OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
a&lni8tratlon of the Old AgO ASdStaQ6O CadSSlOn
remIs, ln part, as follous:
"cases are dlose4 on a ealeNar-lloath baas.
This ma58 that au ceses re6elved UlMng the
muthul.llbeclocredaadbecom6~l~tblst
0rth fol&ndn6mo5th. roroxnuple: iillowm
r6celve4 l5 the State Oftfoe dnrlng the lropthot
WcgPbe?rouldk~Oatti~J~~L lhisq@lh
teusucams;orl&wldmUl8tggUlt,arants
lowered, gtents rals66, ad relnatawts.*
You lbrtsmr point out ln Joa letter that in
ca5plla5ee with Seatlam W(a) of M 4%. oemral IAwa
O? t&S 4th b&B&ttU=., ThM cl3 seuio5, lsw, uhleh
lte4u.tbol4A4pAsslsta5ae&u pu
~~r-a0ti0tiprtitik~
list ar roll of those 05tltlM to assistance,
with ths amoat to which each reoipleatls
p~tlmtXuuptmll~~beabL,to~lydrPr
wouabrs or warraatsfor ol4 ege fmslstermebone-
your letter &talm the tolloulm~ addS.tlonal
stotecmntst
:
.-.
Eon. TaleTlearry, by 29, 1939, Pag6 3
%rt.lf~oetio5 of till plrsona 61’ ib3.6 to
reoalve a6sl6tauue 1s made ou the firs 3 OS each
th0 o&t &6 366-O -6iOn t0
"The Ii@slatxre shall here the power by
@nernl lcm to provldo, under such lkalitotkms
and rei?.trlOtiOM Md r6@datiWS RS lnaybe d66mod
bgh~glila~8 axpedient, for old-age assist
yrmnt or 6CilIBnot tc exoed
Plf'teen 2dl.ers (5"
W) patrm~ntheaah to aotual
bona rid6 citizens of Texa8 Who are wt~r the
or alxt 4 lY6 (03) years 1 proYld6d that M hab -
"f"
ttlelcrLlf5e 1 and no habitual drunkard while swh
habitual drunkard, and no hmat-8 o? any State aup-
port&d lzu!titutian,while suohlnmate, 6hal1be
eligfble for mob old-age auirt8noe; prmldsd
further that th6 nqairrsof6 ior 10X&h Of tb@
0f adWl r66id61¶66 in T~XM ibdll5OVWr be 1088
then rir, (5) p6rs auring the nine (9) yeem
irwedMiely pm06ding the egq4iOati~ for old-ago
a8sbitanoeendoo5tlnuouslyioro5e (11 par
Jmttdlately preceding 6u6h ag@,loation.
+he L6gl6latma shall tteve the euthorfty to
aooept’irixa the G0VQnt ot the U&t04 Stat08
suah flnenofal aid fo old-age aa6istmme as that
cw6rn!eent otternotin~ns~tanttiththe
r6strhtfons"4;eral5b6rora proYfdeQ."
the authorit CC swh axI6titutio55f
IBtiler pro-
Yl6105, the Legl6latur6 in CL pt6r496otth6G6n6ralml6
of the Third Callod Session of the 44th hgislatwt, ha8
oharged the St&e 3oard of Control cautftutw tho Texq
Cld ;@ -.SSit3kClO6 kRZlhiiO5 W'd the &IQ Of t3dUlbbtOl'-
* t&6 Ou :*6 ,LS6k3tr;act3,.& ~OtiOIl 3 Of SOid h?t PX'O-
vldes :
The C0ml~slonnttygraatflaanoiala1d to
My rumdy person who la in neoessitous clroun-
stences provided such psmoa. . .”
