Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

161

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
GROVERSELLERS
AT-rORHPI
GLNCRAL

.

Honorable n. E. oak.8
county Attorney * ‘: [~j-,m
Walker County”
lfuntsville, Tpxaa
"wY-"1~
Dear Mr. bates: Opinion Ro. O-7241

*AS County Attorney
been requested by Dr. Joe

678, Ret Rllgi-

I iLow present to Tou is re8lly 813
your statement that 'Speoi81 atrtu-
tboee rhieh 8re mtrttly gener
the spaOi81 PrOTisiOn Ot
over tbe~goner81 eliglbiYit~
ot Artiole 1, seotion 1, 8nQ espeai8lly 8s
it rel8t8s to paragraph 4 Ot section 1.
'The Runtsrille Independent Bohoo'l blatriot. doe8
oonform to the county unit sph3m~of transportation
and it reoeiren ao otber tms of aid, either tuition
or sal8ry. and it does oompriae three or more oonsoll-
dated districts and it OO?ItainstittJ squ8re miles Or
more ot terrlt.orf, and it is applying tor transport8-
I
1
 .,..
162
Bonorable XI.E. lk8tes- pa& 2

tibn 8'id'onlron 8 transportation bPdgct wbioh
shows a aeeQ therefor on tbe b8dr 8nQ 8t the
r8te provided in this Aof- Wader these oircum-
nt8ncesr is the-Hantsvll1e IndepcnQent Sohool
Distrlot ellgibje td reoeire such tr8nspert8-
tion aid only, irrerpcotire ot my proridan
Of 8cotiOu 1, with the apprOr81 at the Direotcr
of Equrl'itatiouand the Legisl8tirc AOOountaut?'

At ihc time your request dame iu thi8 Department W8s oou-
J&ring tbe propriety O? a re-ooncidcr8tion O? Opinion No. O-23678,
toaohiug the question involved, and the result ot our ooutercnoes
i8 the b8eis tor thir reply.
Tour question 0811s for 8 ooustruotion ot 8mrte Dill No.
167, Chapter 361 of the RcgUl8r Ses8ibn ef the 48th Legislrture,
particulrrl~ Artioles I aad V thereof.
S&otioa 1 of Artiole 1 deils with the general subjcot of
Eligibility tor AiQr 8nd is 8~ folloTsr
lSo h o l88tio Popul+tion of the Dietriot.
State 8id uuder the prcVicionc o? this Aat
C?b811 be Qirtributed in such 8 MJ 8s t0 8S-
si8t 8'11 sOhO0~ districts *hioh h81e not terer
th8a treaty (20) nor more th8a twelTe hundred
fittr (1260) o r ig in8l
exnmer8ted lOhOl8stioc
within the gr8de8 olrrsificd to be taagbt re-
maining in the dletriot riter transier8 out,
8ad aomcliQ8ted aaa/or rIar81high cOhoo~ dlo-
triotr whlsb hare m 8VCr8gC Of act more thaa
two htmdred (200) sohol88tiOe O? C8Cb Or:&81 ..~ .
dietriot aoapccing the oontelid8ted.8Qa/Or
rumI high sohool dietriot unit; prorided th8t
the MXimur littiktiOn8 88 t0 lOhOl8Ct~O popu-
18tiou for ellgibilit~ herein set forth rb811
not 8pply for 8ny tp Of 8id t0 my school
Qictriot rbioh ir nine (0) miles or more iu
lcugtb or OCllt8ill8 fort*-ci@lt (48) squ8re'
miles ot territory or more1 proriQeQ there is
not looated in suob distriot 8n iuoorporrted
oity or torn b8Tiag 8 PO 18tiCn Ot POM thaa
thirty-eix hundred (3600v"iuh8bitants, leoorQ-
ing to the Irst preoeding Feder81 Ccnsust pro-
vided further, tb8t the maximum limitations 8s
to the sOhOl8stio pOpuL8tiou iOr eligibility,
herein set forth, shsll not 8ppfy to any sohool
 163
Roaor8ble W. l!,ater - p8gC 3

