ootober 24, 19'(7
Hon. Rrtwrt 0. Ttlompaou, Obalrlaan
Rellroad Oohmlwioa 0r Texas
Awtla, Tear8 OpialoaHo. v-412
~0: mqmiti0n 0r reef3
reoelwd by th6 Coa-
misalon for lloenaes
Issued under Artiols
6053, v.c.s., 80 ar-
feated by rlder oonb ’
tallled1n.s. 8';391,
otitw6r400; m8 or’
“A part of ~OUEO Bill 792 and the tunead-
- maat o~ntalaedla SenateBill 268 providedin
p&Et 88 rOii~@J:
"'All:fess'reoeived bg the State frum
lioenuerrlrrmwdunder this Aot shall
be made avaIlableto the RRllroadOom-
alr8loa r0r use in paying the legiti-
: aate expenlrerlnourredIn adalalster-
bg ati ~~r0~01tigthe ~POVISIOUII or
thtm.Aot; and r0r~noother purpose;
~provlded,howwr. that any exoemm
ruadr waalalng 8t the end or eaoh
two -y epmlod
a r lh8ll gotothe WI- I
lmllhmd.'
II
. . .
.-~--------
.
; Eon. Rraert 0. Thompmon - Page 2 v-412 .
Chapter2 (H. 8, 792), Aats of the 46th
Legisiatwe, during eeah or-the rieoal
Jesrs beginningSeptelmm 1, 1947, and
September 1, 1948, sball be paid to the
QeaelalRevenueFund."
*. . . "
Wll you please answer the r0110wing au+-
t IOM ;
"1. Cm the Legislatureby an approi '~ '
pristioabill ohsags or amend the general
law8 or statutesor this State,pfirticu- ,
larl9 that seotloaor Artlale h53 as above
:: ,'retout?
*2. Ii auah cannot be done, is Sub-
beation8 of Seatfon2-B of Artlole6053
still in &feet, and oan the RallroadCom-
.miualonuee suah fund8 (LPWs fee8 oolleot- . .
ed) as far 88 they are neoessaryto aarq
out the provlfW.?n8of the LPGea Aot?"
! .*
The Fort9-elxthLegislatureet ltr~regular
I setwloaIn 1939 amended Aptla5e 6053, R.O.S., 1925, by
enaotlngChapter2, H .a. 792, Aots or 1939.: Artlole
1 6053, supra, ~8 amended by H. B.‘792, ‘provided a cm-
prehenalve 89atem of regulationby.$he. Railroad Oonmls-
slon iOr the des&m, .l.asteilletloa, aowtruatlon, and
Op8rat10naOroolrtaFner8 and ecpalpneat' ror the Wmage,
bandllng,and transportation of butane at@ liquefied
petroleuagabes. The Act further pmmided for the pay-
ment of oertsla annual r9e8 .b9persaabooming wlthlrr
itr term8 to the RailroadComlsslon, aal Seotlon 2b(8)
rpeoirioally provided eb r0110wq 2
"All r888 reoelved by the state rr0i0
liaeoeeaIssuedunder thls"Aotshall be
mnde avellableto the RailroadOommlsalon
ror nne in paying the -legitimate
expenres
inaurwd In adminiaterlngand enforaing
the provlelaamof thlu Aot, and for no o.th-
er purpose;provided,however,that any
OXOO8B fWdS ~EU%iniDg4t tb end Or 08Oh
two-par period &all go to the 0eneral
Fbn$."
. ,.
.*..- -...-. - --I- - .~. .,
, .
Ii&n.Sraeat 0. Thompson - Page 3 v-412 UJ
The Forty-ninthLeglslatme, Regular Seaalon,
1945, further mended ArtIale6053 aupr8, by elvrotlng
9. 8. 269, Chapter 358. Seatloa 18 or 3.-B. 269; whloh
now appear888 Seotlm 18 of Artlale6053, aupm, read8
and prwldea as follqwa:
“All fee8 receivedby the state from
licenikea laaued under this Act shall be made
atrallable to the RailroadComl.saloafor use
In p89lng the legltimsteexpense8incurred
In 8dmlalaterlngand enfOrcIngthe pr~lalona
of this Aat, and for no other purpose;pro-
vided, however,that any exceaa fmda re-
xmlalag at the end of each two-pearperiod
ah811 go tothe OenerslFuad."
The State Depmtmental AppropriationBill,
Chapter400, Aota 0r the 50th Leglaleture.Regular Sea-
aloa, 1947. ootitalna8 rlder followingthe appropris;
tlon8 therelaapeaifiled for the 088 Utllltiea8nd Llq-
u8f$ed Petrolem IospeotlonDlvIalonof the Commlraion
vhioh Dada aa r0lm8;
,.'
'All fees reoeliedby the Rallroed Com-
nlaalon fran lloeaaealaauedsneer Ohepte?2
(HouseBill 792), Act8 of the 46th Leglala-
tubs, during e8Oh of the fiaaal Years begIni
alag Septeaber1, 1947, and September 1, 1x40,
ahrll be ml.4 to the &mere1 ReveaueFwl.
There 08a be no doubt th8t Artlole 6053,~;zxy
la a geaerallaw i 2 SutherlandStatutorsConatruo
8 2302. Seatloa 2b( of the 1939 amendment (R. B. 7% '
2 Aata of 193 and Section18 of the 1945 amend:
::t-(9: 8. 269 Che 358 Acts of 1945) uae the 881~0
Identloallm≥ It'18 olear fra the languege
used In these two aeotlonathat the moue9 reaelvedby
the coiunlaaloa ror lioenaeaIs~aued under Article6053,
auplur, was devoted to the ap8oIeSpurpose of paylag 'the
leglt@ste axpeaaea lnourredIn eAmlalaterlngand en-
r0n:lv the prwlaloaa" or the Aat aad "for no other Dw-
m. Suoh money waa thereby removed from the General
Rewaua Fund, aubjeot only to the provlalonregardlag
8~888 fund8 remalalagat the end of eaoh tWO-988r pePI-
55 9, W. (2d) 153 (28x. 01~.