Ssdl.05 4 of the Act proride f
“IIIdetenaialagthe e blltty of an ap li-
aent ror m6lstawe uml8r A&, it shall Lths
duty Of th0 cOld66155 to OOMi&OP Md tab f5tO
aoaouut all tsata axidO~FCUBU~AUSO~ ~UXTOUB ttul
appllannt in01 his 6aralng cepeolty s
opportunity to eupport mother souro~,
and it fmn all the not.6 and ofrotsMtames th6
applicant do66 no tlp p eer
%Ob i?i
s M OdYa x id
56o666itotu 6omlltLo5, ad6tanoe 6hell b6 dale&
Eon. Tom ikBerry, Nay 29, 1939, Page 5
In oelculatlng inooma and resouroas of the
applicant, the O0mi6slon shall take into
aocount all money r6aeirad by girt, devise
or u6soent.~
seotion 7 or the Aot, in part, provides as
follows:
?rh6ocmml8slm6hallhatorullQ6w6ralld
aut$orlty to p r o vide
laoh method of looal ad-
rinlstratlon fm the.tarlousoountles and dir-
trlots oi Ssxaa a8 lt doom6 #viaable * * **
8eotlon ll(b) of th6 Aat or6atee end eslabflsh68
a apoolal fund of the Traamry off-%tmState of Taxas to be
k6 t .%y th6 State Treaaur6r 8e*at6 and apart .frcm all
ot1 or funds to b6.hlnm.a~ th6 .pxae' Old A@ 466j.6$ana6
Fund*, for,$h6 pprpowe oi paylng,thq ala and~h66lafb6nue
provided for I5 the Aob.
S6OtlC5 U! Of the AOt 6uth0~1%66'th6 Comab~lon
to woaml~ata and wtabllah 6uoh sg&w and ra&ulatioas
.a& pay be n606Saarf imMdiate4 td i6ke grants of ,a66iatenoe
lcmay be,,eligibleunder tba pro-
ta auoh of there p 6r a o na
~1810~ of thi6 Aot.
Semtlon W(a) of the Aot provldee as'follows:
"All old age aMl6tenoo banailta provldsd'for
-under fhs fsrms of thi6 Aot 6&11 b6 paid by vowh6r8
or warrant6 drawn by %he Stak Oomptro&l.er cm the
Texae Old Age Aaslwime Rut@ ior.,the .wpoae.oi
permitting the Stat6 Oomptmllsr proptrrP ytg draw
and lssw suoh roueh6rn or warrantl, the Texss.~Old
Age Asslstanoe oommls~lon shall rtmm the camp-
troller with a list or roll of thoss entitledto
assistanoe from tirae to t&ne, together with the
amount to.whloh eaoh rselplsnt la entitled. When
suoh vouohers or warrants have bsen dram, they
shall be d6liV6r6d to the Exeoutive Direotor Of
the Texas Old Age Asslsfanoe Oommlssion, who in
turn shall supervise th6 dellmry of the smns $0.
the psrsons entitled th6ret0."
T% ~eriexl 2F~lYO?rl:;tiOr.
