OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Ran. Yarrln Ball, Ccatisilssioner
Board or xn8ureil4ecomlssloa4re
Ausitln,T4xaa
Dear sir; Attention of Sr. I. Blak
opinion no. o-ls96
Rat wlat 4onsti*tlt
Mre xnstlreM
of rim or lightning or tornado or wind storm
or hall insurance ih thio Stat4 aooording to
the repcirtsmade to the Boar4 of In8Uranae COIP-
mlssionsrs as required b3 lnw; and asid taxes
when 8olleetsd shall be plaoed with tb4 Stat4
Treaaursr in a separate fun8 whioh shall be
known as the ?lre Imuranae DMiaion FuM, rblah
Fund shall be kept sepalWe and apart from other
run@8 anKmon4ye in his hands; and said sp4uial
Fund or SO ruuh themof as may be neo488ary ehall
bs helQ and Q-ended forth4 purpose of aarry%ng
oat the protialons of this Chapter; and ehould
there be an unexpended Mlanoe at the end of
uny year, saldbalsno4 shell remainlaaaid
'Feedana the Board or IMuramoe Cad8sionen
shall r4du44 the aesesamnttorthe 8uooesUng
y4arsothst the -tprodue~6al4~~ into
the State Treasa~~ together with said an
eQ bnlqx44 in saLd'FUn@lin the !!Masury, XF-
bs sufSiol4nt to pay +l 4xpeoses to? th4 dur-
rent year, ~a~ not 4x448& the amount moe88wy
to puy all ilaoessary axpenses of maj~.
the Fbe siuJumn44 *Ttaion of 84iU Boara,:
that no ~deflait -8hdi ooour in .Mld FtM, -4h
,tuuds shall be paid out upon r4qoisltfo!lBlade
oat and riled by 4 majority of the Coim~L~Ellon,
when ths CmiptroZler shall i88trewurrante thare-
for, The taxee 14714& and 4884884d by this S48-
tion ohall be inbepanQ4& oY and in eddftzon
toall othert4m8nowSnposed, orwhiohoay
hereaftsrbe lstpo84dbylaw, a&nst8nyaam-
pany, mentioneilherein.*
Artials 49W, BeTkSea Civil 8tazrt48, ren68 4.8
follows0 .,~
The prssidcrntor riarpr88ld4nt and s44z4-
tarp or each fir4 marln4 or l&and lneuran44
caapeay 401~ busfmess in this SUit4,4nau4lly,
on the itret day or eaah ye8r, or tithln six&y
day8 themafter, shall pr4p4ra underoathaad
deposit nith the Oonmirrsfon8r 4 Nl, true and
acmplete 8tatemext oi the oondition ai 8Ubh
aoaqany on the last day or the month of Deoeaib4r
pmeding.-
P~irtigra
h 4, page 34, of Senate bill NO. 4129,
Act8 of the 46th Ll Si4tUT8, P8468 48 rOmW8 t
"Frovldedthat the roi-egol~ approptitiOnS
for the Firs ~ViSiOn Sh43.l be paid Out Of
revenues obteined iroe tax on p84 praaiUm8
0r laaumaae aomp44ia8 la 44oordenoe with the
exlsthg laws, exempt the foregoing appro-
prlatlona for fire esoape lnepeotors and
their ~898, whlah shall be paid out Or the
General Revenue Fund.
"For the purpossof m-printing the Texas
Gen4ral %nSlS Schedules Of rlre and WincSt4~
lnaurenos rates es provided in Artlole 4B8JZof
the Revised Clvll S~ty~S~ and other matter%
lholdeat thereto, there is hereby appropriated
ror the tlsoal yearn endla& Au@& Sl, 1949 and
August 31, 1941, 80 mUoh Oi the %8SSBMentS
aolleoted under Artiale 4902, and any ba&nOOS
remalalng in the IrireInsuranae DivlSiOn Ehad
at the end. of eny iisa.~ ywar, or SO mwh there-
Or 48 l!Iay b4 WO48.“~$‘, iOr Oar~fXl& Out the
14~8~ of this ,@ate with regard to these eohe-
dules.*
Regarding llmltatleu Of pagment8, Senate Rlll
429, SUpl?%, Pags 149,~provldeer
Ttxaept us othenisa providsd, wheaever,
by virtue Or the p~liSiOXl8 O? this A&,
lt4ms 8X-8 to be paid out or fees, lY304i~t8,
apeclel fuade .orout of other ZtIIIdS available
ror ose.by a dep4rt.rmnt'it is the intention
or the k&slature to &It expeadltur48 out
Or aaid fees, X'%V34iptS, Sp@Oi41 fund8 4r other
available funds to the purposes and in the
twmunta Itemized herein, and it is so pmvlded.
