OFFICE OF ‘WE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
iionorableJohn 3. Rudd,.w b A&.ng Director
Teacher Retlranent Systm OZ fexas
Aumiln,. TeXUS
Dear Slrt oplnlon Ro. O-4072
Rcr Contributtons received by
Te8chor R&lrement System
after retirement or member.
wehave reat3lved your letter of Ootober 6, 1941, '%I
which you aek~vhetht+~ thd Tdlloving regulation paseed by the
Board of Trustee8 gf the Teacher Retirement Sgst.em2s D propor
one.
%ontr'ibut:Gns rece2ve.dby,the R&tixmient Sys-
tem for the account of i%‘iember subrequent to the
effect2ve &to oT.tuch.nenMr@e retirement shall be
returned to,such-mnkm and ahall not be included
ea part of-such membor’e annuity remmve.”
Seation 5,~Subaectton 3 of the Tescher R+lrtnmnt L.mt
“2. Allovance for.Serv2ce Retirenwnt. Upoxi
mtlmrmat for service.a rmmber’ shall~.reze2y3~ 0.
sorvlce ret1rsim0ntallovanas cozifJ2atln&~o$,;al8tambelc
ahlp ,‘aiinulty,. Wch hall be the aotunrlal.equlxalent
of ‘hi8 p+tmbershipannuity. re8erv~, rind i. pr,2or-rsr
vloe annuity to 3iich hla oreditable swrvlce and awn-
bernhip.in I&+ Tsaoher Retirement Syafxq ,~entitle?him
under the prov2sions of th2s fic t l y ... .:‘I;
der2v~~a~~:s mesberohip annu2t.y~eseGe shall by
“(1) 32s mxumulntad contributions credited to
his account in the Teacher Saving Fknd at the tine sf
mtlremmt; and
Honorable John 3. Rudd, Jr., ?~ii;e2
"(2) An addltlonalJM ircmrthe State Umber-
AccuPnrlationFund equal
~___ ._ to
_ the
_ accmulsted
~_ ._ $-+-
tr1but1on5 prov1.dedby the !aaswr 111SUrl5eCclon(1)
of Pmagraph (a) of thla Subaeotlon.'
The validity o? the re&atlon nece88srll~ depends upon
the mean2ng of the word8 "credited to h28 aocount ln the Teacher
sdrlng FYmd at th5 tlmo of retlmmnt."
If thlr provl5lon mean5 the aatu8lxeoelpt of the money
ad ita dspoeit fa the ftmd to the credlt~ot the member, then the
re~atlan lr *laid. Butonthe otherhand, if thela~~~~ge mew
the deduction8 frcu the monbor~8 earnablo campenmtlon vh2c.h25
to be placed in Um fund, then the regulation is invalid. Ye are
2nclSned to the latter expre88ed viev.
3cme genatral rule5 on statutory constructicn are quoted
*rromT&s JUrlsprudence, Volume 39, poge8 166, 209, ,217, SJ fol-
lOV5 I
"'The intention of the Le@slature in enacting
a law la the lav 1t501r, 1 ftha ee5enae of the lav,'
and *the spirit vh2ch sjlver life* to the enactment.
pence, the +&I and object of aonatructlon la to an-
certain BP4 eaforce the leglslttive intent, and not
to defeat, nulliiy or thvart it.
%hen the intOXIt 15 p&inly JlC9FJJJJd l&S t&J
la ng u ng e 0r mu0t be given effeot v2fib
l sta tu te, it
outattemptlngto caostrueor Interpretthelw. Oa
tha other hnnd, vhen it 153moe55ary to cozmtrue an
sot in order to dotenllnb it5 proper wanllq, it 15
nettled by a hoat OS deoislona that the aourt should
first endewror to a~osrtaln the legl5lstlve intent,
fras a general riev of the vhole enaotznent. Such
intent hav2ng baen a5eertalned, the oourt vlll then
seek to con8true the statute JO 68 to give effect to
the purpo5e of the Legl5lature, 85 to the vhole sod
eaah material part of the lav, even though thl8 nra~
Involve a departure franrthe strict letter of the lav
a5 vr2tten by the Legislature.