QistriOt whioh h8s forty-tits pcroeat (46$) or more
of itm we8 nuhmergcQ. DictriCtc lmintaining 8
cohool 8t home uld h8rinC:lcsr than 8n’8vCr8gC at
one CWis4r8tCd lohol8stio per square ails 8rc cxeapt
from said aiuinqm sOhol8stio rcquircmcnt 8nd 8rc cli-
giblc for 8id for i&y one teaoher un~css 8 gcogr8phi-
4al barrier ncoessit8te8 th4 opcrati0u o? two 8OhOOls
Sor the mme r8oe in s8id Qistriot, suoh geogr8phio81
bwricr to be determined by the 8trti Depsrtaent at
EQnaaficn 8rQ eubjcot to the 8pprov81 ot the Legisl8-
tire Aoocuuteat. If they aan sbor lmdgetary need
therotor, 811 other distriOt8 hC7ing less than naid
minimum 8Ohol8stiO rcquiremcnt shrll be eligible for
onlr tuition aad transport8tioa aid to the nerrest 80-
oredited 6OhOOl Oa cnnmer8ted sObOl8stiO8 who80 grades
8rc not tbught in 8uOh distriot.
*All 8OhOOl distriots in this state rbioh hire rc-
ocired trrrncportrtiou8iQ.Only on 8 transportatiou bud-
get, during the bicnniunt ending 'August 31, 1946, not-
withstanding 8nr of the prOTisiOns of any preoeding or
6Ub6CqUCut proricion of this Aot, shhall be rnthorirred
to reoei?e the s8me type ot 8iQ whioh It tormerly rc-
oeirod to the ertant Oi ho Dollir8 (M.00) per month
per pupil on pi18 COtU81ly trausported rho Ii?6 two
8fidone-hrlt 2 1/S? nil08 or more from the school to
5"
.rhioh they 8rc trrnsported~ pMIlded it 48n show trans-
portation buQget8ry need tbcrcfor.
*Provided th8t sohool distriOt8 in ooWIttO8 h8ving
8 SOhOl8StiO pOpul8tiOn l quiV8lCut t0 one-h8lt Ot olIC
pupil per squrrc mile or 1686 in the CCtirO CCtXutym8y
be exempt trOm the 87Cr8g4 daily 8ttCudanOC rCquiremCat
8nd the te8oher?pupil quOt8 FCqUircmCnt of this Abt, i?...~
It is so reoommcndeQ by the State Supcrlntendeat of Pub-
110 Instruotion 8nd 8pprorcd bl the LC~C~8tivC Aooouat-
8tlt,iOr the pclrlMMCOf m8int8ining 8 hi@ sohO .O? sir-
teen 8ffili8t4d units, with SCVCn te8Oh4r8J but in no
instanoe may the oost tC tbC CqU81.iC8tiO~ fund uoced
Twenty-fire Dollars ($26.00) per pupil in suoh distrlot.
*Do cohool distriot 8ill be c1igible ior any type
ot aid, uoept tuition 8idr under the pro~idons at this
Act, sbioh pays 8ny sal8ry 8bOtC tho~.speOifiCd in this
Aot trom 8ay state, 10081) or. Fed&al :funds WhatsOeTer
. croept Federal tunds, .useQ5tc.sapplemcat e8l8rics at Vo-
cations1 Agioulturer Boa14Eo~nomio~~and Trade and Indus-
\ tries tcaohers, and funds irom the Feder81 b8nh8m Aot.
 164
UouOr8blO Y. 8. G8tcs - page 4