.~.ct
or tlii:
.;.;;tki
LC&:s-
Lsturo, Ti6gular Session, prarldes, In part, 28 follows:
"AU lncanm to the Term Old A@ ;aiist.ancs
Fund, toðer rith any bolaees on hand at tk end
of n pdOr ifsaal year, are hereby npprogriatod
for eaab of the iisonl ymrs tuxU.tx &&ust 2.1,
193& Gad iewt 31, 1939, to the Texas Old :A@
Assbtarme Coznlasion for aid and assistmoe, and
rorsalGaB5, equipmeat,suppliee,trarel,ipEinte~
n5a80 and ooat~at eapansea aew68as-y la the
ert%nstQa or Gla and in a-t8ru all the
'duties requtredof said Camissianb tM Old&a
Jlssmo IAWS, and r0r pilytmnt ob Lt crest bear-
&.I&okllents, togpther WI* lnterast tbtrean, out-
stturdiagan iqwst 3l, 1937, that were lasuad
. a.&nst ttie Terns 2ld .Qe ~~sistanoe Fund under
tlve experums for35 yearsLllnew3reixceed tire
-par con: of tbs tot aI amcat expended ror Old *e
waistmae .*
Stamarixinpthe at+o~% oonstltutlonnl prcnisions and
statutes, w3 rlatlthat the ~ml6titution 6 ressly OIapowers
t-ha lis&lctura to pxmlde for old w ass75 tanoe uader smh
lludtationm restrictions and rwtitions zs tho Le&lature
deem modetent. In 00nr0dty w:tli such constitutioiml
grant or power, the Uglslnture hzs heretofore provided by
the Statute above quoted fmz?~, for the crants ot old e@ as-
sl5tance to T%rwns enunmated by the kc%. TIie Lt@lature,
axmg other things, has expressly cuthorlzed ulna eqmvered
the 3tate %oard of Cantrol aatln& .M the cld &e i.~sistm%.zo
Cammission to adnlntater the Old .;es Adstance Act. In od-
ral.nioteringsuch .;ot, the Coanisslon in ex;lressly nuthorized
to m&e lmestlg&kns und flndln@~ m to the el iblllty of
appllacutta for ;)6nsions, ati the ,ct aets up deta Yl ed stan-
dards andre@iraPan~s~sti~s~eotto personswho shall
qmllfy for old Suohstandardsa~~d~~~e-
-ta beiw fulf Tf! ed b3 thrs a&eaZt’t, tit3 ~UWoXp88Sly
author&we the Codsion to craat finanaial aid to any such
applicant, and ap-roprlations are xade iron ths I.naons of
the mate for ouch purpoe.
Hon. Tan zmerly, my 29, 1939, r-age 7
Iaordar teeuldethe Cmptrolle~ lalssulag'
wilrrRnt5 to puytbggrt~~&S midebythe C0?88i8610xi,th
~egiet~ prcniw tht the C~~SS~OE rro*tw to
tbis ehould fuinlahthe bxoptroller with a list or,roll
oftl7oae ef&itled to aaaistanoe toe&her wfth tlm amount
to rhioh saoh reoipientis u&led.
the dat* OS 8aoh oertlflaatloa.
.
Ian opinion, lt5.a olearthattheoalydisere-
tlonary @iiar &mated by the hnstltutlaa or the Statutes
is the parer @sated b the utatuta to the Ccmlssloato
detsmbe the e lb& of spplloaats. *man such ell&
blllty has bsen%S 4 detienlnedby the comission, in
the mna8r proVld@i f8r b~thestatuta,ead such detornlan-
tlon ctf61 iblllty has b8ea eertlllsd b the ikmmis#foa to
the Coxptro% er, ao dlsaretlon ro6tr in lhs Cmptroller to
refuse to fasuo varruU to the spocIff%U nei lent8 pro-
rlded the amounts granted do not violate the raLlu&a WC-
press4 pmMed for in t&e Statute arrd the Gon8tltutloa.
3s mLalsterful act of lsoufagand de3.l~~ tb warreats
is allthatremalas to be dane by auy aiflolal of the State
after suoh Qetemiaatlon and oertifloetloa. A# to the
ccnaptraller~s infmdstary duty to perform a ndalrrtsria% aot,
we I&htfoot Y. tans, 140 3. x’. 89.
72&s bolw arue, the cmolusion SJBlaesoapable
that an arnendnienttothe pesentlavrwhiohdose notbecam
eiteatlre untllsl'ter June 1, 1934, ssndrhi~haavrndnnatsim-
oh~cm und standardsc# persona elf-
tbr,~uallficatloao
&e to receive assltanos dll ziot atfeat gpnta d old age
ur~tanoe to ponoaa rho have been fouui end sartlflo4 by
flu Caaaissfonto be entitled to peasloaa oaadate prior
to the etieotfrs date of 6uoh .iusen&wnt.
.