- OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS i
AUSTIN
,__. __._ . . . . .,. .-- .~. ,. I- ‘. ..
HonorableE. S. Kyle
Dean, School ol' h@culturce
A. & H. Coiloge
collegeStatlan,Texas
r’lettw of J6arch
n of t?a Board of
Texas, &ted F
sea the purc~ Lavrence
d John
lomu of approx ll lmprovaaantsat
hG56 OF autile
ths fans at a
se prloo to 50 paid in
ion of the unexpendedbal-
ur baqulrles ray be 6u-
er the Board of Direotoreof A. 8:M.
PJ authorityto purchaseChe farm.
her the Board of Directors ol’ A. de X.
tory authon3rity
to pm?chaee~theequip-
kmnt and toam Lo be wed on the fem.
3. k'hother
the unexpendedbdancs In the Pure
Peed Fund eo sgproprlatedto A. 3 X. COli.6&9
by th5 4.&h'
Legisleturomy be used far 8f1.M p.wpoeeaa
4. k'hethor
the proposedsollc~shwe a clear
end suercbntable tXtle to the Seth fi~orln~ aid John Lair-
Wm26 farm.
.:; 532
J@n. 8. J. aJrre - Pbgb 2
.- You have left with us along vlth your opinioni
rsqimsttha,abstracts to this farm, but it vlL1 take KIOIUO
tlms to examinethe abstracts. Us will, therefore,limit
this opinionto the first threa questionsmentlonodabove
slidpass on YOU' abstractsin a title oplnlnn,whtch we
vi11 vrlte at a later date.
A8 Ve understandit, this farm vbich you propose
to purahaseconelstsby actual surveyof 2776.36 8cr.w in
0~x4 traat 0r land. It lies across the Brazoo river at a
dlstoaoeof approximately'rfmiles frox the A. & Id.Campur
and 1s contiguousto a tract of laud which 1s at present
under lmse to and le being used by the PIIn State Eaperl-
xsnt Eltation at ths Agricultural& t4whanlcal College.
The paver of the Board of'Directorsof A. & M.
Collegeto purchaselaud oonvenlentlylocatedwith reference i
to the campusof the cwllegeis conferredby Seotlon1 of
Article26l3a,VernonlsAnnotatedCivil Statutes,vhlch wads
a8 followsr
"The Board or Directorsof the figrlcultural
and laech6nlwiCollegeof Texas 1s hereby au*
thorlzedto contraatwith persona, iinns or
oorporiatlons for therpurchaseof, or the ac-
qulsltlon.of,or Zhe erectionof permsnentlm-
provementson or convenientlylocatedin referenw
to the campus of aald College,or to the,tXWQusel
of.anyor all of its branch lnatltutions, and to
purchase,sell, or lease landwand other appurte-
nancos for the constructionof such permanent
Zmprovoments provldedthat the State of Texas
lncura no indebtednessudder ths contraots."
The llmltatlononthe power oftheBoardunderthe
term or the above statute1s that the purchaseshall not
involvethe lncurrlng of fanlndebtednesaby the State of Texas.
The reasonfor this limitation,of course,is that Section
49, Article3 of the Constitution, pryides that "no debt
shall be createdby or on behalF of the State exaept to
supplycasualdeflolenclesof revenue,repel lnvaslon,sup-
f;re;;lnsuzyeotlon, defend the State ln var, or pay existing
. . .
It ha8 been held, hbwever, that
obligationswhich
are payableentirelyout of exlating approprletlone
or current
533
IIOn.E. S. Iiyle~-Page 3
revenuw sxe not debts vithln the meaningof the Constltutlon.
XcHeal v. City of Waco, 89 Tex. 83, 33 S.W. 322; CharlesScribner's
'Sonav. Mama, 114 Tex. 11, 262 S. W. 722; Austin 13ros. v. Patton
CODI.APR.) 288 S. ii.182; west Audit CO. V. YO~kum CO., 35 S.W.
2) 404; t&PLeneisConstructionCo. v, San Antonio,50 9. W. (2),
349, error refused;State v. bledbury, 7 Ohio State Rpp. 522.
As statedby the Sup~wneCourt In CharlesScribner~s
Sons v. Mapn, aupra, RObligations that run ooncurrentwith
revenueil are not debts within the contwplatlon of the Constl-
tution."
ThenBoard of Directorsof A. 8 H. Collegehas the
power of omlnentdomain in aoquirlngland for collegepurpoires.
