OFFICE OF THE A7TORNEY GENERAL OF T-
AUSTIN
Honorable John 8. Rudd, Jr., Acting Dlreotor
Toaoher Ratiremant Syatam of Texas
Austin, Toxaa
ear Sir:
opinion NO. O-Q03
Be: validity or resolution
passed by Teaohrr Ratlrement
: Board
IOU ham submitted for our oonsldrratlon the
validity Of the fOll.Onlngregulation pasard by thr Board
of Tru@tars of the Tasoher Retlrament Syateiu8
wQeoause of the laok of general infor-
mation possessed by the members in this firat
year in .whIoh retlremsnt ,may.be afiaotire,
any membsr between- the agea o? alxty and
8rrenty who is ot~ias uallriad ror ra-
tiremmt may hate his rcltf, rembnt allowanos
rf?sotIra as“ct Augugt~31, 1941, upon making
a wrltteinap liaation to the Ratirsmant Sya-
ternby Novaafior 10, 1941. tn
The pertinent statutor provlalon is.Saotion 5 o?
.thr Tsaehrr Ratirament Aot, whio3:~sadr, In part as followrr
“1. Ser?ioo Ratlrsmsnt Benefits. Any
membar say ‘retire tigonwritten applloation to
tha Statr 3oard ot~Trustass. BstIrempnt ehall
be otfsotlrr as of the end oft the rrohoolyaar
then ourrsnt,~proridsd that the said member
at the time 80 epealflrd for. his retirement
ahall hats attained the age of elxt (60) yearn
and shall have oomplatad twrnty (20T or more
yeare o? oraditebla sarvloa, and provided rurthar
that no retirement &hall be,eifsotlva prior to
Auguati31, 194l. Any member in asrvloe who has
attained the ags of asventp (70)’year6 ehall be
.
Honorable John 8. Road, Jr., Pago 2
ratlr4d forthwith, provided that with tha approval
of hi4 amployar ha may ramain in 44rvlo4,~
Undar the atatuta, no ratlrament could hata bran
arfaotlra until August 31, 1941, and the statute raeme to ra-
qulrs a written applloatlon prior to tha data of ratlramant.
Ii this 16 a mandatory raquiramant, thrn the regulation would
ba lnaffaotiva. On the other hand, if it la merely dlraotary,
than wa ballara that the Board was authorized to pa48 tha ra-
gulatlon.
In the 'care or City of Uvalda Y. Rurnay, 145 S.W. 311,
tha atatuta under oonaldaratlon raqulrad the city oounoll to
maat on or barora tha firat day or Sanuary and fix tha salary
of tha mayor. Iiowarar,tharalary was not firad until the aaoond
day OS May. In parsing on whathar auoh salary waa lagally fixrd,
tha oourt raid tha iollowlngt
"(I) It ia tha rule that a daparturr from
atatutory provlalonr a4 to tha tin4 or modr or
doing a thing raqulrad or parmlttad by law will
not usually lnvalldata tha prooaadfnga tharaundar,
although thara la no unlvaraal, $nfalllbla rula
by whloh dlraotory prorlslona m4y, undar all alr-
oumatano44, be dlstlngulshad from thoaa whloh ara
mandatory.
“(2) Again, It la 8tatsd by a t&t-writar,
and 4upportad by authority, that, -her4 thr pro-
rl4lon 14 In arrlrme<a words, and It ralataa
to tha tlma or 4uMknerof doing the sot8 whloh eon-
atltuts the chief urpoaa of tha law, or thora
indldantel or auba! diary tharato, by an oiilolal
p3rsan, tha provision har bran urually treated a8
dlr40toryi" Tha aama wrltar aay6t wWhar4 a atqtuta
Is afflrmat1ra, it do44 not n4o44aarlly Imply that
tha mods or tlma mantlonad in It ara axo1u41~4,.
and that tha sot provided for, it dons at a dlrrer-
ant tlma, or In 4 different manner, will not hava
4fr4ct.n Suth. Stat. Cons. 1 447. Tha mm8 author
cltaa a numbar of authorltlar to nuetaln the prop-
osition that prorlelona regulating tha duties of
public otfloare and epaolfylng tha time for thalr
perforwnoa are, in that ragard, ganarslly dlreotory.
Ssotlon 448." See al.60Olbaon VI, Davis, 236 S.W.
202.
The Vaaoher Ratlramant Systam is et111 ralatitaly
Eonorabla John 8, Rudd, Jr., Page 3
new In Texas, and the teacher member6 ara not yet familiar
with the tarn8 of the Ratlramant Aot. HO doubt there vmnra
a number of teachers who wars allglbla for ratlramant aa of
August 31, 1941, and who failed to apply for ratirrmant ba-
oauaa they did not know the tern&vof the statute. It la for
this raanon that the Board passed tha ragulatlon.
we 8x-aof the opinion that the authorltias oltad
abate govern tha statutory prorlalon under oonildaratlon, and
that it la merely a dlraotorg provision. ft roilon, thara-
fore, that the Board had the authority to paea the regulation.
Vary truly yours
ATTORNEY OENERAL OF =S
ows tllw