OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Bonorrblo J. 5. Xurohlron
Bresutfva Dlraotor
State Dopsrtaunt of Publb woli8n
Aurtln, Tbxar
mar sir:
"DOOB the 1
oxpbnaad par yea
Depondeat Wdld
0r the a0mf
ther llaitetton~,rbatrio-
be providbb by law, thb
0 ($12) per moath for 8UOh ohll.er*n
that tki bBIoU& t0 b0
out 0r m4t9 r&i&-
one MklliOll,nre
Hundred Thousand Dollar8 ($L,500,000)per Y-r.
The Legi31~turemay impore residentialreetrlotloa~
8pd mob other reatsiotion5,limltetlons,end rwdla-
tionrr6P to it zlaysreasxpedlent. (%aphsei#OWE)
Bonerable J. 9. Muohlaen, Page 8
“The Lsglslaturo ahall have the authority to
eoobpt rmm the Ooverment or the Vnlted State8
8uoh flnenolal eaalatinos ta destitute ohlldren aa
that Ooverment my 0rr0r not i5oonelatmt wltb
the restriotione herein above provlC00.~
The ghraus Wuoh aeaistenoe* 88 first used in the
above oonatitutional provision refer8 qmoifioally to t.ho
oath payments to reoipisnta or eight and twelve Bollam, not
inoluding any adminlstratlvo lxpelue whloh might hero boon
inaurred kn making suoh paymentr. It seams reasonable to
luppos6 that the fmme phrase, Vuoh 888i8taxi~b” ShOtid bb
given the aan% zeaniry when uaad ior the inoond tim, In the
rith r43reronoa to the #1,800,000 annual Mmlta-
la ma a *nto no 6,
tioa.
It la not without a&nlfioaaob, we think, that In
the oognata oonstitutlonal sm6ndmnt8, Sootion Slb authorizing
old age aaeiatanos puymmrnt.8and Sootion 610, authoriring aid
to the needy blind, thsro was providmb a slnilar llmitatien
upon the amount of aaalstanoewhich might ba pai4 to oaoh
reolpiaat, but no limitation upon the sd.minlstretlvs expondl-
tursa nhioh might be rrsds in order 0rre0tividp to diatributb
the lsrletrnoe authorized. saotion sld la awrw reatrlotivb
than thm greoadin& two amand:~entir in that It plaoaa a limita-
tlon upon the total annual bmefit paymmht6 to beatitutb OhildTbn.
It ia our opinion that thr $lrWOrOOO annual limitation
\~pon the amount thst may ba spent ror auaiatano~ to dsatltuta
ohildren, a8 oontalnfd in Artiola III, Ssotlon 51.6 0r the
Tbxsa ~onstitutlon appliers only to aotuel bensilt payments,
and tbst the Leglslatum la authorlrod to appropri~ata In
ddition to .$1,5oo,c~oo aa5ually r0r timit paymbnta to
deatltuta ohlldren, suoh further 8uma a8 it may deem to ba
neoessary ror the cffioient atmnistre.tionot the pro&?rema
By77kl..GQ?L~
4slter R. Yooh
heei6teUt
ERXtJP