OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Hanorable I. Fredeckl
county Auditor
oalveston county
oslve8toll,
wxaa
nsarslrr Opinion Bo. O-7311
Rer Seaurlngoir&ht-a ~mys
for the mloa*tlo2 of a&h-
vay ;875In C+clvca~ont(;ounty.
Ue are In reaelptof your letter,&‘bu&Jat I
20, 1946,
In vhluh you requested the oplnlon of thlfd&ysrtiabnt~onthe
qucstlon 8tated thcrela vhlah reads UJ
"Ths Stati Rlgbws
for t.W'purposeof aaqulrlngrights-of-vuy,eta.,
and for an election to bs held in November 1946.
"Your o?lnlon Is rcspaatfullgrcqucsted, in
the event the amsndmnt is adopted 6u1to whether
tbc County vi11 bs relnbursed the amount expended
&moral&e I. pndeukl, p&go 2
outoflta awmntmvemm,aa well aa such lima
as may be wwasally raised by either Intersat bear-
lngtlma veranta ar a bond issue.”
Tb propoUd S0SStltUtlOa3. Sasmlwnt which v&4 oxmated
by thm 49th Le~lalatare,H. s. it. l40. 49, 195, reads as followa
to leglslatlvolppra-
"'saatlon7-a. Subjecrt
~laUm,allo6atiooam-dlreatlan, allmtreve-
BUSS rU&?d~# Sft80 p&~mSntOf 831 refundsrlloved
~bplmfmdoxpases ~oolUatlonde,rlnd+rorama-
tar vehlaleIrg%smthm fwa, aid all tuaa, ex-
#ptgroarpwdm4tlQn 8rdkaa~UQPellltme8,onmo-
~~taPrul8 aa lu~ioants wedto~lmotar w-
preacrlbcdby tba LeglslatuPeartallllngto the BU-
pQrvislonof maria and auey on awh r0ads~ and
hZ’ th0 -Bt Sf ?&S l.SdrrSil;ti M intSSSSt 011
aoimty and rend dlaPlat ?mda or vuvmta voted or
irausdprlo to January2, 193, and doalwed ell-
glble pTiort4Januery 2,19$5, Sor paymantoutof
the Oou~1tyudRoadlDistrietRlghuay3undunderax-
i8tingiSWJ ~&d,housvwr, tbrttme-fourth(t)
aiaOobiwtn~n~fion~aa~iuQltexshrU1
be allooabdtetlaeAvalla~eSahoolhmd3 and, pro-
vl&d,hovwez;thtthBnetwvwmdezlvadbJ
6buntisa rrea SlQtw vahlca0~
a?eglsf&r~~"~l
never38 lema than tkm Mxinrar
.baretrimd bf euh County aad tha peruntaga U-
lomdtakretaS.mdbjeuhCouatymda~tbelaws
~~inebif~tanJumosy1,1985. Rothlngoontoiosd
:tinin shall k aonatruedu authorlslngtha plwlg-
lng of the Statm'r?reditrrxcan7 puqxue.'"
Your CrttantlOn la aellad to 9 Taxu Jurla~ixbxwa 540,
vhlah provldea 8s follovar
"Althoughaonstltntlonr shouldIm intermted
proapeatlvely. and not retrosFaetlvmly,ymt.the ex-
oeptlorrls p8 well satahll5hedaa tha gamral rule,
that they may operateretrospmtlvelyukea It is ax-
parent that 6uch vaa t&e fntcntlon, provided th8g do
not therebyin* vested rlg?zts."
3
IionorableI. Predeckl, .‘MIJe
Your att4AtloA Is Purthsr called to 9 T4x. Jur. 426,
Vhemln It la statodt
“The rules for 8tatutov oamatmxotlonapplf
ln the cfmtntatl~ of carrstltutlonal
provlsloAs.'
IA that a ou~stlk0l~~al prertslon IS Subjeot to the
W inkl'LWetrt&YUlaS a ShtUtOS’Y Dw*i8iOA, ITOUratteAtiOA iS
called to -tiefollovlngauthorltl~si
39 20x. Jaw. s4 rtatesr
. . A 8titUt8 vi11 AOt b4 applieflor aon-
struod ;r;rGapeat1va1, or giv4A mtroaativo
_ .- opera-
tlon, SOto aiibat Ui8ti.q
as rxgnos or oreate nov
obligatiaasand iages new dUti88 as to m8t t-s-
actlana, unless lt olearlz appears, from tta terms
or 8t least by fall !mplla8tioA, that the Legisle-
turn so inteoded. OA the otxxtrary, a statute la
ge~orrlly beld to opemte prospeatlvel~unless a
aoAttrq aaA8tmatloAls reqaimdb~tbe toms or
the datum aAd object of the lmi. It ir alvap
presumed that e statute, not relatlw mer4ll to
mmedl4s uxd aQdes of praeedura, 1s intendad to
0pent4 prosp4otlvely,utd all doubts am r48olved
IA favor of suah aanrtruotion:
25 ttLdw -84 klf 787 p l’OVid88 l fO11OV8:
l
.ReA though theleglslatureps~have the
pover io'enaat mtmsp44tlve lnvs, 8 censtruatlon
vhioh give8 to a 8tatute a ntmnwtlve opomtioax is
not f'avomd, and OUCh effoot vi11 AOt be given uulesa
It 18 di8tti4t1y expressed or alurl;l and Aeoerrarlly
kpll4d that the rtatut8 is to bav4 a mtwattro ef-
teat. Them la always a preramptlon that statutes
am Intended to operate Qro6!mctiv4lyonly, am3
vords ought not to bar4 a r4trospeotiveop4mtion
unlsss they are ao oloar, strong, and lmpomtlve
that no at&or msaxxiry cum be onnuod to them, OF
UAlets th4 titent1oA of th4 legislatur4cannot be
othorulse sst.lsPlsd.Wery wasoPsbl4 doubt 10 re-
solved sgPinst a rOtN4%CtiVo op4r4tiOA Of 8 Statute. . ."
Yuthorland,Statutory ConstructIon,2d Sdltlon, pqe 1157,
r44ds AB follows:
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Combined Opinion