Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

:. ..:...: Hon. Geo. H. Sheppard Opinion No. O-6705 Rea Construction of S.B. 3l7 eud H.B. Bog 173 departmental appropriation bill en& higher. instltutlons of leern- ing appropriation bill, respectively, 49th Legislature, concerning the em-- .::;I: Dear .Ikr. Shepparda pl.oyPlent of husband aud wife. You request au opinion frolp th5.s Department in the fol- lowing letter: “1 shall thank you to exaadne Subsection 19 of Section 2 OS Senate Bill Ho* 317, Acts of the Begu- lar Session of the 49th Legislature knowa.,as, the Departmental AppxopriatUn Bill en&adviiie this de- part~nt wlqther it 1s p ermissdle ,,SQ~ a hnsbmd and wiSe ‘.to ybr+ Sk the State’ oa ‘aid &S&or &i~tember 1 of fhla years Tt is Surther prodded that the Sawgoing pro- visions restrlctlng emploolleent of both %usband and wfie shall not epply to any~persims who .wexe empleyed and recelv%ng .compensatlon i”rou the ‘State at any time durw t&e month of Jatmsry, l&l*,’ .-::; YChls ‘exception is not carried forwd in ‘the De- Mll .$Or the ensulng ,::., partmeutal Qpropriation ,. bfenn%um. “Weehave a fact sftuation ,as SoZlowsz A men aud MS tife haye been, workbwfor the Gtate. in diSSerent departments for a, long number of yeam. .%!helr..emplgy- mmt, has been aorttlmouer, They each desire to qontin- ue work Soti the State after Septexbti aadit 3.s. the desire of the departuer& heads to Isee$bum Sn the* present posItions, WIU it lmpossib e Sor both ,of these eople to ,contlnus ww9.c for the departments In WhlCh % ey ore now employed on and after September 1 of this pearl “You -wU.l noblie that Subset&ton 28 OS SeotiOn 2 of the Act fixing the .appropriatlon Sor educational in- stitutlous for higher learning for the enSPing blenaima has to do with emtiloyment of husband aud wiSe for the various ~educatlonal institution&’ W22.l it fmke atly difference whethsr the husband or Wl.Se in either instance iw worklug for a: aepartmsnt or for au fnstitutfon of Hon. George H. Sheppard, page 2. higher. ~1earnUg as far as Me or her employment Is concerned aft&-September 1 of this year? '1 find no restriction against the employment oS husbaud and wife In the Appro riation Bill for t@e sup- port an8 maintenance of the e Peemosynary institutions for the ensuing blennlum. Would It be penaisslble for on8 spouse to work for a State department and the other to work for the eleemosynary lnstltutlons?4~ .'For convenlapce sake we have nmbersd the paragraphs of Litter, sttilng t&e respective qtiestlons propounded by you. Su~s&tloq 19 of_Ssstlon 2 of Senate Bill 110~ 3l7, in- sofar as“pertln&t, Is as followsi tit,~tbgiijibq:~lth $h&napPe of the depar&uent where'gudh spouse is e@.@yed, ,qnd if such reXationshSp employment does pot exScrt;‘then sald’,sSSidaVlt shall so &ate and the head of’$he .&~~m&nt, ,and thi St&& Comptroker shall wt approve POPpa$m@S or issue wanants or checks for salarlw td ..6lther. the lzusbnd or wffe nowhereboth said ~~bsha”&+~‘i@% atd~ empUred in the departments ~f&ps~f3$0 *jeet,~ however, to the f$.l.owI.ug provl- . ‘khk prov&zloi&qJmreln shek’a piy to department heads ~and’leempbercl of CelamtssiOnsb ut not to the manager and laatr@ of W ~001~ Nate Paz%. We word *departme& 9 ‘as used herein ehr$L;mean theas departw3nts napled in %hIa Act and f&6 S&l Coars&vatIon Board and shall not agpl.y to &her a&w&x.of We State and the employee0 employ-~ ed ther,eby.* Subseation 18 of the general provisions of House BIU 173, Insof* as pertinent, ii3 as followsr - wId is provided that none of the funds appropriated here-~ sh&lX be pa&d to a husband and wife both &f whom are employed by any of the several Institukons named herein. * -2 Hone George H. Sheppard, page 30 We find no exceptions ta either of these respective pro- visions comparable t6 the one quoted by you from the current de- partmental approprfation act. The,se prohibitory provisions are plain and unambiguous. It is our opinion that your questions should be answered, respectively, as iollows: - It will be impossible for both of these people--, husband and'Gife--to continue to work Sor'the departments ln whi& they are employed or any other cf the departments provided for ln S8nat8Bill For 317. The clear meaning of the respective riders 1s that husband and2;lfe may net both be employees of any of the State de- partment~s at the same time, and likewise they may not both be em- ployees of any ~of the higher educational. Institutions at the sums time, There is nothlng, however forbidding their being emploped, respeutlvely, by a department 8nA an educational lustltutlon at the Sam8 time. 3. It would be permissible for one spouse to workas axi .empi.oyee for a Stat 8 department’ and the other tomwork as an 'J@6ry 88 for ti eleemosyi3@ry institutlim, or en educational lm3tltU$L0nj as given ln our answer to question No. 2. , _..,...~ _..__ .+:‘“!m;~:,+&mer c:.,.: . f.0 pnasMan ?& ls .&~$*&.~&+J&~~:iip(i@f.&&~ tlon;. Subsection (II> of the general provisions contained @i Xas8 Bl.Il No. 173, fixlug appropriations for educatlonti& instit%ltiOW3 of higher learning, expresdy. provides a , . “The gene~ral. provisions mad8 ln this Act shall not apply to athletic br extremurel d8,pmtUIOX3tSt and as, to these ~exceptlons, the governing board shaU make such necessary rules and adjustments as may be deemed advisable. * I This exception would apply to the general provision of subS8CtiOp (18) ooncernl.zg the employment of husband and wm. APFROVEDJUL.24, 1945 v8X.y tl’X&.youZ%i /s/ Carlos C. AsiAey A!rToRNEy’GswBRALOF S!BXiS FIR@’ &SSISl!AMTATTORNEY GEIWUL By /s/ O~le~Speer APPROVED:OPINION COlMCTpEE Ocle Speer, Assistant BYt BWB, CKJURMU? OS-Miawb ..---v--