Hospitals, ore&tea an emergenay. . . . . Thus, xenile aged patients beoamx additional eli- gibles for xdmixxlon to the Confederate Horn, there being ' no Other facllltiex for their ouxtody and tr8atmnt. Therefore, Article %16a, V. C. S., which au- thorlxex the admission of senile aged patient8 to the Confederate Home Is,not In oonfllct with nor doex it re- peal any portion of Article 3220-1,V. C. S., establlsh- lng the Soldiers' and Sailors' Horn, as an adjunot of the Confederat8 Horn, and the latter statute lx at111 In effeot. With Pegard to your laxt quextlon referring to the posxlblllt~ of'entering Into negotiations between the State of Tex a l sud the Federal Governnmnt to seoure asslst- anoe for th8 support and malntenanoe of th8 Soldl8rr' and Sailors' Ii0m8,v8 lr8f8ryou t0 the plWVi8iOnx Of Art1018 3220-1, v. c. s., being Section 9 thereof, vhloh 018tWlp luthorlxex such negotiations, ax follovx: "SectIon 9. The Board of Control lx :,.: hereby authorlxed to enter Into n8gotlatlonx and make any agtieenrsntx vlth the United Statex Government for axxlxtance in the support and maintenance of said 3oldlerx1 and Sallorrr@ Home." HOG. JS~~S c. 501388,Page 4 (v-687) SUMMARY Article pl6a, V. C. S., does not repeal nor is It In conflict with Artiole 3220-1, v. c. 3. Th8 Board Of COntrOl Is authorlxed t0 en- ter Into negotiation8with the United States l3overnmentfor asslstame In the support and maintenanceof the Soldiers1 and Sailors' Home. Article 3220-1, Seatlon 9, v. c. S. Your0 very truly, AT!lQRRRPORRXRALOFTRXAS DJCrvxb:rt