14s
OFFICE OFTfifi AlTORNEY GRNRRALOF~
AUSTtN
HOBOlY4bh Ooorge FT.SIeypar4
Comptroller Publie .4ooouuts
motin, texaa
Dear Sir:
an4 r*,latsdquis;
an interprotatiu
passed at the Ha
litlm.
ime 6eaate Bill
salon of the
advise this de-
his ~111 will affect the
rentals aacruing under lease
, 1943, which la the effeot-
lmpoees a duty upon all Uepfirtsients
and agenolo::of the State (2orernment;when r@crtal
spnoe is nea4a4 for carrylug on the eawatial funo-
tion8 of such agencies or departments of the State
Government, to submit to the State Board of control
a request giving tbe type, kind, an& stzs of build-
ing needed, together with any other nroeeeary
146
TTO~.George F. SheFpati, page 2
description, aad to state the purpose for nhlab
it will be urei3m4 the need therefor; end, if
ln the dfrcretion of the Board ruoh epeoe tr
needed, the Boar4 of control ray prooeed to ad-
vertise an4 let bide, eto.
“Thie statute doer not prescribe a penalty
for failure of ruoh departments or agenofos of the
State Oovernment to make the request to the Boar4
Of Control.
*r2. Is this d*prrtment authorized to iawe
warrant in pafPsnt OS olalm for rental where the
deQaStI&eBtfailed to COD&plywith ,4.B. 190.2667”
Sanati.Bill 266 warnensoted by tha 48th Legiolature
as C.hapt& 2S?& .&&o 194b. xeaording to 8 tootnote appearing
on page St38of Vernon*a Texae Sesrion Law Sex-vloe,this Act
will be lnoluded in Vernon’@ Annotated civil Statute8 ae Art-
fole 6bUb. POC the plrporresof thin opinion, however, we
shall rafer to this 1eg:isletlonhereinafter a6 senate Bill
xo. 266, or simply as the Bill or the not.
The portion8 of thla le(lltGatloawith rhleh your
inquiries ora ooaoorned, being E.eetiona%, 2 and 3 of the
Rot, rea4 aa followe:
%eotion 1. Hereafter all departmat an4
ag4nolea or the State Government, when rental
epaoe Le needed for aarrylng on the lroantlal
shsllQT*Ubmy%T+ttr
runotlone of suoh agenoles de of
the State Ootarnment, 3% the State
Soar4 of control a rqueat therefoti;-#viag the
trpe, kfnd, an4 size of building needed,,together
with any other neaeseary deeaription, and etatfng
the purpose for whloh It will be used and the need
therefor.
*Ssotlon 2. ';'he state mar4 of control, upon
rsoelpt of suoh requeet, an4 if the money haa been
made available to puy the rental thereon, and if,
in ths diucretlm of the Board euah apaoe ir neede4,
147
Boa. ueorge 2. Sheppard, Page 3
shall forthwith e4vertiee in a newspaper,which
haa been ragularly publlehed an4 QirOulb.te4in
the city, or town, where auah rental epeos is
wrought,for bids cm suoh rental spaoe, for the
uees indioated and Sor 8 period Of not to eroeed
two yaars. After such bids have beon reoeived
by the State Boer4 of control at its principal
offios in Austin, Tbxaa, an4 publioly opened,
the slwardfor suah rental oontract will be mmde
to the lowset en4 beat bidder, en4 upon euoh
other terms aa may be agreed u9on. The term0
of the oontreat, together with the notice of
the eward of the state Barr4 of Control wfll
bs submitted to the .AttoraeyUeneral of Texas,
who will oause to be prepared end ereouted in
aocordance with the terms of the agreement
suoh aontrsat in qua4ruplloete; one oi whaiolt
.will be kept by eaoh party thareto, one by the
State Boar4 of Control, cm4 one by the Attorney
Goneral of Tesao. The partiee to such eontract
will be thr departnent or agenoy or‘ the.govern-
ment using the epaae as lessee an4 the party
renting the space as lea8or.
