OFFICE OF THE Al-i’ORNEY GENERAL OF TEX&5
AUSTIN
gau0c.M
--
Eonorable Tcm k. Craven
county Auditor
IcoLeman colmty
kaco, Texas
Dear sir:
nion of this de-
. partncint oi t stoted has been
received.
the plan herelnafter
a part of a revolving
rslr,ationof tho Focd
intaot to KaLeman
I(3). Gin ~.:cI.orxl3.n
countg, out of it3 fUDd6,
pay its propartionate rart of the coat oi rentals
for facilities in v;hioh to house the %od Staq
>liq Oi’fiC38?”
. ,.
.
Honorable Toz A. Craven, page 2 :
*Anew way of distributing surplus foods is
being tried out. Instead of &ving sur-gluscor-
codities to States.I couAtic2, and cities which in
the past hove distributed thazito Dco,7larocoiving
publio aid,.the yedersl Govsr.tx.ontwill give Pcod
order staips to these people directly. m-2 atsaps,
which will bc aolored blue, can be taken to gocery
stores where they can be used to obtain surplus
foods as additions to the present family food sup-
~pliss+
WDveryone currently receiving surplus o~ffi-
ruoditieswill now be eligible to participate in
the surplus comodity food star:,plan. In addi-
tion, people hvrking on ?j?A jobs, and all other
persons .receiving or cari;ifiedfor any fororn
of
pnbllo aid, can get the stxmps if they want then,
*The f00a atamp plan is being carried out by
the Department of Agriculture in oooperation with
city, county, and State welfare agencies and the
grooers. The idea Is to nuke use of som of the
ram products of which there has been a surplus
because people did not have the money to buy then.
Litanyfanilies hava been going without eno@ of
the roodsthat are needed to.ksop childrec and
gram-up people healthy, at the very sam ,tine
that famsrs hnd zore of these foods than house-
wives could buy.
"The nain idea of ths food Stan? plan is the
8axe as the idsa of the comoditp distribution
that people are familiar with -- to u3e part of
the Pam surplus to give city fanilie3 a chance
to Cave batter balanced diets; Eor?-aver,the
star;pplan is different fro3 the old distribution
p,larr..aa
it!oporated,
"If this plan is adopted in 2:oLeansnCounty, in
the future, thsre will not bo any surplus co;=odity
dopots. The T::ennrtxsntof &&culture *;illu3~;athe
surplus food pr;Cllcts. E'soplelisi,ng
the stmps CQA
go ri&t to the grocery stores thst am coo~sr+ing
in the prsg~ar;and us0 the on:-plusfood order stangs
to get any of t&&e surplcw csmod.ities that they
want. leopla usiny the stazps will have a widar va-
riety of surplm cexmdities t,ociioossfnm than they
had at the distribution depot.
..
.;
Honorable TcziA. Craven, Page 3
Trro n&hods of distribut.ias the surplus
food order sfa~ps will ba UEQ~. ena group, in-
cluding those who ar% at Varrkon :!Ps projects
and those who are reoeiving, or certified as'eli-
gible to receive, publio asaizztanos,aid t.othe
dependent children, and aid to ths blind, ~111 be
eligible to gat th% free bl.cesurplus stazzps,if
they buy orange colored food order at&zps, with
part of thofr aPA or assistance paylzents.These
orange colored 8taEp8, which will be gmd for the
purchase of any f00a usually sOld in a grocery
store, are to be bought-at the rate of aggroxi-
matsly $1 a seek p%r,persoo for each'ne~bar of
the faaily.
+Por 'each two weeks pay p%~lod,.therafor%,
the eligible person would &v% to purchase orange
colored stags at the rata of $2 per insnberof'
his ftiily. Their use is to Insure that r%gul.ar
food purchases.are kept ut, so that food secured
with the blu% surplus stZizpswill be in addition
to and not fn place of these regular purchases.. ',
One blue surplus staz@ will be &ven,fr%e with
each~tvo oragce s$amps bought. $aoh'&tsp, whether
blue.or'orange,.wIll be good for 25 cents xor:thof
rood. For eaah $l'worth of brangs'stazp~ bought,
the fanfly will reoeiva~M cen,tswdrth..o~:teea.plue
staaps. yor exanple,'a,-'f&&flp:'~,~~&:',bu.j';
~za~
wo,.th
of ,orang% staiilps
Will get $4 worth of blue surplus
stamps without extra dost.
