Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN &morsble Loa Alsup ! mutire &oretary-Dfreotor c sate Commlssloa for the Bllad ~ Aastln, 'Peras DOASSir: on or the state the .Bllnd? And s depArtmoot oa the above question -don, whioh you stote that W8 need questian is Aa- swered la the nega nt Appropriation ror 11 No, ,423, at page 47th Leglrrlature, Rag- tsasao~s and Hleoollaa- $ 30. RerolrY fund Sor rsw materials to be used b by workera in home f industries for sduoa- tional sad rehabili- tAtiOn PUpOSAS. . . . ,. .; 5,000.00 5,ooo.oo gcaorable Loa Alsup, Page 2 31. Stand equipment, machia- and toola for re- ~!ilitAtiOtl AIhd e&UC@- tioaal training purposfm 5,OfJO.OO 5,000.00" In our opinion No. O-4059, addressed to ~1s~ Hazel H. Seokhsm, then Ereoutlve ~Zeoretary-Director af the State Ccnusisslon for the Blind, we held that the term Wequlpmsatn 81~used In Item 31, quoted above, lo sufficlent~ly broad to inolude stocks of merchandise to be ,a014 through vending stands established GM malatalaed by the Conmisslon ae an aid to tba flnanolal rehabilitation of blind persons. ii9 urderetsnd that these stocks of neroliandfse lnol~de cigars, psokaged ohewing hum, packaged OAIA~~bare, bottled soft drinks,and other such thlngn ordinarily sold through vend- ing stands oonducted In the lobby8 of office buildings. You now desire to purahass these stscks fr05 the revolving fund provldsd In Iten 30, in order to releaee the funds pro- vided ins Item 31 tar other pressing nesds. Ths answer to your question ~depsnds on whether the Phrase “raw materials” Iooludes such thlnga as cigars, paok- sged ohewing gun, packaged oandy bars, and bottled soft drinks, and upon whether the phrase show industries* includes vend- lng .stande operated i~. the lobbys of offloe bulldings. :?e have found no judicial definltlons of these phrases, whloh ars epplloable to the question here presented. Yebster de-. fines tho adjective vraw* aa meaning *‘in, or nsarly 19, ths ;;;;F aGate J Ll ttle ohanged by art 1 umrought; ~8 raw ma- .unprspared r0r use or enjoyment; orude; as, raw produaL , ,fl, and %aterlal* as “the substanoe or eubetanoae, or parts, g00as, stock, or the like, ,of which anything la’ oom- posed or may be made; Aa, raw meterlaleaV. Inaemuoh ae the stook in trade or a vsndiag stand such ae tho8e Operated un- der the supertlsion of the Commlselon cmeleta 0r thlags ia whioh the pmueee of manufacture is Cmplete, and *hioh are prepared for final ooneumptlon, we do not believe that these things come within tha meaning of the phass “raw materlalsv, as used In Item 30, above, by the Legislature. BuFthermore, WB believe that the phase “home lndustrles*, ae used In said Iten 30, r&era to arts, oooupatioas, And businesses pursued in or about a &nelllng or dwelllnge. It Is therefore our opinion that none of the funds appropriated In said Itetv 30 may lawfully bs used by the Honorable Len Alsup, Page 3 state Com@iealon for the l3llad for the purohase of mroma- alee rhloh la to be sold by vendins atandq Op#rAted under ite supsrvlalon. Sines we hare anewred~your first question in the mgativo, we do aot onaider your seoond qaeotion. Yours nry truly AT!l’ORIDYC.~~~LO? Ti;MAs BY - E. R. Allon Aaeletant