Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN

: State Department of Eublia Velrare
Austin, 48xus
.;:i.:,
:' ~~Dear #i&r IkraMeon:

rouchop q’ warrants drquk w the State Comptrol-
WI ihe paper 6csoMts of a mstate DeparG
ent'af Fublib;..OalfareFund" for the purpoee of
&muitting the Sfste Comptro iler to properly draw
an;L imsuo mmh rawhers or warrants, the State De-
padcmit of,pub$io Welfare shall furnish the Co--
trollbr kth wiist of or roll of there entitleid
to oeskstanas'fron tine to tine, together with the
amount to-which eaoh recipient ie entitled. When
such vouohers or warrants have been drawn they
shall be defirered to the Executire Mreotoc of
the State Department of Eublio VoWare, who in
turn shall supervise tho delirery of same to the
parsom emtitlod theroto.
idonorable J. s. Eurddson - page 2

3SEC, 27. (1) For the p-pose of anrrying out
tho provisions oi' this Act, *&o Old Age Assistance
Furd, thb UUti &ssistanco BsILlil,and the C%ildreri
Assistance Fund 08 pmvidc& for in IL. B. 2, Acts
of the Forty-setenth Leglslatura, Regular Ssssbm,
arehereby msde oeparatePooounts of the *StateDe-
~Dartmeutof PubUc YelfareIRmls as oreateaby
this hoc. Provided, tbatallwnies inthesaparate
aooountr OS the State Depautmsnt 'of Public Welfare
Fund shall be oxpedal unly for the purposes of
carrying out the rorisions oithis Aot,rud for the
purposes for ah% CE said separate accounts were created
or appropriated.

"'(2) The state Treaswor is heroby design&al as
the Gustodian of any and all money which may be t-e-
ceivoci by the Ytste of To%.% (which the State Dcprt-
ment of IUbUc IWlfare is authorised to adndnister),
from anj appropr%ations kade by the Congrces Of the
Unitod States, for the purpose of oooperating with
the ewersl pr~~Iaions of the Fed- l200ial Bs~ur-
ity Act,* and all noncy roooivod fron any other source;
and the State Treasurer is hereby authoriaed to receive
such money, pay it into the proper fund or the propsr
scccunt of the Gonmal e3uv.lof the State Treasury, pro-
vide for the proper custodJ thereof, sud to mabe dis-
bursements thorefroaz upon the order of the State De-
partmmt aud upon uarraut of the State Comptroller of
Publio Aocouuts.*

sitouse ~111 S, Acts of the lofty-swanth Lep;islature, regu-
lsr session, as ammdti, providedin Art. XX, Sectlo% 2, Snb-
section 4, the mount of aate fund uhich shall be allocated
ai.2 tiunsCtm=ed to the old age assistanoe fund. In Senate
Dill 425, Acts of the Forty-seventh Legislature, Regular
Session, a su~is appropriated out or the old age as&ataxme +,.
fmd For the use cf the State tieasurer, aud there is alse a
sum approgriated out of the old age asdstance Lund Por the
use of the Stat0 ConDtroXlor. (see Scneral aud Speoial Lass,
pges 1130, l222 arxL xX83).

*The agpro+aticns as Drorided in Seuste Bill 422 ham beeu
used by the state Colcptrollcr and tho state Trousurer in pay-
inr; tile OXpCnsds OP !lnntlliIlgthr? old cqe xmistzcc3 cLarAa.
,i su;J-co;iPitteecl the Senate Cipil Jurlqrudc~co COIm&ttce
is stuayinq the Pinanoial yorisions roletinq to the old we
assiotanoo ~roqrar~, and this Senate Sub-cormXt.tee ilns instruct-
cd us to submit for your consideration the eollowiw quostionr’
Ronorable J. 8. hnrcbieon - pegs 3

Upon. tlrtsstatement you propound the following
question(

"1s them Lagislatire authorization for appropriating
funds Plwm the Old age oeaistanee flux3 to pay espenaos
incurred by the State Coqtroller or Stats Treasurer
in conneoti~ rith the handling of old age aesistame
cheoba orrraintainingaooount%ngreoords?~

Prorieion for
old age assistance is clearly mlth-
in the legfslatirs pmrogatZ*e, aal Is a proper ereroise
of the polio6 paer of the State for the aeueral Welfare.
Such legislat%on neoessarily coutomplates the lnoideuoe of
cxpeusee for the administration of such Aat.

Section 4s of Artiale III of the Constitution,
limiting the power of t&o Le@slature in the matter cf
the right to 1~ taxes or wee burdens upon the people,
expre~ely except8 from the prohibitionor IimItation the
rigis axxlpovor *to raise rcvemue sufficient for tha economl-
a01 PdrrSPistrationot the gwemment, in wbioh may be inolud-
ed th e fo llo ting p u r p o ses; 0 I)l 0 rhn payant of all of-ii-
cers, agents and mployees of the State gwernment, and all
incidental e.spensee oonuected therevltb. The authority to
taxand collect neceesarily includes the parer to appropriate
-- that iPB t0 apply tie k?UISdtwit6 Frop3-r ptqoS6.

8. Be 423, Acts of the 47th Legislature, lbgulnr
Session, as stated by you, appropriated out of the Old Age
iiss&tance ihand certain anuounts for the use of the State
Gonptroller and t&o State 2reasursr in connection with the
adadnistration of the dot. (See Cenersl and Special Laus,
47th LoSisloture, pp. ilm, EZS2 and lSS3). These ituce
wore in pawent of ~oSiY.cas, agents und en~loVMe of the
State gwernnenP*Sor serv%ces actually rendered in the ed-
ministration of claeAct, and as such they are constitntional-
1y vaua.