HonorableChas. A. Tosoh
Comty Auditor
RecordsBuilding
Dallas,Texas
Dear Mr. Tosch! opinionlie.o-6276
Rer Effectivedate of the conetitutional
amendmeet rkmntly adoptea, and the
necessityfor en enablingact,
We beg to aoknowledgereoeiptof your letterrequestingLLPopinion
fran this departmentupon the above captionedsubjectmatters a8 follows:
"At the generalelectionBovember7th the amendment
to Section p of &tide 8 of the Constitution,as proposed
in House Joint ResolutionHo, 18,. passedby the 48th Legis-
Isture,appearato have been adaptedby a majority of the
votes cast tberem, and queetlonhae arisen (a) As to when
saia amndmsnt will beocme effective,tib (b) Uhetberor not
an EnablingAat of the Legislaturela necessaryto set up
the maohinsryfor puttingthe emerdmnt in effect In the
respectivecountiesasairingto avail t?xm3elvesof the
privilegesof the miendnmnt.a
ArticleXVII, Section 1, of the Conatitntion,with respeotto the
mode of amerraing
the Constitution, providesthat!
*. . . It ehallbe the aaty of the never81returning
officersof ma election,to open a poll for, ma make
returnsto the Secretaryof State, of the nmber of legal
v0tee cast at said electionfor ana winat said amendment;
and if more than one be proposed,then the number of votes
cast for and age&et each of them; an& if it shall appear
from said return,that a majorityof the vote8 cast have
been aast in favor of eny amendment,the said emmQment 80
receivinga majorityof the votes cast ahr;ll~~~~~*~WXt
of~thi.m‘0a@$tuticm, amI proaleuaation
shall be made by the
Govenmr thatiof."
Artitde3034 of the Revi8edcivil Statutes ie (LBfollmmr
’ -
HonorableChas. A. Tosoh, page 2 (O-&78)
"On thefiite~thbayaftartbeo~ati~, tkeQayof
electionexcluded, aad not before,the Wont&&of Btate
in the presenceof the Governorcmb Attarne~@emnl, or
in case of vaoaney in either of said offiew,. wr of in-
abilityor failureof eitherof eaid offleon te sot, then
in the presenceof either one of thap, ehallogen -a count
the retmma of the election.*
This Articleaa a eequeneeof Article3033,faanlehes
the amwer
to your firet queetim.
The effective&ate of the awndment if oarried6oee not bepend
proolamation,Thie was aetezminedby Judge Will~s~n of
upon the Govellaor'a
the Court of CriminalAppeals,whereinhe said%
'our ocmdruotion Of this provieioll ie that it xe the
ascertainedmajorityof the vote of the peoplei01 not the
proola&sU of the Governor,which girti ioroo,raiL effect
to the mendment, e . . We are of the,epirptort;therefore,
aa the eleoticmreturnawem 0auraBw&,
that 88 80011. an& it
was aeoertalnedthat a urjorityof the vet4r cast were in
favor of the amendment,itbeoeam a part of the Con@titn-
ticm, and was In fullforce and effeotfrm &at date.“ --
Wilacm v. The Slate, 15 Tex. Ct. Appsr Rep, 150.
JuQeUllleon~e opinicmwae eitedwith appxwti ia~xas Water&
Ga@ Co. v. City of Cleburne,21S.Y. 393.
Your seeon& questicminvolvesa cowtxuutimm 6flLJ.R. Ho. I.8pro-
posing the amendment.
H.J.B.BO. 3.8fe 88 folkuer
'seetiom1. %at Seation9 of Article 8 of the
Coaaatitutimof the State of Tsus, be EO e&end04that
the wane wil2 hereafterread aa follow8
* 'Swtion 9. The State tax csproperty,
excluafveof the tax neceeearyto w *a pabllo
debt, end of the taxes providedfor the benefit
of the public free aohoole,ehallnever ameed
thfrty-five(35) cents on the we hum&we& dnllars
whation; and no oownty,oitr or taun 8hblLlevy
mom than.twenty-five(25) 0ents for oity or
oountyparposes,end not arosedingfifteen(15)‘
oents for roaae and bridgee,arril
not exobeding
fifteen (~)oente to pay ju+ewe,oathe ~ehun-
HonorableChas. A. Tomb, page 3 (0-627’3)
&ed dollarsvaluation,exoeptfor tke.,&~~~~&t of
debts 3mmrred prior to the adoptlcn~.of fhe Amend-
ment Septemiber 25, 1883; cprbfor the.ereetlcm of
pnbliobulldIng, etreet.s, mwerm, watmworbs and
other pemaanentirppnnnmente, not -to~exossdtwenty-
five (25) oents on the one hundreddouM mAaa-
tion, in any one pees, and exemptau ln In thin
Conatitntian~othemriee~provldedt proMed~,homrer,
that the aaalBniannrncourt.inroy:~oQlJu~~w~ re-
allooatethe foregolngoatmtytaxerby ahenging
the rates providedfor any af the f0rug0lngpm-
pose8 by either. lnoreau~ or. deoreuing the fame,
but in no event shalLt2m total oi rU.,~forego~
county taxee exoeed el@tJ (80) oentn aa,the cm0
hundrea dollaramJ.nation,In q Qle yearJ pro-
vided further,that b&ore the eaid~Qcmtlrionere
Court my make euah re-allooati0nc.:~,.oh~e In
aaia oountytmes that,thetaame nhallbr ru~tted.