lPm+ided th8t the sal8rics ot rthlctio
direotors, b a nddir4OtOr8 Or lunch room rupcnisors
mry be supplcmuteQr tron! fund8 derived tram souroes~
other th8n taxes4 ritbout making the school iucligi-
blc under tbic &IOtiqnJ 8nd provided further, thrt
tC8OhCrS who 81~0 sCt’V8 SS bus drivers, butrbo POP
form n0 8dministr8tiTC duties, III8Y be paid au rddl-
tlonil saJ8rT 88 bus drivers Out Of an7 f'undsOt the
Qlstriot erired from 8 10081 m8intensnoe tax in cx-
00~s at tt 6 10081 m8lntenanoe tar Ot ?itt Oeintr
(aOf) on the Chw Hundred Dollars (@CO.00 T talnation
rcquircd to be levied br Scotion 2 Of Artiolc I hare-
o?; proridcd tarther, that the rdditionrl 88lrry paid
for serving as bU8 driver sh8ll OCntorm to the salaiy’
co8lc paid other bns drivers ot the distriot, 8nd am
itemised list Ot 811 cuoh sUpplCnCnt8 Sh811 he tur-
nishcd the 7t8te DcF4rtucnt Of 8duOPtiOh and the Legis-
18tirc Aooount8nt with the general budget Of the dis-
triot*'
Arti8lc V, dealing with the spc~itlo cubjeot ot Trme-
portatioa A,id,is 8~ tollousr
.The CoUnty Supcrintcudent and County Sohool
Bo8rQs.Of tbc 8OV4r81 OOUntiC8 Of this State nub-
jeat to the rpproral of the State Snpcrlntendcnt
of PubYiO .InstraOfionS 8re hereby 8uthorired to an-
ny8llT S4t Up the R!OSt COOliOlEiO81 SJStCu Ot tX’8nr
portatiou pOS8iblO for the purpOs0 Ot transporting ”
both grade and high sOhO pupils from their dir-
triotc, laQ within their distriots~ The oo~nty
sh8ll.bC mgar#ed 8s the unit 8nd the wrrrant made
pry8bl4 tC.thc~COUutJ Board %ranSport8ticn Pund, on
the tot81 tmnspartation errnird Within the.cotmtq
not to cxcccd the tot81 8pProtcd cost tbcrcotl 8nd
the county Eoard,Of EdUO8tion sh811 distribute the
funds cquit8bl~ to the dietriots opcratin(!luob
tr8n8pOrt8tioXl@CtCSl not t0 SSOCCQ the aOtU81 8p-
proved ocst Of 8ny one (1) bus 80 oper8ted. The
expenses ot nuoh tranSpOrtrtio0 shall be paid on
thc.b88is ot bodgOt8rJ need 88 indioated br 8p
proved Bt8te Aidlpplio8tionl out ot the fuods
herein 81iCOatcd and 8pprOpri8tCd tor transporta-
tion aid, not to cxoeed Thhwc Dollars (kl*OO) per
month per pupil tor high cohool pu ils and Two Dol-
18rs and Scrcnty-five Cents (@.76 P per month per
pupil for elementary sohool pupils for those attend-
ing the most oontcnlcnt aocreQiteQ school f provided
 :' 165

BonOr8ble If.E* Geten - Page 2

that it there be no ooarcnient aoorediteQ sohool
that mob pupil may obtain like 8id under the pro-
rlsions ot this Art1816 when 8ttcnding 8ny near
sohool of higher 8lassifiO8tion thri the sending
distriOtt when design8$Cd by the County Board on
the basis of Three Dollars ($3.00) per month per
pupil.tor high school pupils ld Two Doll8is and
8cTcnty-tiTc gents ($2.76) per month per pupil tor
oboe1 pupil8 rho reside tT0 Md one-
silCs or more tram the ne8rest eohaol
fu such distriotf proTided further, that 811 sohool
distriofs oontainlng on4 hundred (100) square miles
of territory or more or mhieh h8Te 1eSS than one
(1) enumer8ted sOhOl88tiO PCr SqUarC mile may rc-
oeiT4 Three Doll8rs and l%mtpfive Cents ($3.28)
per month per pupil; proTided turther, th8t 811
oounties h8Ting less than thraS.'(S)~UuiCr8t4d
sobolact~os per SqU8rC nils ln the entire oounty
nhal3 rcociT8 Three
hllars 8nd Piit &mts (&-no)
per month per pupil an transportation 8id when
there is a need shorn theretor 8S provided herein.

~TIn no ln8tanOc
m87 8id be gr8nted tar pupils
transportqd uho 8ttend 8 gr8de in another s4hoo1,
which grade is taught in suoh pupil's home district.
No transporkfian 8iQ shall be granted tor a pupil
being tr8ncportcd out of his home 8OhOOl Qistriot
if two or more reoeiring sohools 8rc 8pplying ior
transport8tion aid from suoh pupil's home Qistriot
unless the bU8 routes through suoh dlstriot h8T6
been rpproted bp the 2t8tc Dc~rtmcnt of gduoaticu
8nd ooniirmcd b7 the LCgi8~8tiTC Aooouatant. Aid
8h811 not be granted under 8x17proTicions ot thic.~
.~.
Artiole un1686 the pupil H) transported 84tu8llp
reside8 WCC thaa k0 8nd one-h8lf (8 l/2) milC8
trcm the sohcol 8ttcnded and 18 transported in 8n
8pproTed bus OTCC 911 8pprOTOd rOUt4. ProriQed that
the Count7 2upcrintendcntc shall ~008te 8 point on
CrOh btr8 rout0 ts0 and One-h8.lt (2 1/2) miles f’rOl6
the re4ciTing sOhoo1, 8nQ 8ftCr suoh point is CP
tablisbed hc chhrllp4rsoncl17 Qctwmine thethcr the
8OhOOl 16 rCqUCsting transportation aid OU
11 residing within the fro and one-h8lt (2
limit. No tr8nsportatiOn 8id nh811 be-8llorcd on'
pile firing within the 88id two 8nd one-hilf
2 l/2) mile liavitl
v" adn~~'distriot rcqucsf3nR aid
ou such pupil shall beoome incliglbl4 for tranapor-
t8tion aid on eeoh bus transporting such pupils;
 166

