OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
,~
8onor8ble Gee. 2, Gheppaml
cempfrono
Austsn. tezw
DoarI;r.IbeppaHf
ing April 14, 1946. The- lea8e contrrot call8
for 1~ m month rental and ia prryable out of
the f‘atbooR Fun&.
*You will notioo that this lo-&d con-
tract YSS 5sde prior to the enactmmt of the
epprupriatioa bill for the ensuing bisnnim.
849
tionorable 000. 2. Sheppard - page 2
‘II&all thank 700 to advise this depart- .
aamt rhethc this 18 4 t8lid aontract md
whotber it ia aubjoot to tbo prwislona of
Senate Bill 260. In this oonneotion I call
your attention co Artiola a869 and Article
2667 IrC*rn., le8e.8
Irtioiea 2663, 2666 and 2666 oi the Raiaad
civil watut4a bre aa follwa~
.Art. 2867. fn orda to ou-ry out the
;irwiaion8 of thta Aot the state boarb of
Education eholl a meeting dealg-
ammall;l at
nated by thorn #et apart
eaCil yew, out OS
the ctrilable ire4 cchool fund of the state
an awiount stafflatent to purchase marl dFatrib-
ute the necetmary school booka for the uae
or the pupils ot thia State for the soholoa-
tlo year enauiq.
ma-t. 2666, The State textbook fund of
tUa Stateshall oonalat of tbo tund cot
amide by the State Board of Edusrtlon from
tbe available achool fund am la provided for
in this Aot, together mitb 811 funds aacru-
ins; from tbe #al4 of dimmed book8 and all
moae78 dorited from the puWta8e of books
?rom boards of aohool trusteea b7 private
ind&ridurla, by sobools, or Prom any other
lo ur o e
.
*A. 2869. T h eState Doard o f Eduo a -
tion shall require iros the State 6uperlatend-
4nt on Jul7 iirat of 44oh year a report am to
the funds neo44s4ry for the purohaae and dis-
tributiun of other n44444ary erpensea of
soboot, boo&o for tbo regular sahool 448410n
of tbe folloting your, and aaid board of Rlu-
oation shmU lmvo the polrer to 64t apart fxwm
the available school fund ftle astimrtsd amount
with 26 par oont 4ddition81, thi4 nbdlti4n41
tin85 to be ustxi to ni44t eaerr;oncies or aeeeasi-
ties oauscd b7 unucua~ inoreose in loholectio
ottendanoe or b7 uauourL and unior4se- ox-
850
honorable Gee. 0. Sheppard - p8ge 3
p ena ea nndlo h o o olo nditio ua Tundr
. trana-
favrod la the tart book IWad mhall rrrPin
peraanaatl~ in this fuawluntil expended, and
ahall not lapmo to tEe fat4 at.tbe eloae of
the Timal Tear. 3he st8ta suprintrrrbent
of Publlo Lnotruotio8 ahrll be roqnirod te
inolude la tbe aforamtioaed report to the
L)tatO Wnrd of 18duontion a ltrtoment am to
the aaoumC of this fund rhieh is unapaaded,
ad rnld amount @ball be ooaa&0erod W the
board in deters&lag the neoaaaw erpsadi-
twos f DT tslrtb44kS for tha iolloriay Jonr.*
In the gureral Appropriation Bill ot the 4lth
Legisl8ture there mu opproprinted tot tbo Textbook
Dttiaioa ot the Daprctmemt of I!Auo&tion, urder the head
of Niialntsfutmo and Ylsosllan40urm, Xtaa 100, as follower
lWfioe sad d4po8ltory 8uppliea. 0xpr488,
drayage, printing, stationery, rent, oontia-
gear expanse, freight On used boolrr, postage
and her rant, t414phona, telegraph, tssasng4r
mrvioe, lntersst and trarsl 4xp4aae,$19,000.004
for the reapeotlre fiaoal 74ara of the biannlua~
Correapoldlngl7, th4 bianmirl appropriation or
tha 4nth Legislature for the Textbook Dlriaion, Itoa 87,
dar 4k~ntemm44 and i.ireeli4naous~ ie 4s foll48r:
kioe and depository auppliea, postage,
aproas, ilrryage, telephone, pclat- t414grrph,
ing, atotionsry, rant, ooatingsnt expanse, in-
oluiling ir'bight 01) used textbooks,..~~,ooo.~o=
for the re*psotLve fir041 yenra.
lo take it to be that tbs rentUs inquirui about
coo4 wIthin the above itome aa .rent..