Article2513a-5,Vernon'sAnnotatedcivil statutes,provides,
ln part, as follovar
"Seation1. The Board of Directorsor the
Agrioultuxaiand i&&LanicalCollegeof Texae is
hereby vestedwith the pouer of etient doualn to
acquirefor the ume of said Collegesuah lands as
may be necessaryend proper for csrryingout tts
purpoass,ln the manner prescribedIn Title 52, Revised
Civil Statutesof Texas OS 1925, as amended.
'sec. 2. The taking of'such propertyis hereby
dselaredto be for the we of the State. . . .'
We thfnk that the power of the Board OS Dfmotors to
tie the purchases1s beyond question,if the money for that
Purposehas been made availableby the cument appropriation
bill FOP A. & M. College.
The Pure Feed Fund, which 1s the souroeor the moneys
With which you intend to purohasethis farm and equipment,la a
specialfund in vhlch there Axe depositedthe tag and certiflca-
tlon fees COll8Ct8dby A. & M. Collegeon all feeding etuff ueed
or sold isathis State. The fees are paid to the Diractosof the
Texas AgriculturalExxperiment Stationat A. & 6%.snd by hiDlde-
positedin the State Treasury.
Article3875, Y.A.C.S.,provldQsM f0110Va:
%o much or the inspectiontax and penalties
uollectedunder this title chall be paid by the State
Treasurerto the treasurerof the Texas &riauLturai
and MechenlaalCollageaa the dlreotorof the Texas
534
/
Bcaa..
it.J. x.yl%- Pi&t 4
A.pLcu.lturellmmriment Station may shou by his
bill8 has -beanexpondedin perfoming the dutida
requiredby this title,but 1~ no case to exceed
th% tuawr~tof th% lnti~ctlontax &ridpanal?Aos
raceivedby'the State Treasurerunder this title."
You state in your let2;er that the Board of Directors
has by Its R~sOlritfon Of Fehua&y 19. 1944, suthorieedthe pay-
ment oi the pc~chsseprice of the f'am~,eqtipmnt sr,dtern%
out of th% unexpendedbalancaLn the Pure Feed Fund, and you
advlosd us oPalLg that there io at prsaaslt sufficient mxwya M
hand 3% 8aid fi.Zd t0 pay t&t %ntiP% 3?1~~h&8e
priC% of the SLW$I
end the eqiiigmant and team.
The currentsp3mp~?iation bill for the Agricultural
and #(ochanIoalCollegeof Texas for t&e tub fiscal yeare end-
ing August 31, 1944 and August 31, 1945, aonbibln, among others,
th% PollotingprovtakOxlaa ,_
*The unexpendedbalenaein -s&IdFund (PureFeed
Fad) may beiused for any of the pg??osashernia ap-
ppoprlatedfor The Agriculturaland Eschenical
College,OP fop the purpoeee0Z omduct@g exgerlnmnta
vith feeda by the Tome AgriculturalEx?erimentStation
and for such purpose8 a8 the Board OS Directors of
The A@uultw?al 8nd HechanloalCollegec? Texas my
dew advisable,provided that any salariespaid or
suppkwmted therefrom'cihall not exceed those plaid
tot? the 881110
or Bltia.ar s%rvlo%a in; th% Rain
Colle&-$e.
. . .*
Seotion1 of the AppropriationBill providea,in part,,
that: "All balsncesIn the Umtltutional ftida . . . we J.wreby
approgrlstedfor tbq wppo~t, mraIntenmice, operationand Fm-
grovemantaof'said State institutions" and in Section 2 that
the swerol auua of money apeclriedhereinafter. . . axe
hereby approprieted. . . to th% severaleducetiorzal insti-
,tutions and other educationalCrgencloe.na&ed
iu this Att for
their support,rminttlifnme,bulld.f~o,opwrattonand improve-
J %l%nta l ”
ft b M !OIB%8 , to 6-8
lU3COSB 8l’Y, the statutee
th %P %fOl’O
releti@ to the AgriculturalExguriseent Stationto ascertelnthe
pouera of thtaBoard of Dtx+aQtorw
b refsrenoethereto.
Artl&es 135'and137, R. 9. 1925, read In part a8
fO11OWS
t
xaa.B.J* EJrle- Pe&e 5
eh~ll be establishedat, such plaaee
?l!hert, t
in t&a State aa the bard herafnfbrter -a
may deem p~opeer,. experimentcG.tiMe for the QW-
p35U Ofl!lRkln;S eZGl'3Pisaante
aadCM;luCtLlQ in-
vust~atlcna lA th?3PbmA.ug and c;PoviIlg or agri-
culturalmid horticulturPZaropa and aoils, and
thy breediq, reedlugend fatten&q of lLv.veotocic
fur alw@&er. . . l
"The experl%isAt Sta,tlM loC;leed
at tile
hgrlcultuml and MochaaicalCoilegoin Brasos
CoWityWhlGh 1s In psrt supportedby the federal,
Qovemxmat shall retoain srtataldpolnt 88 a per-
-Zlt h3titUt~M. ItsmlLh~asths~
fit&a Zxperimmt Station,end she&l be under the \
~u)~s~~lslon of the Board of Mreatore of'euoh i
‘,;
aoUe&e. , . .*
We note fmms the BesolutlonoP.theEiomd of!Dire&ore
copiedln your letter that ths first and prlnolpriLpurpoacs
for.