If, however, the amount ot.the fee8, reoelpts,
sp4lal or otbciiavailable funds here111referred
to %re mOr8 then suffiafeat to pay the iteiS8
hereln tbSigIUh4dto be paid theref'rcuu, th8
departnmnt to whloh the 8ald fW8, reoeipts,
special funds or other araZl4ble funds 6cce
appropriated XQRy, ii ?leSe884~ to EdmdaqU%t4ljr
pprtorntthe fuaetiona of Said department,u%8
%XIy p&t&m Or 84id %Ur~lU8
special funds or other
Ron. Y%rvln Hall, Page 4
however, that before doing so the heed of
6UahdeparfJmIt sh4& Under oath,u%kL)
application, jointly, to the CovarpQr,
the Attorney Ceneml and the Stat4 Tre48Urer
setting forth in detail the aeaesslty for
Using 8Uah SUrp1U3 f488, r404fpt8, SpbOidl
flailsor other available fund8 and ItmalS-
lng the pUTJBOSe8r0r whloh the mme 0 to
be used. UdesS the appliaetion is 4ppr0Wd
by at least two or the thraa permna afara-
mentioned, the surplus fees, reoeipts, spa-
cl%1 fuude or otber 4rallsble f'U%dSshall
not be expended. Any itex Set out in the
4pplicatlou 04% be deleted by d4Oi.SiOn o? 4
majority or the threa pemons aforemeatlonetl.
All applications which %re approved or denied
must be signed by those rotlug.to 4ppr0va
or deny 84Ula. Said ~pliC4tiOllS artet
approval 0~ rejaatlan, shrll be &led with
and retained by the State Auditor for 4
period of Six months after the 4x@ration
of the bien&m ending Auguet 51;1941, an6
Shtil rermluopen to public inspoatlonduring
6%1d period. -All 8urplue fees, raaelpts,
SpeOial .funds, or other atallable funds on.
hand at the'snd oi each ye4r of the bleuuim
Shall revert to the thnorel~Tenu8 Fund of
this gtata udle88 othenrim prohibited by
&B, or u&e58 otherwise provided herein.
ao salary paid additional employees shall
exaeed the amount here14 appxaprlated tar sM-
law poaitlons. l&l disbUrSemtut8 Shall be
made 011warrants issued by the Comptroller
oa the St&e Tmaeury."
Article I.+$,
Revised Civil Statutas, reatle48
r0iw73 :
The fiscal year or the State shall
terminate 04 the thirty-first dcy of Augmt
0r em91 year and appropriatIona OS the State
governuent shall aonform thereto. All off;-
uers who ere required by ler to report amumlly
or biennially to the &&elature 0r Governor
shall close their aeeounta oa that date, aad
60 soon therrarter %s rr'catloabla8h411 pm-
pare and corplla their respaatlve rapartS.*
By virtue of the above quoted statuta, 4ll
approyrl4tlon of the State Cavenmntnt muat amform to
tha flsoal ya%r therein desl((pat%dand not to thu budget
year Of any State departumt,.
Artlola 4908, aupra, ~paalfl~lly pravldas
that:
"....aald SpOCfa1 FuAd ar SO nu9h thaxw
48 xtnyha aeoesaary ahdll ba hald arid axpsnd 2
rorthe purpcme of oarrylng out tha prwbfons
of thir Cheptar; sad should th4ra ba 44 UA~X-
pend44.balance 4t the end or 44 yerr, aaid
balaaoe 6ha11 rwain In eald Rurd and the Boer4
of Insurance Comml~sloners shall reduce the
a8sca6ment tourthe suaaeedlng year so th4t the
muiotiat pmCuaod and paid into the St4te -aSUrf,
together with saltiunexpenfiedb4l4~o4 la eaid
Fwnd in the Traasury, will b4 8tUflolent to pay
832 sxpezmaa for the aunant ye%r, end not ex-
seed the nmaunt neoess4ry to pay all waes84ry
expanse8 of maintaining th8 Flra 1AsWtrAO4 Mvf-
slon of MM Board, so th%t no aeriaft 8hal.l
oeaus in 86ld Fund, which funds ah411 be g4.id
out upon raqulsitloamade out and tiled by 4
rpejorltyof the Ccmmloceio~,when the ccnptroller
shell fsaue nrrant therMor....*
The f4glslature wso&zrr the c?l8blnotlon
k-
tweed the year for oollaotlngfunds by tha tarLou stata
departments whhlah 1% usually tha aalondar ye%r and the
year ror expanbltureof svh runa which la the ri84ta
year. ~uvplus XuAde.althiA ths meaning of that tarn a5
used in th% U.nzltatlansof Payeaentaclause of Seunte Bill
So. 487, Aota uf the 46th Iagielature, only rerir to am
pluses with reapeat to Itans a~propriatad for 4Xp4ndltur4
by ths dqxtxtsant for the flrwaf.yunr.
Theretom, you are'reqmctlklly 4Uvlee4 that It
Is the opinion of this &apartReat that it Is only la the
evant th%t there my be in tte spsnlsl tund en amunt of