In Opinion NO, O-3427 this deptwtmcnt advised fou,
lltb resp4at Co the comtruotloa and opplia8tion of Smnte
ii111 NO, 266, 48 tb Leqfslature , Ilogular Gesslon, in the
couru4 of which opinion ~4 atid:
UoDorablo 600. 11. smppatd - pa&8 4
lAs aatidtopain adndnlmtc~
0laim umlm thie leglolation, we ti@ it
add rurthw that a11 ront*1 agrmD*ats
ud leame*, whiob bat* not mxpirad pro-
VimlSl;J, Will uatoMtiodl~ tamilute on
klmmt a& lDI3, the last dy of cho our-
reDt bi@lxdam* mm8uprs* a-0 hu
rulal that @ho Dtate oumet bo booan up011
a learn* oontraot that ortads bwoad the
tw*par period OOWred by the appropria-
t&CD WdW WhtO& t6atuS thWWtiW U’O
Port worth Crvalw Clob t. 8bep
;xy:a tea. $30, 83 8. u. (8) 800.
Ttw#refore, ul ot8te depart8mntm rtfmmtod
by this, lcl&i~l~tioa must wtw late nw
lea*. agtewsatm to trlre alfeat OD septw-
bw 1s 1943,*
ainre you have this opinion, obtlousl~ you bars
preoeated the dire& question her. us%.?’ oonmidermtion be-
oauae of doubt am to whether it oaverm the prement mitua-
tion, or possibly you reek a rooonsideratioa of the matter
if it im thet broad. The mttet IS of ioportams, md In
rler of' the taot that tho above-quoted lmgnage Smm our
former opition was voluntarll~ ueal, and not in rwponse
to a dire& quwtion, md in ordfw to rwwe all dubiety
wrl8tww, we hare @TSD the matter a EW ard lndeperslsnt
oontxitlration~
8mtion 7, Artio1s VIU, of the Constitution de-
8lorwr
allo money da811 b,e drfmn from t&w
tr wl8~ b p t in p utmml~ oef8peoiflo lp
propri8tiom a a d8
b yla w; nor sh a llq
appropriation o fmoney bo nde for a long-
* or tera than tvo pears. l 0 l. .
PUm two-year perlad begins at the tlno these
appropriations becomearatlcrble, rather than from the
date OII rhioh the Act beeome8 legally ef?eotire. A gener-
al appropriation act bocones BfiectiVe - that iu, exist-
ing law -- upon tho day the oame im apptwed by the Got-
ernot, (360. 30, Art. III, Coast.) but such ccnernl appro-
priations usually PM mailable for the biennium, beda-
nlnf: SoptatDet 1 thereafter, and eJrtend ror the petitted
two years. They ate thus valid md ePteot.ioe Isr from the
852
i.iOUOrab~OY.0. 8. SbSppW'd - Pe&O 6
he0 or thair pcccego and lpprotel, aoootdiaZ; to the&r
terse, but the ta ms thcccolClpccliiocll~ fiz the two-
yea period for cxpenditnro, co above ltated.
Fort forth Cbrrlw Club 7. Sheppard, 83 8. I.