"Seotion 3. aithin thirty d4pr after thm
effeotlre date of this Aat, all departments 8~4
agenoies of the state Cwerrsnt at thir time
Ieaaing or renting spa04 from any peraoa, rim3i,
or corporation whosmoever, rrilloause to be prc
pare4 and delivered to the &ate Board of control
in ?.ustin,Texas, a copy of any wrttton rental or
lease a~retment now in foroe an4 ourrent, or any
statement of any ore1 underatendlag upon which
any leaee or rsntal public funds em being ex-
pended, if 6uoh action has not already bsen taken.+
This bill wac pas844 unaniaoualy by both houses of
the Leei mlature, and, under its emergenay olauae es you
state4 in your letter, it beoeme effective imae4stely upon
approval on Way 7th.
your first inquiry raises the question of whether
the Aot lnvalidat$s or oonditionr bxii?ititxg
~eaaes, and gives
Xon. Gsorge R. Shei;pard,Page 4
rise to the following two propoaltlona: (1) whether the
Legislature by anaotmnt of the first two amotions of tba
Bill Intended to canoal existing lease8 and rental agrea-
wnta and thus to require Stats departments and aganoies
lmedl8taly to socure naw ooatraota nndor the method pn-
scribed In these two la o tia naln4
; / o(E)
r ahrthor the
Laglalatur8 intended to oondltian ths oontiaurd arlatonoe
of leams end rantal agreuasnta upon a lft8rrl aompllana*
by auoh d8partmmta and agsnol88 with the provisions of
r,aotlon3 of the Act.
Ii sither ar both or three prOpo8itionS 8hOuld b8
resolved in the affirimtlve, than the Act right oonoelrably
affoot the paymant or current rentals under existing eon-
treat6 rhfoh Jmd their lnoeption prior to l&y 7th. If both
should ba roaolred in the wgatlva, w8 would be repulrod to
hold that the Aot has no effeot upon tha paymontr la question.
In the abwnoa of any lnforastlon to the oontraxy,
we aaaume that all of the oontraotm you haoe,$n tind wera
valid agroenenta, properly mtardd into, an~~olndiag upon
the Btattiprior to Kay 7th. v
It 1s well srttlad tkatuhon the Stat8 m&or a
oontraot it iu as mob bound thereby a8 a oltdeen uauld br
bound upon a like ooatraot. 8tat8 v. IUllot (clv. App.,
&dV8StOD, 1919) 212 D. %. 69$, 8rrOr refu8sd. The aloak
Of crorrl’dgnty does not l?S118V8 the State uf the duty to
r8apoOt lta oontmotual obllgation8. The faot that It uaa-
not be eu8d without its oona8nt in no way detracts rrfm the
propOaltlon that it la llabl8 wasr Ifs QOnbr8Ot8.
As pointed Out by Chief SUatiO8 MOCl8ndOlIOf th0
au&in Court af Civil Appeals, 'The lmpotenor 0r prlrat8
lndlrlduals to enforoe ttrough thdr oourt8 thrlr Ocmtnotucrl
rights against th8 Steie, by re8ilOnOf lnabllltjrto au8 tb0
State without its oonaeat . . . dces not affeot the blndlng
force Of state ObligatlOn8. . ." Stat8 V. Elliot, aupra.
The sanctity of oontr8ota 18 aafeguanbd by both th*
Conetltutlon of Texas and the Ooaatitution Of th8 Unft@d States.
:l49
Hon. George il.:;heppard,Pa&e 5
SeOtiOn 16 of Arti I Of the State ConetitutIon,
a part of aur Sill of Righta, provides:
";lio
bill oX attainder, ex post faoto 1au,
retroaotlve law, or any law impairing the ob-
ligation of oontraota shall be mado."
Ceation 10 of Art1018 1 of th8 Fadsral Constitution
prorldeia:
*No