Honomble Jsbn Se Rudd, Jr*, ?ar;e3
*‘i’hiJ 15 th0 ftmd5mntJloaaoa5adthea5rdlnal,
prlauu-7and paramount ml0 of oonatruotlon. vbloh
should alva~r be olo6el7 observed and to vhlch JU
other rules met y2eld. l l l "
"Another nmdawntal rule FJqUh’JJ that a St&t-
ute be aonatrwd a8 8 whole aa& t&t al of it8 puts
bJ h82T1on%JJd~ %f pJJiblb~ Jo u t0 give OffJet to
the entire sot rocordlng to the evident intention of
th. ~giJl&UX’J. l * J
"Esah put Of the UtatUte la to be OOBJidend in
ocmneotlon vi?3 eYery other part and vlth the entlm
enaotraent.in odor to prodwe a hamo~loue vhole and
to reaah the true legirlat2ve intent. ?Zhua In oaae
of doubt JJ to the rseon2ngof 5 partlotier vord, ClJuJe,
prorlrlcm 'or aeotlon, it la to be vleved b the light
or a1 the language anployed. It fOllOV5 thJt J pro-
OiJiOn Hal not bJ given a. meanirq out of hanmay vlth
OthJS pFOYiJiOM and f.llOC4MiJtUlt Vith thr WPOJJ Of
the mot, although it vould be ruraeptlble of Juab oon-
JtFUOtiOI& %f Standing Ohle.”
‘ * l l ma8 it 15 lrettlodthJt 8 statute vlll k
JaDJtl’Wd tith FJfJFJZlOO to it5 intsndbd JCrO9.* It5
~WD#Dti~JO, enb th slBdJ Or objeok JOl@t to bo
EPerJ.#o~irlon, clause Or vord of aa aot
Vi11 b. hB8tFU.d tith FOfO~BOe t0 it5 lerd+ng id.8
01 g~nerd, -50, and brought, 80 f8r u ~JJibhJ,~-
to hrm~ therevlth."
With there prinolpler 2x1m2nd ve vlll nov muelder the
lrm&uaqe UJJd In Seotion 5, SUbJJJtiOn 2 Or the Aot. The maiZj
purpose of the Teaaher Ret2rement LJV la thy proteotlon of twoh-
era after retlnmmt. It 15 true that the temher J&J~JJ part of
the burdens of the ,Act;hovever, the act I5 Imainly fOC h25 benefit,
opd v5 belleve that doubts should bs resolved In his frvor.
Eoaorable &ha 3. Bud& Jr., Pwe k
Subaeotlon 1 of Seotlcn 8 of the Aot pwrlder for de-
ducta frol the wary 0r the ter0her 0r rive 90~ 0-t 0r hia
l8rnable aaipematloa. Subaeotloa l(c) or Section 8 prcvldee
ia p8rt a8 r0mv8:
= l l l T h e ea wb y e r & a ll o er tlr y to th e state
Baud oi Trustee8 an eaoh and every 9wreJil. or ln
such other meaner a8 said Bwrd mat pm8o~lbe, the
amounts to be deduotod; and eaab of safd amounts shall
be deduoted, and when deduotmd &all be 9ald into uld
Teacher swlag Ptmd, aad Bhnll be credltsd, to the in-
di.vldu8l a08mt of the mmb~r SPCQ uhoaa ocmpensatlon
raid deduotian ua# mada.”
rr the regulation under oonslderatioa vex-a uwld, then
emphaaia would be pbmad on the physloal eotm of reoelvlq tha
coatrlbutloam and depa&ing m seme in the Pund to the credit of
the teacher. But lf the deduotioal8 rightfullynsde rrc88 the
oaapumation of the teacher, should the teaoher be permlised if
thm employer r8ih or negleot8 to rend it in prcwtlgt We think
not. Vs belter0 th8t Oace the deductloa la rightfully mule Pran
the sahx70r tamtewher, thenit irtohie oladitin theTes~her
smtag mad even though the tuoher 18 retired beor the nmaey
la actamllr reoelved by the Teaoher Rotbemeat System. This
rlsv plroes 5pharl8, not 00. the phy8loal aot8 of reaelpt aad de-
po8lt 0r tha Qontrlbutlonr, but en t&m rplrlt bohlnd the law.
It is our opialoa, rLw0r0, that the regulatbn lm
lnY8lld.
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Combined Opinion