Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

! *on ~tha 6rrect5ve date or the Mt, or with- in one er twradays thereafter,and t&ore talc&g any aet5an thb?bundbr,sbotion 6 of th0 &et Mar grb8eatet5 to the Cauuptrol~br~e ottfob for deter- rinatbn OS authorBy or this Departmentto the probbb0.to~inbus obl5gatioBlr thereunder abd we were rdr5eed that the..ap rbprietioabon~einbdin SWtt5ou6,Wald he tied Lot,blyeMeot5re aud that tkm Dep6rtsun~ warn th*pby attthwiebd to erbeite obllgationa$h*reun&er, Bowever,we were further a4v58bdthat'rrs-*Duld be l%m%tebin 00r aqmuii- tures.to 0Iammtsnot ex8ebalug the tot& or the f9@S 00llectbd?OF the 58manOb at titlw rr0m Andya?tsr’thb prTbbMrb date or the not. Me haye ,. Ben gotbpbd .by,thatsdv5bo* “on play, 29, 1941, pegroll a&Idvoucher.ooyer- . in6 S&wiev. of the emplbybesor'theCbrtiriah$e carTitle DiPisionwas ,preabnteb to tab Cckptroxlei ror’the usrrdL ha~dl.W but Pt wab returued to UII " with the a@Ue that the appr*r5atlon igalnst Jhioh.itwas dram 4bW not bebbabavqllableuut51 Septcgab*r 1, 19U. This rti5q bg the Comptroller plab& this DeyartntCmt in aa embarrnssing poaftfon, and at the san%Cimte;yill work a dbiini%bherd- ship upon a nuabbr ‘or th* bm~leyees ei the Nate whe were put to work.br bcmtinubdia the sbr~%oe or the,State in good rafth,bellering, as do we, that the Legislaturehad made adequateprQv5efon rt3rthe5r paymmt. lbur wlybonsidbration or end opfnionon the availab515fy or the,rebeoollbotbdby the Ii5&- way Depar&abntandbppropriated, by the legislatwb ror the payment or eueh ealaries and other expense8 nbmea.wy to a proper adaxin5stration or the Cbrti- r50at&0r Title Diri~ionrar 5ambd5atebxpbnbiturb will b&greatly apprb85atbd.w Seot5cm6 0r House Bill 205 0r the 47th Legislature amuds 3mtlon57 or HouaeB5ll407or the 46thLb&blaturb to read aa r0liora,t *~Sb6tion87. Eaoh applioant ror a oertiii- b&,b or title or re5asuanoethereofshall pa to the dasignatbd agent the 8um or Fifty ($0.50 T Cants, i Hunorab%b Il. 0, #rber, Pb&e a ui whfoh Twenty-F&m (#O.ga)Cbnte shell be zstained by the.dbS~ie/DbtBd agent iaoat uhloh he shall be en- titled to aiiirriafent Boaby to ay bxpbtwes necb5eary to .aliioiently pbrrorra bb set rotih herein, the dut31 and the ?6¶~18inSw ‘pwezlty-?iVb ($&a$) CbXktO shall be rorwmrdedtt3 the Departmtnt for dewsit to The Stat0 xi-g i%llld, t. Other V&th the.bmlicrbt5On ror oeatfrioate0r tit 2 0 within twsntpr0ur (84) hour8 BitOr wne hi been received by said desig- nated agent, from wh5oh roes the Departawmtshall .'bb entitledto and shall use suirisiant money to pey au 8X-SeS nbOWSary t0 brr~ci~t~ ,!uh&ni8- tbr and pbrrOX%U the dd%bS 8bt fO?th hbr&Ii, ak%d them is hereby appropriated to the Departtinta51 er suoh fee0 rar srlartm, travelingbxpen6e, bta- BZontwy, postage, oontiagbnt expbnse an8 all other expenses~bOW3SaF~ to adm5nIntorthisAct ttitlgh thb k&balhiU~II endingAU&fbWt ail, f%h’” We am?& dbtenrfnb ii this appropriation eoB&rammJs Seetim 6 br ArtisleVIIf 0r the Coabtftution or !hxas whiah r8adz3 a8 r0u0w t %jo Isonb~ ahaL1 be drawn rrarnthb trbaswy but in ~~treUiTULt30 0r JJpbOfiiO appropriationsmade by law; nor shall any ap oprlatioon of money be lnede ror Q longer tsna tran two years+ * *w In Pfoklb vs. Finley,91 Tsr. 41u. 4SS, it was de- alarbd by the Supreme Court or 'hxaat *‘ft is slbar, need not that an appropriation be made in the generalappropriation Mll. ft 5s also true, that no tipbOiri0 .WOrd8 Wb M-OSSarJ’ in order and it may be am- to make an apprQQribtiong oedsd,as contended,that an appropriation map bb . mada by fmplioatlenwhen tbs langaagsanploysd leads to the bellsithat suoh was the intentOr the Laglslaturs.