Sectional of +,rticle23&e-2,~,~.,F&n~n!~~'Aon~tat%d
'.
Civil Statutes, reads: :,,
: . -,
Vh% County CozziissionersCourts and tte
City Coz~ls~ion of any incorporabod tovm or city
of this State are hereby authorized-to lsas?,
rent, 0: .p,gg-v+_do.qfPFce
sfa%wfdr tfie~~jkT$oa%'~of
~aJdI@~ana cooperating with the azencias of the
Ststs asd ?e?eral Govcrtieots ongaged int3e ad-
ninistratios of relief to tte unsnpioyed or nesdy
people or t5% State of 'icxaa,an-3 to pay the raz-
ulqr monthly utility bi1l.sfor such offices, such
as lights, gas, and water; aaciwhsn in the opic-
ion o$ a aa:aJorityof e CozGssior,ers 'Cxrt of a
comtg such office sgac3 is os:;ential~to t5e prop-
er edzinintration OI+ such a,:%nci%a or either the
State or Federal Govexzmnts, sr:ld Colrrt is hereby
agecifically author:z%d to py fo:: sa&:e acd Tar
the r$gulsr monthly utility bills for such officae
,
62
Honorable TOzkA. Craven, Page 4
out ofthe Countyfs cemral Tuz& by warrants aa
In the sayzent of such other obligations or the
countY."
7b c;UOt8fI"JZI
TaXa JlUisplWdQuC8, vO1W8 11,~pp.
564 and 565, as follows:
-CoIxnl~ssioners'courts are courts of 1l!nit-
ed jurisdiction, in that their authm:ty extenda
only tq zatters pastaining to the geaornl walfare i
of their resgmtive counties and that their povlere
are only thosa express1.yor izgliedly conferred
upon thea by law, .-- that is, by the oontititution
a&d statutesof the state.* Tee the cases of Sun
Vapor Zlectric Light Co. v, Keenan, 30 S. :cz.868;
Hill County Y. fianllton,273 9. -I?:'.
292; Seward v.
Falls County, 246 5. 7;. 728.
38 quote irmthe ease of Cozmissionors* Co&
V. Eellace, 15 S. ci.~(21%)555, as -follozvs:,,.
Vhe Cozzissfoners Court is a creature ot the
State Constitution an8 its passersare llrcitedend
controlled by the Constitution and the laws es
passed by the LegislatL-e."
.?e are uhable to tiud any authoritythat:-expressly
or lr~liedly authorizes the Comissionersl Court to do any
thing Eentioaed in your first tv;oqusstions. Therefore your
questions 3.and 2 are respeCtfUlly ansuzerodin the ne~ati78.
Article 2372e-2, supra, speoiZ'icaliyaub.horizes
the oonnty com.zission3rs'~ court to lease, rent, or provide
officcispace for the purpose of aid and cooperating with
the agencies of the ,Statoana Federal GovernEonts mga5ed
in the adr;ini3trationof relief to the uucnployed or needy
St@5 aF;dj+,~,~::s,~,-t:1Ed-:Te~U~~gG-~D;i~y ‘Ut$klitp ~-
I$&~&!$;$~ o~Ii‘ic,8~; such-$..-~i$he;,ias, 'ritiC water;. vihen
in ths opinion or 3 jzzjorityof t& cszissioners of said
court of t.hocounty such office s;ace is essential to the
proz3r ackinistr:~tlonof sucha;cncias of eithar tke State
or ~odersl Govsrumnts. As i':e un:?srstnr?d the Plots stated
in your inquiry The yood Sts-p 2larP is opsrated under the
s'ugervisiono?Tthe F&era1 Gavermant. Therefore your thZrd
qusstion is nnsmre9 in the affirr.lc!tive.
Eonorable 'lam$. Craven, Page 5
';rustingthat ths foregoIng fully answers your
jncciries, we r32afn
b
Yours very trnly
r
Art%11 WilliamS
Assistant
‘a 9.
.’
ATTORNEY GEWERAL.or'Tmfj