2he rider ooat8luedla Obapter400, Aota or
tbeyJthLe&8lNme; Re@8r 988810~, 1947, and abow
\
kL ‘*7U Hon. Ernest 0. Thompson - Page 4
quoted,purportsto transferthe licensefee fund cre-
ated and devoted to a specialpurposeby Artlale6053,
aupre; to the GeneralFund. The rider is lneffeotual
to aaccmpllahsuch purpose!becauseit is no longeran
open questionthat a rider 8ttached.t.o an 8pp~prlatlOQ
bill cannot modify or repeal an exleitlug general lav:
State v.~Steele,57 Tex. 200 (1882); Linden v. Finley,
T 451 .45 9. W. 578 (1899). Moore v. SheDDWd,
144.;:;. 53; 192 9 w. (26) 559'(1946) Former opln-
ions or the ittorne;General have conalitentlyso held.
Your first queatlon is thereforeanswered la
the aegatlye.
In answeringyour'aeaondquestion,we 0811
attentionto the faot that Seotlon2b(8) of Artlale
6053, aupra,as It exlatedas a result of the 1939
* eaeadmeat(H. B. 92, Ohapter2) was replacedby seo-
tloa 18 ln the 1915 amendment(9. B. 269, Ohapter358).
We thererore aaaune that you have referenoe to Seotlon
18 or &tlale 6053, aupra, sud not Seatlon~2b(8).
Artlole VIII, Section6 of the Coaatltutloa
or Texas, reads as rollowa:
"100monef shall be drawn from the !Preaa-
DRY but In Duraumoe of aDe~lfloawromla-
tlOu8 made bs law: nor Shall any aDDPODrl8-
tloa of money be made for a lonner term them': '-
exoept by the first Legislature -",.,
under this Conatltutlon,'whloh -.'
ma9 meke the aeaeaaaryappropriatlotia to OS'+" '
rj on tM governmentuntil the eaaaablage of
the llxteenthLeglalsture.' (1pnphaala oura)
This ooaatltutlonalprovlaloala not limited
to fnada pnld Into the General tid, and applies to
funds dedicatedto 8 apeolalporpoae.
detiiia Me 5, 1939. Suah oonatltutlonal-provia on oon-
trola 81I eppmprlatlona out'of the StateTreaiury
ati~moaeynot appropriatedby the Leglalatureoannot.
ba witbdimwnfrom the Treasury. Likewise,the appro-
pr?irrtlonamade by th8 Leglalatum oannotb8'fOr &.tO~
ln axoe#a~oftwo. dr8. plakle v. Flnlby 91 !l%x..,484,
44 8. w. 480 (18aj 38 Tex. Jur. 845, a *a. ._.
The Le~g?aleture et its regularaeaalonii.la’
1941;1943, sad 1945 apeoiriosiiypmvlded la the
. _
; -
Ron. I&neat 0. Thompson -) Page 5 v-412
73.
approprletlonbills that the fees receivedby the Rall-
road Ccnunlaalon for licensesissued under Artlale 6053,
aupre (Ii. B. 792, Chap. 2, Acts of 1939, as emendedby
9. B. 269, Chsp. 358, Aota of 1945),were appropriated
to the OommLaalonfor uae In enforcingend fbdmlnlater-
lng the proolalonaof the Act. See Acts of 47th Legia-
lature,Remlar Session,1941, Chapter571, p. 1274;
Acts of.48thLe ialature,Regular Session,1943, Chap-
ter 400; p. 100 Ef ; Aata of the 49th Leglaleture,Regular
Seaaloa,1945, Chapter378, p. 929. For acme reason
the Leglalaturedid not see fit to appropriatethis
money to the use Of the Commissionfor the two-year
perlodbeglnnlngSeptember1, 1947. See Aota of 50th
Leglalature,Regular Session,1947, Chapter 400, p.
919.
It follows from what has been aaid~abovethat
elthoughtM general law (Artlole6053, aupre) had the
effect of dedlaatlngthe fees euttaorleed by said Act
to the uae of the CcnunZsaloa,such was not, end could
not be effeotlveas en spproprl.stloa or same to the uae
of the Oommlaaloamore then two years later. Johnson
Your aeooad questionla therefore4QBirOrO~ IQ
the aegetlre.
1. The rider aontalaedla an approprla-
tlti bill purporting to transfercertain f%ada
I prevloualydedloatedby a general statuteto
a 8peolal purpose la lneffeotualto transfer .
Bush apeolal fund to the General Revenue Fund
of the St&i0 (ooaatrulagrider ~oontalnedln
chpfer 4OO;pagO 919, Aata of 50th Legla-
lature, 1947, regerddi transferof apeolal~
.fbaila oraated by R.O.S., 1925,
88 amended,
fIOa.-eat 0. Thompson - page6 v-412
l
2. Funds dedicatedby a generalUt+?& tUta
to a specialpurposemust be appropriatedby
the Legislaturein accordancewith Artiale
VIII, Ssotlon6 of the Oonstltutlonof Texas
before mloh fmda maylegallybe used.
Yours vesrytru1y
AT~'ORREYGE~~B~ULOFTIWIS
By -
w. v. ceppewt
Asrilrtant
=.~w-
Charlelr
D. M&hews
.
AP&OVED:
I
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Combined Opinion