* We regardflP0ap roprriation in ~Ousb Bill ,206as s~loientl e Wit t0 spboir~@.‘@dld the m-0 SbFfOUS WbSti’=s 0.f w&&her f t ws made;r'~fOrBI lollgO= t8rJB than tW0 yaars,and Whbthbrit may be uphal&ror a period0r tw Ybbfb,although therbarter. See National Biscuit Co. v. State, 'in0pbrbtivb 1s s. w, (2d) 687, 693 (SupremeCourt). mfoarawblePi c. w5er, P,fe@5 ior longer than two yebfal,it is aur opinion that it wwld be valid for a two year term, althoughInvalid‘ nonethal$?sb themaaitez, 9!b$eoonslueions @empostwith the dootrfnessnnounoed by ~theBuppre~+Couztin the QISW of Piaklete. Finley,supra, and Dallae COUtktp VS, Yooaptbs, 140 Se W. (8d) UN, Re ,'qaote tram the Plikle ease agoin as SollarBt r* * *. *Zt is a well settledrule in the oonstruotb& et statutes,that ii en 8Ot of the ~irrlature be euapableof two cronmtrurtions,one ai which oonfliok with the Oonstitutianand the otherwhioh does not, the latter.mustpxkvail~.It is the duty tifthe eomts *so to,oonetrueevery aet,ofthe Legielature aa to nmks.it consistentif possiblewith the pro- viaions of the Constitution*. I)orv. Blorris,4 18.H., 16; Xewland T. Marsh, 19 Ill,, 376. _ -he membersof the,Legislature are awow to mapportthe Constitution and theaourtawill not pre- sume that they have intendedto violateit when the zgt;tgnth8 law will reasonablyadmit of another seoti0n6 or ~~rtiel9 8 0r the con- stitution(p&iousl~ quoted)not only requires(~a appropriationberoreany money ten be paid oat of the treasury, but also Un$iy*emry apgropriatlon to a term 0X .twoyeara. Xi they had made an appropriationin uriutistakableterma whioh we8 to oontinuefor all time, it sight be held vi$.$d*W ror two yeers, and inoperative thereafter. Xn the YoComba’ ease, the Yuprente COurt speaking. thrdiyhMr. JustfoeCritz,declared: u* * * *Plaintiffin error contendsthat even if this a propriationrunningfor five years is in violatfon of the two,year5'provision0r Yeotlon 6 of articleVIII of our Constitution as applied to the five year periodtaken 35 8 whole, still EPDnorable D. C. mar,'?egie 6 it ia not in vlokationei suoh oonstitutional pry- rkrbta a% applied te the first two year8 of the rim9 aear period. It 8.o~ to be the lawtha$ whes!e the Legislaturehas made 'aa aporoDrlationia * ) whiah ooat iaues for a loa$w X8 -8uOhappropriation may be UDhNddiOr tb ifrsb 4~0 year8,and muld ba in- opaativa theseafter. PiOklev. linley,91 Tea 4%+ 44 8. W. 439, 43%. Itwill be noted that the rule or law. annoanoed ia Piok3e V. Pinley, Jtt mmlntakable terma'. We ln%erpret thin to maam that i? aa appropriationio aade ra more Wan tm ymtm, it oan be eniorosd ror the fir8t iiWoyeax if it e~peor8that the &&ala- tuxe Woubtodly Intendad suoh appropriation to operate?or tvm years,regardleescb whether or not, it ootttd $0 so thoreaiter. W think t&a%t&to rule oannot,aid this appropriation, beoauile w&en 6ll of the pto'viaioaaof this Aat are eo~idere&~ together,we manot say that the Lefgislature would uadoabtedlyhate paassd it to operatefor two years only, ihsteedo? fin, yeare as provided by bhe Aat, ~-.