(2) 600, w OUT &lptOEO CWt , OitOd in WI' OflDiOD itOr
0-8427, held that a rectal lccco bct8ccc the Club cxl
tho Adjuwt Yenera iO? armly parpemea, tar a term ot
fir0 you%, wac TO&d es ac.ln~ iD 00ntraTeDticn of the acn-
~tltuLLoar The five-year tern, under the oontr800, began
septwlMr 1, l@slr The lemmeo wtwd into poroecclon of
th0 jWtW&OOO 011 tbt dote, Wd ttl0Frsrtt.tOOOUpiOd the
same for the easnlng mlr ~onthc - that ic, up to Yaroh
1, 1938. The Btete paid the ctfgulatcd monthly rental8
ror the months Of scptatilJet, Ootobet, RorQnber end neeem-
her, 1831, and J*rmaq end Pclwaary, 1932. lhO80 pe~cnta
mere made b7 arrrranta drama by tbc Comptroller against the
appropriation wdc by the 4i!d Lcgielcture tor the Adjutant
f.icneral,o JJep8rtment, ~hioh approprl8tloa begee, o? Course,
September I, 1931, and ended At@uct 31, 1933. At tbe time the
oontraet eat msde tbae wa8 arellable utir the approprlrtlon,
money citirtcientto pey. the rentals thereunder for the teo
peata ooveted by much approprlatioar Afts tbc appropriation
fot th0 year eadi~g Aught 31, 1931, ma8 OXhaUOted, the Qo1~-
nor apprwcd octtaia dcfioicneiec for the AdLdjutantOeneral~8
DepWtWDt,
Mr. Juctioe Crlta, in vriting the opinion for the
sup r 50c o ur t,
l1 36(
8Tl10 Attorney Ceaeral contend8 that
tbe Adjutaat Uenerel 808 witheut power to
aiake a lea80 contraot Tot a period of rite
Y--D ati, bhatefore, the contract ma,
and is, illegal. In thio conneotlon, the
Attorney ocnerill contends that there *me
no lw, etprosg or implied, in for09 at
t&b the thta contract ~08 entered Into
to authorlao lta ttakAagr V0 ate tompolled
co sustain t%s contention. a l l,
.ln tho case a?. bar the Adjutant Lienor-
al *aa limited in his right to contraat to
ths amount of his qqz@oprlation bill. Ue
*am also licited by the tern oP such sppro-
85:
r;oaorable Gee. il. Sheppud - pago g
priu#ioa. Uhen Ire attePptckl to go beyond
the powor. eonferrdb upon him br LOT, ha
actel without mthorlty of low, und au&
sot maa and is told and doom not bind the
state, l l l.
.1 1t 8wffio io ntto r a yua a t
th eB a t
maa not authorirul ia the beginning, md
the only sot of rrtifioatioa on the part of
the mgiolaturo ia the l ppropriatioa bore
undc aoasidar~tloDr The Lqislwuro bad
no power to rake suoh oppropriatio8 ualoar
at the very tine it 1as amdo there existed
aoao ‘pr*oxirtiag laT* authoririnq the
same. It im o b vlo u~Chat no lueh Lor then
exi6tsd.~
no present situation lo controlled by tho Uoeision
in that casOe ki4WO at tho tiM the k&l'tiX-#OOdSlObOO ~a0
cxwutcil there ram a.a oxioting appropriation l’rolp rhiah the
rcntals oould be -0, mhiuh, howover, will expire Anmat sl,
lQ43. The oontraot , themfore, ostondo beyond the atollablo
appropriatioa, and 198 thereforo raid, unleo8 eomo valid pro-
exi8ting law authoritod it. Yo quoted in tho boglming OP
this opinioa those artioler OP the statutes which wore thought
to liavo axq poseiblo boating upon tho subjwt, and in our opin-
icn they do not ounctitute pra-erimtiog 14~ neoasm6x-y to t&o
oreatiunoi a 1irb;Llity ag+alnat tbo Btato.
You ~0 theretore respeothrll~ wlvleed that it ir
the oplaion oP tUs department the leeso contraot under con-
aldorotian ‘la void. War we hare said doos not sffwt tho
right and rlutr rO8peOting poyrpoat Por the period of time
prior to September I, 1943.
Very truly yours