Bonorablo Y. f3:Gates - page 6

provided bowever, all sohool di atri eta oonforming
to County IhIt Qatsm of Transport8tion and re-
oeiting no other type at aid, eftbor tuition oc
aslary, and oopprieing three or more oonaolidated
diatriota oontrin~ag fi?tJ (6C) square EilOa or
more of territory,‘may reoeiretransportation aid
only on a transportation budget ahorlng need there-
for on cthe baaie and 8t the ra to provided in this
Aat. f
‘County Boards of Trueteea are hereby author-
ired fo employ bus drivers for one yew, annbthe
aalery oi no baa driver may be paid out of the
County Board Traneportatlon Fund areafed herein
mleas suah bus driver le so emplaTed* Proridbd
further, that enlr pupils or persona dlreatty oow
aeeted ritb the uohool ayeternshall be transported
en eohool buaev while in the prooeas of tranaporf-
iag pupil e to end Srcim the aahool, and any bua
driver violating the foregoing protidona shall
forfeit hia coatraot sad shall be immediatol~ dia-
charged by the County Board of Truateea~ Horeverr
-bleat to the provi~iona berein* bus drivers rho
own their own busee, 8nd are eo employed, mw be
@iron a boatrabt for not to eroeed two (2) yesrar
oondltioned that said bus dritbra agree t.0make in-
provemeats on their bu.aeabao as to more adeqmfoly
lneure ufor transportation for the aoholaatiaa, and
the routa 6t euoh bus is not ahanged for tho sooOnd
year of .tho aontmof~

The arux at your inquiry is rhether or net thors fs a
ao&llat between Beetion 1 end Artidle V of the bet 9th reapeot
~m;h;,tem at transportation aid, and if 80~ rbioh pro~ieion
. The task, tbereiore, beaomea one purely of atetutory
oonatmbtioa.
The Intention of tbe Leg%alaturer as dlacOte~d from
tho Aat, is the one untailin~ TWlb tor construing any sktd.orf'
sat* That Intention is to be gathered from the four Ooruera of
the instrument as a whole, when read in tho light of the purpoab
as aontalned in the titlb, and in the light of eaah and over?
part o? the Abt oonaiderod oolleotirbl~ and •eparatbl~r Oonatru-
lng tho parts, where possible , $a aala 8 -ray tbat eaoh sad every
part may stand aa +aliU, and that no part thereof 88~ be afrlakeu
Out or Ignored.
 167'

Honorable I(. HO Oat08 - page 7

When this Act is thus OOnaideredr ue reaah the aonolu-
sion there is no oontliat between itr parta, and that all parts
may atand and be given a moaning consistent with all the other
parts. .
S~eelfioall;~ we think there lm no oonflidt between
tbe abovequoted portions, but on the OontrarJr Seefion 1 o?
Artiele I oonatitutes the enacting olauae oorerlng the whole
m&feat of aid, and Artiole T deals with the apealiio aubjeot
of transportation aid.

Lt Is a raamiar rulo of OOnatruCtiOn oi a ltatuto
that theoifloa dr funotioa of a proviao~ exoeption, or saving
olau~~e16 to take out of tbe general bnaoting olanae something
that okherriae would bo inoluded therein. It is not required
that tbb @xaeption, proviso or saving olauae be in the same
aeotion, artlalo or part of the Aot -- its mochanloal *lace in
the oonatruotion bein~g of.no controlling im~rtanae. Sutherland
on Statut'oryConatruotlon thus epitoniaea the genera3 rules, se
tollorsr
.'It is the tifficeof the proviso to restrict
the 'moral operation of the enaoting part‘of the
iot f2eo; 4932) * * *. Although originally the
proriao was to remtrlcf only the aeation to ahloh
It was attached, the modem rule 8ppliba the pro-
viso to all aeotiona of the aat, if it oan be de-
termined that was the legialatire intention. Al-
thouih thb ions and the leaation of the proviso may
be some indication of tbe legisl8tiro intent, fOrI
alone will not oontrol. No preawnption ahould arise
frost the mere locatiom OS the proriao that it is ap-
plloable only to the sootion in rhiah it appearwor .~.
to preoeding leofiona. (800. 4931) l l l * Protlaoa
and exoeptiwa both operate to rbstrfot thb general-
it7 of leglalatlre language. Xormally 8 prorieo oo-
ours within the body of the aeofim, while an ax-
aeptlon is drafted aa an indiridual seation.