to the qnaiifieapropertytax wiry ~rotezvof
amh oomty at a generalor speoi~lrlsotion,and
ehall be approvedby a majority,ofthe qued.iil~b~
prop¶rtytax pByln& rotErB,~votjgg.h euoh BlBotl~j
anb, poriaed further, 3h~t if e+d whun ewh M-
alboaticms and ah-6 in the aiOrW*id 00rmtq
twee have been appromd by the qt~llz,be4 property
tax pegins vat~rn of MJ ommty, u ,horeb pm~ldnb,
euah re4lloo8tfaM ,ti ah-r uhal romafn is
forae and effeot for a period of osx (6):y&~~ frm
the date of the eleoticmat whioh the ICED,shall be
approvea,unleslrthe mme again shalLban been ‘~
ohmagedby a majorityrote oi fhe quallfiorb. pro~~rtf
tax paylug Toter9 of suoh oouutg, rot~'m the
propoeitlon,sPter enbmlnalorr by fAm Ocmlrelonera
Court at a generalor epeolalebotian ior’tkatpur-
poet aa the ~egi~lst~~ mfby8ai0 ~nthsrrzu0 an ab-
ditlonalcumual ad vdlorcaatax to be loviedand ool-
leoted for the f’nrther malntan~~e OS %ho pub110
roads; protidaa, that B msjarit7 0f thy a\arluiua
proprty iax gcyw Yatnre of thu 00ludy TatbAg rrt
an eleotlonto be held for that.pnrpwr &all vote
euoh tax, not im exoeed fifteen (53) oentm cp the
oue hundred dallmm ratitlon oi the poQorty
subjeotto tsxatienin rnoh oounw~ && th*
Legislaturemay paw load lawn for t&3 abintenanoe
of the publio roada aa6 hiehwaya,witboot the looal
notice requiredfor epeaialor local.kwr. TM6
aeotlcmehallnot be oonatruedaa o UmltMloxk of
- -.._
page 4 (O-6278)
Haoreble Chaa. A. Toosoh,
powers delegatedto counties,eftlee or tihls
by any other sectianor sectionsof.%ie Ccm-
etitution.'"
You are respectfullyadvised*at it is the opinionof this depart-
ment the foregoingsmendmentis self-executing, and there is no necessityfor
an enablingact by the Legielatureto put it into effectaccordingto ite tenus.
The mended aec$.i,on
itselfspecificallysets forth the method for
making the amendmenteffectiveIn the followinglanguage:
I,
. . .j provideaWther, that before the said Com-
missionerdCourt may make auch.re-allocationsend changes
in said oounty,t+es'thatthe same &all be submittedto
the qualifiedpropertytax paying voters of such county
at a gene+ c'rspecialelwtior.l,,and shall be approved
by e. majority of,&e qu&lified,propertg tax paying voters,
voting in such e&ection;,sn&, providedFurther,that if
and.when swhre-alJ.ooationsaa Ghangee,$nthe aforesaid
count? +axeuhave.,peen approvedby the qualifiedproperty
tax payingvoters of eny ootity,as herein provided,such
re-allocatfontland changesshall remain in force and effect
for a period of six (6) years from the date of the election
antwhich the same shall be approved,uuLeeathe same again
shall have been changedby a maj-prity vote of the qualifies
propertytax payir+g votera of such county,voting on the
proposition,after submissionby the CammissionersCourt at
a general0.:specialelectionfor that purpose; . . ."
Therq is e,prwiaim t%e,t ,tb*Legislaturemay also authorizean aadi-
tional ad valoremtax be leviedand coLlected?or the'fur+&ermaintenanceof the
public roads,but this is beyond the matter :ou inquireabout.
Yours very truly
ATlW.XEYGIlXERALOFTEXAS
BY
Oeie Speer
Aesiatant
os:mr:jm
APPROVED BOV 21, 1944
/e/Carlo8C. Ashley APPRiNED
OpinionCommittee
FlRSTASSIS!EMT BY m
AlTORNEYGENEBAL Chairman