‘:.<~gjp 0 +* ,.&u&r? BUI 808 tran8ferredthe adatnistration ot the CewtifimiteG? Title dot fzom the Dspartatent of Publip Safetyto the State5iighuag DepaHmat. Heoeaaarilythis requiredlmmdiate admInistration and enfor8ementor the .Certliioate or Title Abt by the State HighwayDepartate&. The Legi6latuxs reoogntsed that the State HighwayDepaxt- meat wonld be oompelledto iouur obligationsat onaeI Tb& was.thereemn ror the ixmedlateappropriatian of tho Ii the appropriation is ineffeotive, the enforoement 0i t$ GartiilOateof Title Aot vzmld be peralyzod a8 a re- 'rultof the aotion of the 47th bgialature in tramerring tI~,adPrtnistration,framthe Departmentor Publio.Sfifoty to the %tata,Zighway Deiartaaut. Or Title Ast IS The purpose~2 the CertifiOate erpreeeed a8 r6uovn in Bouae 3ll.l 6051 "'8eotion1. -1s AOt shall be referredto, oited end known as ths wCertifloste or Title Aot*, end in the snar4tmeat hereof it is hereby declared to be the legislativeintent and publie pcliiy of this state to lmse~,~andpreventthe theft of motor.veh$olgs and the importationjmto this etate ei and:txafSi~la stoba mator veh$Olef~, and the sele'oS,enbumbe~d-too11vehiolesw$thcutthe en- ror~d &$BO~C~UN to the purehaaeroi auy Emd SU lien& forwhich any euoh nctcr oeh.%cle etandsas awwruity.; an+ the prmisions hereof W@ul~rly and cclleiitivo~y, areto be l$bere&+&trued to that S@di, The fcSlowin&terms:$lxJmrein ds- rip&a ~hau. 0Mtr0i 'in.th0~ t9nior0843e btd ?~a- strufei loa.cf. thh Aot*** . ~8eetion ii1oi mlse'B$lL 205'asoitesr "4%-a.Le. Th6 feet that imtor veh$clesw$th liens tharecnerd~~beingpurohased by innccezat pur- ahaaersdue tq the prarentmfinnerand method of iss~ certliioatesof title;the Iaot that regis- tration 0r motor Y4hi4le4-fs now undez the juris- diction and controlof the h.$ghwayDepartmentof the.Stateor Texas and the issuingOS certificates of title to n&or rehiale~is under the juxisdic- ticn and ccntrolof the Departmentof Public safety of the State of Texss, laaringt the YighwayDepart- ment withcutmans of retaini* a ccmpletefile on the cwnershipof motor vehioles,regiotered fn. this State throughoutthe year; * * ** Clearlythere I4 "an appmixlatlon in umistanksble tex4tP in B$ll 805. And, paraphrasfngthe languageof Eouse Hr. Justice&its in the McCombeaase, when all of the prc- ~$s$cnsand purposesof House Bill 205 are consideredtc- gether,we cannot but say that the LtgislatWe intendedtc make the appropriation operativefor txc yeam, regardless OS uhetheror not it could do 40 thereafter,whereforethe Stats Hi&way Depertaentoauld be enabledto assumethe ad- m$n$strat$cnof the Csrtifioata of Title Act innned$stelP upon the effectivedate of Hcu~e Bill DOS. It $s thereforethe ecnsideredopinionof this depertmehtthat the fees uolleotedby the Sate highwayDe- parwent and appropriatedby the Le&slattme for the GaFnent macrable D. C. Drimx, Page 8 of salazies end Other expen444neobisearilp laoident to a proper adtainistrationof the Certitioateof Title Aat, be- mxao available to the State Highway Bepartamnt immediately apon the efieuti~4bate or B~UW IAu;Lm5. St is our rur- tka oplni4sthat runh appropri4ticn $4 cpsrativ4only far a texm of tur~yfmrs thereafter. TEXAS