OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable J. C. Roe
County Attorney
lyamrro County
Corsicana, Texas
Dear Sir: QQilliOIl NO. O-7260
Re: Validity of Yectlon 2, Par. 3,
page 280 reads:
"'Ho school dia
under or vhich
order to ahov
districts in Ravarro
viev of this section of
eet all other requirements
s of your opinion of the legality
Ion of the Statute. It occurs to
la unreasonable and arbitrary 1~
of the recipients of the aid, and
enallaes certain school diEtriCt8
o conducted their finances as to be able
to reduce their tax rate but still meet all the
qualifications necessary to secure the a~ld provided,
and that the qualifications placed on such recipients
by such section of the stetute should be stricken from
Han. 3. C. Roe - Page 2
the 8ame because of such unreasonableness and
because same 18 an arbitrary classification upon
olass legislation and vholly defeats the purpose,
aim and object of the legislature.
‘Pleese advise me a8 to the constltu-
tioI'i8lity Of the above Section Of the Bte.tUte above
referred to at your earliest oonvenleace and
oblige. n
Your attack sgalnst the paragraph above quoted
~03 the Rum1 Aid Law is apparently b88ed upon the Article of
qur Conatltution vhich prohibits discriminatory and class legie-
lation, md also sec. 5 of Article 7, which define8 the “avail-
able school fund” and declares this fund “shall be distributed
to the several oounties 8UCOrding to their scholaatlo popu-
lation. o
Since the case of Numme Y. Marra, 40 s. W. (2) 31,
deaided by our Supreme Court is squarely decisive of the issues
raised by youp r8queat, ve quote very liberally Srom it:
1,
. . . Since the Legislature has the
mandatory duty to make suitable provision ior the
support and maintenance of an afrf0id system 0r
publie free 8ohoo18, end has the paver to peas any
law relative thereto, not prohibited by the Constl-
tution, it necessarj.ly r0il0v8 tbat it has a oh0lco In
the selection of mDethOd8 by vhioh the object of the OP-
ganic lav may be efte&ated. The Legislature alone is
to judge what meaus are neoesaary awl appropriate for
a purpose vhich the Constitution makes 1egitLmate.
The legislative deters&nation of the aethods, re-
strictions and regulations is final, except vhen so
srbltrary as to be violative of the constitutional
rights of the oitisen. 6 rtuling case mu, p. 1551154.. .
“A.8 t0 vhether OP not a laV 8ecur88 due
process end equal pmteotlon e,e required by the Con-
stitution depend8 upon the subject On which it operates
and the oharacter of rights vhich it affects. The con-
stitutional guarantee does not forbid the state from
aa. J. C. Roe - Pase 3
sdJu8tlng its legl8l&lon to di.ffkpences in sit-
uBt1Qn. Equal prottitlon or law8 ie 8ecumtl if
the atatutcse do not subject then individual to
srbltrtuy oxerclee or the powem or govomment. It .~
18 vell eettled that le@ektlon te not open to
objection if a11 who are brought under it8 influenceam
trertsd alike in the name clWiaa8tances. 9 Texan Jur+b-
pTud-to, P. 553 11.17. Xn the very nature of oooiety
vith its mar&fold ooaupitlonoand aontaat8, the L&a-
latum laut hove. and alearly doe8 hove, authority to
018882.Q 8ubjset8 of legt8latloa,and, when the olarsi-
rtoatian 18 narwable - the* ir, h8Bd MpQn 80# real
differonoe exl8tlng ia t-ho sub sot of tit4 emotmat -
and the lav applier Mrmly L tho8e vha are vlthln
the partlo*r e&08, the not lo not open to conotl-
tutlorml ob Cction. 9 Taxar JwiePmdcuroe, p. 555,
il19, P. 554 , ~120, P. 5611,I121.
%ho pmvlriaa of the lav ttmt a 8-1
rhall not be eligible to retelve ruml aid until it
vote8 a tax of 75 oents ma the @OO valuatlan o? the
texable propertyofthe dUtriotl8not au unmmson8bZs
roqulmmmt, becouee vell belov the m ~@e%u&tted
by the ~onotltuUen and 18~8 of the state. Xt YJ bo
rot.4 or not, u detonrtn+d by tb t yen tbomelvee.
mor 18 it di8oriminatory,Wwe It app T ieo to all dir-
tracts auka which 8pply r0r aid.”
Ys belleve the b8t quobat,ion dea the quelltianet
haad agd you am themfore rbvirsU t&t the leo tlo nof the rural
Nd I,eyInquired about ie oan8tltutitUWl.
Although you have stat& t&t the rohool dirtriots
In q\rrstIonare not eligible tar Sbte Aid by ma8on ot the abov8
quotd pamgreph, VB are enclosing copies of Opiniono Ho8. O-6768,
0-7017, a-7096 and o-7Sl7, vhieh i+el?pret thl8 wrqwph.
Yews very tmly
BY uooaTQv lEdwml8
Asrrirtant