OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
i
i
. .=.s-
~onorabls Gee . ii.~ Oheppard
coz@roller of fublio Aocounts
Austin, Taxis
-
up011 the dsath of a Con-
that ruch pensioner had
of hsr gonsio~~ ~arranie
and hhd h&J. then, aocw.ulatinCf som $bOO.OO
worth.
1.
uAr0 tb se w3rrnnCs n subjcot of inhcri-
tanca f os the benefit OS this Uaceusod pcn-
6ioncr?"
Th0 ansivor to’ your first quastlon concernlag the
losuing of R duplicate warmnt to the heirs OS the .ripceesod
snorPble Coo l a. tiheppard, Page 2
;,np~cner is Controlled by our Opinioo Xo. O-2161,:i%1lt?h
~AAA~,
Ln part, a0 followe:
“Your third question reads a8 follows:
WI(3) IS the payee of a Confed-
erate Pension Xarrsnt which has been
voided by linitstion requests a du-
pliCRtc warrunt to be issued, is it
modatory on the Ztzte Cozqtrollor and
StGte ‘IXeasUrer to iS&Us SUCh dU?fi-
CutC, provided the necos~ary require-
mnts for iz,:nuing du2l.icetc mrrmta
are iwtp
“In answer to yo*ur third question ooncarn-
a;, whether or not it is madatory on the $tnte
coz?troU.er to issue duplicate warrants on such
uerranis which have been barred because they
kerc EOt prusontcd witNo the tvio yam period,
y2.z attention is called to :,rticlo 4366, Vzr-
wfi'8 iimotfited .'l.ril Statutes, which reads as
~vLionn : .’
-1I ;;1.t . 4505. The Comptroller, *
when oatlafied thLlt any original
vmrrmt drswn u_oon t& State Treasurer
hi.8 been loot or destroyed, or when
tiny oertificate 01' other evidence of
indebtedness ap?rovad by the auditing
bosrd or the iJt;ite ,tis been lost, is
authorized to issue a dqlicato v;sr-
rtir?t In lieu of t& ori@nil wurrsnt
OX a du>lioate or r, copy of such cer-
tiriosts, or other evidence of indebtcd-
ncss in lieu OS such original; but no
such duplieatwvmrrant, or other evidence
Of indebtedness, shall issue until the
W,llicmt hcs riled wit!1 the Conptrollcr
his affidavit, atsting that he is the
true ovzer or such instrument, end that
the SRZX is in ruot lost or dcstroyod,
oil311 ol~o Sil.c vjith the Co?~gCrOllOr
E to ;it In double the mount OS the
*’
ci2l.n TiiCh t:qo or jlora Good and sUS-
Siciant sureties, payable to the GOVCl'-
nor, to be npproved by the ComptrolLer,
md Conditioned thnt tha agplicnnt vii11
knorjblt Gbo. H. Sheppard, Page 3
.
hold the State hamloss and return
to the Goj.nptrollor, u3on demnd being
l
aode t huref or, such duplicates or
Co >lb E+, or the mount of money nxned
therein, together with all costs that
Sny aoorw agafnst the State on col-
lectlng sam. A.fter tho itlsuanoo of
@aid duplicate or copy if tho Coaptrcl-
lar should ascortafn thnt the saze was
fl?,,roporly Lxx.ted, or ,thnt the aypll-
Cant or party to ~~ho.21 the 5s.w uas is-
sued w’~isnot the owner thmeof, he
shull at once desanl the return of
suid duplfcute or copy if unpaid, or
the cmow~t paid oats by the State, if
60 pald; end, upon f~tilurs of ths party
to return swe or the axou~t 0.7 money
Onlled for, salt shall bo Instituted
up011 sali5 bmd- i’n Travis County. *
“It is our ogdnion that it is xmdatory on
the Gtuts Coaotroller and stata Tre;surar to Is-
SUC!la warrunt, even th&h barred br;ccluse of l?Ct
having bee:1 presented wlthin cho tvi0 year pEtriO&,
mjrg be present& to ths Lc&slature who mul.d have
the authority to order the mm p-2id.” (Unberaoor-
ins OUXU)
ft. ohoula be pointed oit as atate in the above
quoted opinj.0~ “if the csnditions psovidsd in Artix0.e 4365
hnvc barn c02pplied ;sJithtl, it is mudstory al the co2ptroZler
to JESUS o. dugllc&tc yiarrant. ZOW~V~F, these coditiou6 aust
bb follo~4 very e1ose1.y. The mera affidavit of one olaiming
to bo ttb true o-,vRar, woo.la not in itself, be sui’ricient.
Article 4365, ss~ra, ia coucj.ss language, places a duty upon
the Colqtroller co first satisfy hinwl.f that th3 wcrrclat i%
questfOR h:\s beea.lost or destroyed. The Grnot kUlgUAga Of
the -tioh i:, aa ~O~OV~S:
,+.g
,
j .
4114
mnorabl8 Gee. E. Sheppard, Pnge 4 1
Under tho facts as s&ted in this question where
8 period of seven yenrs has elapsed, oinoe the warrant8
ve*e last aotually known of a nu:%bar of natural possibil-
iticzs arise. Th9 warrants in question mlight hirv8 been
assigned, they could have been given as seourity fey e
d9bt, Or diSSOSCd Of in any one Of sePera1 Ways. !?hs re-
. puired uffidavit ohould of cour3c include all mttsrs that
&ght throw light on th9 lost warrants, Eiozever, ~the stat-
tms leave broad discretion in the hands of the Cornptrollsr
and also oomaads him independently to satisfy bitiself as
to the exact status of the warrent in question, it ri0ula
be Within -his power to rofrrse to issue a duplicate warrant
notsithstacding tha filing of -the bond and the affidavit,
if he was not satisfied that the warrants in qu99tion were
not assigned, pledged, or disposed of in BOLWproper and
regular macner.
In mcwer to your second question, w5 3b0uia first
deternlne tho type of instrument and nature of such a warrant,
In Taxaa Ztxisprudonce, Volume 11, p. 605, Sactio?l 118, we
find warrant doscribed in this manner:
Chile rrarru?lts are, in the ordinary form
of commercial p&per, they do not povseos the
quality of such paper, they are not negotiable
instrumuts * * *.I*
IIo~~::Bvcr,
warrants z.ay be aosiSn9d and the assignee has ever
right of the original payee. See Speer V, Stute, 55 S. W. 9 24)
95, 123 T'ox. Cr. sop, 185; City of Bclton V. iIarri8 TLYl3t
Wings, 275 S. Y;. 014, affirnad ES5 S. Vi. lG4.
It is a vi911 sottlod rule that a warrant is evidence
of an obligation oa the past of the State or one of its divi-
sions to pay n certain ~~'11of macy. Obligntious cf this
nmm arc troatod as p9rnonal property nhd are the subject
of inhoritancs~. !'~arrants, by th8i.r nature, Piould be Chius-
ifiod v;ith ot!mr non-negotiable obligations due the estate
Of the decoaced. ,I
You are theretors respectfully advised t&hat under
the facts as you state thez, and provided tkt the statute
in quo&ion is clomly folkmod, the Coiaptroller is author-
ized to issue duplicate Confederate p9n;lon Warrants; and in
i ahswor to youx second question, that Confederate pencion war-
rvnts are the suhjcct of inhoritcnco for tho beucfit of the
dccoased ~nnior,ar (s estate.
.r--\
. . .. . _..:.\. ..
6 :;,,;..'-'i So Yours very truly