*The older rule atriotly Interpreted both ox-
eeptions and provisos. Today exaeptiona and to some
extent proriaoa are interpreted prinaipallJ in TieT
of the leglalatti~eintent and no presumption arises
boomute of the form of the Act that the interpreta-
tion muat be atriot. Generally an exoeptioa is oon-
sidered am a llmitatlon only upon the aaitterahioh
preaedes jt, but if It Is alear from the Yegialati~e
intent t%at it 1s considered a peneral limitaticx~ Cm
 168

Xonorable II.2. Gates - Page 6

the entire sot it will operate to restriot all pro-
~idone or the sat*’ (Sea. 4938)

Thle rule of aonatraation la akin to, If not identioal
with ths further rule.(hat’an sot dealing with a apeoifio mb-
jeot rill control another sot dealing with a general subject that
would otherrisb lnolude the lpeoiti0 one.

ipplfing theeb well-reoognlted rufaa oi WlImtNOtiOtI~ we
fiad that Seation 1 at ArtiOlb I deals with the general aubjeot of
ellglbllity for aid. Thfa wouldb of @oursed inalude transporta-
tion l idb should that meatton atand alone in the statute. It makes
oertain apeoifle requirements in very strong and mpbatio terma, am
8131 be readll~ seem from the moat oasua’lreading thereof.
Article V deal8 with tho narrow b apeciti0 w%Jeat Of franc
. portatiun aid. It l $eaka with reapeef to transportation not only to
and from eohool a eligible iOr aid wder seation 1, but oontaina more.
It oorerb fully the entirl e
ubjeot of transportation, among other
things aaylngt
‘Provided further that all sohool diatriata Oon-
tainlng one hundred (100) u&are mller of territory
or maorobor whioh hare less than one.enumerated sobo-
laatio per aquaronilo may reoelre throe dollara and
twenty-five oents ($2.26) per month per pupil; pro-
vided further, that all oounfiemhaving leas tban
three (3) enumerated aoholaaticeper aqaare tile~ln
the entire oounty shall rbceire three dollars and
fifty aents ($33r60)por month per ptipilas tranopor-
ktion aid when tbero is a need shorn thbrefor as
provided herein*’
The obvious ‘Purpose, 6s thinkb of the Legiilature tram to
make prorlalon~ as it did In Arffalo Yb for fransportatlon aid, ir-
respeoti~re of thb qUb#tiOn O? general Oli(Cibility iOr aid, 88 re-
quired in Seatioa 1 of Artiole 1.
Our Opjnlon Ilo.0-2367s mentioned by you, after quoting
Seation 10 of the Aotb 88 it thea existed, heldt
lSpaoSa1 statutory provisions control those rhioh
or0 merely general.
In our opinionr the apeaial pro-
ri*lons of Seofion 10 relating to tranaportatlan aid,
and with reapeat to d%atriota larger than one hundred
aqclare mllos, oontrol and must be given effeot. H+oe,
if the Graham QSrtrlot aontaina more than Onb hundred
 169
Honorable X. IS. Oatem - page 9

square miles, and need for transportation aid la
shorn, it amy reoeire suc h lldb If reoomended by
the Direator of Equaliration and approved by the
joint legislative aclvisorf committee.*

lo think tbat~opinion annowoed a oorreat a~~olueion
under sound priaoiplea of ltatutor~ OonatNOtioa~ aad we here
nor t-e-attim itb the present statutes belnle; in all aubatantial
reapeats the’ same as those exlstlnp when that opinion was writ-
ten. Any and all subsequent opinions in oonfllot with thin opin-
ion are hereby OTOrN~Od.
It tollora, OS oouraeb that any diatriat entitled to
transportation aid, under the terms of Artlole VI la entitled
thbrOt0, whether suoh diatriot oomplles with any of the general
requirements for eligibility, under geation 1 o? Artiole I or
not.

Jdkeriee any dietriot that oontorma to the Comfy &It
System of transportationr and reco2res no other type of old,
either tuition or aa’lary, and rhiah ootipriaea three or more in-
do’$endent dietHater and contains fifty (60) square miles of ter-
ritory, and which la applying for transportation aid only on a
tratiaporkflon budgetr and rhioh shows a need therefor On the
basis and at the rate prorlded torn In the dot, as does Iiunta+ille
Independent Sohool DletrlOtb la entitled to much transportation
aid.
Very truly yours
ATTORRET GENERAL 09 TEXAS,/

&.L
0020 8p e
Asaista f-- t