uhlchthis rarn le being pllschaeadIS *to dmwd Rddlt1onal
epwe aud a battQr type of 8011 ior re8eerChaad Undid vork
ca Qmds etsd~PRIAS t'orpoultryend 1Pveetoakend ln all other
phesesof c;grSciiltus~for the A.gr%auLturak
Experhent StRtiaa~
8~14fcm msuesch projectsfor grcrduate etudenteti agPioulture."
The Do&x4 of Direatom alearlyhe& wthoritg under
Articles 1% and 137, quoted above, to establishaad supervise
the ml.A state 2ixperLlllQAtstat1oA at A. B w. for the pw?pQse5
enuaaratedin the 8Q8Ob.ltiOSt.
The r’wegolng provlslom
of the AppmprSeticm Bill do not
to ilmlt tht%&as%3 of Dlxectorain the e%xpcpndiWre
luklerta~ks of the
beleme in the ?rrzwPeed Ihud. It lo true that the moneys in
m.ld Sbm¶an3 ix&lie mozmysvhiicb must be re-apwogriated every
tvo yews by the Legl$Lnture,In order that they may be "expended
la po~Sosmiq~the dutloa"ruquiredby the pure reed 8tatute6.
If0yevec,a5 e mstter of le@olative practlcdwe know thet the
uee of these Pwxls lxm been loft Lm?guiyto the diuwetion of the
Dlrsctcw af the mpermnt station~uldthe LWI.M of xmeutors oi"
h. 0 ~5.Coiiatl;e.Consideringthe IsouPceof the fund end the
legislattvehietorg&I regmd thereto,ic ia3cLear to our mlnda
that thenqqnwpri&lon biU authorleesthe expenditureof the un-
expendadlxancs ia the Pure iteedFund fop euch ~urposeaPB the
ma* E. J. XYZB - Page 6
:
mrd of Directors%sy deem advisable* for the ‘support, nrein-
tenance, buildings, opfmitZan and irr@rovsmsnts” of the Main
State Experiment Statlof! and *for the $urposea of oonduoting
sxperZments vith feeds.
In line with thlei constrmQtlon, Bee bloon v. Alred,
co. Atty., 277 9. W. 757, 790, wherein it was held that the
proceeds of bonds vNch vore voted for tti purpose of ereoting
cmd equfpping 8 courthouse and jail oould be used in pur-
d$ng a site or,eiteathereforin said county. %Ym Court
. The rule of conatnuoti4m,
aa oi%m dm-
ClaPediyour supPeIll8 CMPt, is1
%thfmever a power is given by statute,evesp
thing aeoe*naryto make it efiectualor
requiaito to attain the en8 is implied. . .
Th0 grant of an exgreaa powsr ca~riea with It,
by neceesary implloatlon, every other pover
aeceaaary and proper to the execution of the
power exp~a8sl.y granted.~ Terrsll v. SpaFkr,
104 Tex. 191, 135 S.H. 519."
The 'onlylimltaticmson the use of the Pure Feed Funds
there already imposed by prefmlotlng lav. Ue have 8esn th5t
Board of Directors is limited In the purchase of landby
Article 26136, R. C, 9. to lads “convenieatlg locatedin refar-
I
once to the cazupuaof said callego” and is prohibited Prom
lncurrlng any iadebtedweo agalrgat the State of Texas by nuoh
.I RWChR8e8.
Since the Seth MooPing and John L8VlWlUQ tari6 ia eon-
vtUliC3Atl~located to the aamgun of A. & MM.SO that it Oau be
used In oMnectlM vith ths Mala ExperimeAt St8tion and as a
R8rt of the physU8.L p1aI.G of A. & 10. CoUege, and sieve it
J aad its equlpxmnt and teas can Be paid for out of the uu-
... altpended balance In the Pure Peed Fund vithout incurrUg any
debt against the State OP Texas, the Board of,Directors, lu
5’. our oglnlon, has the authority to snake raid purohaaea.
.
,-,‘
,‘! Tmst&g .that the foregoing am3kswfiyour iaqulry, ve twe
Your8 very truly
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Combined Opinion