OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
-.
//i
Honorable Basoom Glles
Austin, Taxes
Dear Wr. Glleat
r stats that the Lqd Off&at, haw~been
,oants peraore rental paylaenta'and
lease to oontia~a witbotit any attempt
orreit 8eme.
8 qoestioti you ask is;
'1s Mrs. O*IMen (the lesaes) under tha olr-
armstames entitled to a refund of all oi these
payments at 25 oents gpr eore under a tiaoonoaptlon
of the law relative tiiereta9"
As the Land Offioe has made ao attestpt for the
past eight years to forfeit the lease held by Xra. O*Brien,
notwithstanding her dailcisnt paymant of rentals, the
Ron. Beaoom cllea, April 29, 1939, Peee 2
result ha8 been that ahe has scoured all the bene-
tit8 oonrorred by the State’s loese to the name ex-
tent c18 would hare boen prooured by a full payment
or $2.00 per aorta annual rental. To roruad the
amount pald by the lessee at thla ticno would, in
effect, permit the lessee to reoelte the benefits or
the lease for a period of aeven yosra without eny
oonslderation having boen paid thereror. Vfe ere
uneble to dlaoern any faotual basin for the lessee*a
olalm or a rlfht to a refund.
P!e are further of the opinion thet Sootion 44
or Artlole 3 0r the constitutfon or Toxaa, *hioh pro-
hIbIte the L8glslature from grentlng, bjr approprlatlon
or otherwise, any amount out of the State Treasury,
to any iadlrlduel on e olelm, real or pretended, when
the aemo rhall not hare been provided for by pre-
existing law has the erreot of prohibittiE a rerund
of the rentala heretotore paid by l&a. O’Brien. We
know of no pre-exlatlng law whloh provides ror the
refunding of suoh mntalr to llra. O’Brien tmdor the
olroumstenoeu related ln your letter.
i.e must, thereidre, advise 700 that, In
our opinion, no rerund or the rentelm in question
should be made.
Yours very truly
ATTORNEY
@3NEBALOF TEXAS
R%:BT Assletent