Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

/ ------ *,’ Hal. Orvilles. corpmter CM= %nd lW3iYitfV43 M33OtOZ Texas UnsnploymontCoqenmtl~ Cotmlsslon Hon. OrvflloS. Carpenter,Pebrunry3, 1939, Page 2 "All mnies in this fund shall be ex?end- tidoolelyfor the purposeof defray the cost of the ndministrationof t!llsact and for no other pur,msewhatsoavoP enclthat: "Nlmonles in iAl fund shall be de- posited,administered,and~sb~edinthe 8anm mannor and under the eaw oondlticma andreIqulramantsalllepwrridadbylawr~ other spoclalftnxlaIn the StateTreacmry." aompamation law approvedbytha Bawd.tmdg : Ti8lo JX, swh amunta as tbs Ibard tl&omlnm~ .,' ..~ ci to'be naaessaryfor the persdtpinlatratloa ., ofeuahlardurio~the fi? ewlyearlnwhiah suuhpagnrsntlsto homade. The Bosrd'adetaw mlnatlm shall be basadctz(1)tha population of the st%te3 (RI an estlmatsof the numbsr &~~o~ymoovered bytbe.State lsw and oftha edu&n.lstratlcm orsuoh lsw othes fwtora aa the Boa-d Ana. It 16 apparentthat under both seationIs(a) or the Texas UnemploymentCanpensatlm Aat and Title 3, Section308(b) of the FederalSoaialSeauzityAat that =the coot of the admi&&ratlmP' of the AOt shall be de- fraysdimnthe tile8 in the specialfund* lion.OrvilleS. Camenter, Fobmmry 3, 1939, Page 9 There Is no fund in the StnteTreasuryother than t.henth~inlctmtion fund le~lly availablefor met- Ine the "cost of the ad&nIstmtIona of the Texas Untm- ployzmt Corr-xrsation Act. Both Fcrleraland State laws directlyand ex- ,7lIcltlystate that "the aost oi the administrationsis to be ,?aidout of the adminlstmtlanfund. The quest&ax to be oonslderedIs whetheror not oourt ooats luaumod lnlltlgationbroughtroroolleatlonofddllt~uantmu~- trlbutlonsundertheaotarepropar3yineiu&la"tM .~ 'oost of the admlnlstmtl~"ofthe law,am¶therob p(v. ;bztgta&fthe speoialadmitllstmtlan fund oreatei un~ . While the authorisedexpandlturea out of tbs administration fund al the Unemployment C~ensation Aot are not set foxth In minute datafl.au Is eonerallyth@ aane for admlnlotratS.vefunds Sor other State demrt- ments whose entire ap,pro*atIonco88 frcm state tunds, oertafnprovisionsof the aat lndioatea legi&atIve in- tent that oourt oosts and fees resultlugm lIt%ga- tlon under the act are gay-able out of the admlnistra- ..- Eon. OrvilleS. Corpxter, Februwy 3, 1939, PaEe 4 tion rune. The Texas Unfmploynent Cozpensetlon Act ex- presslyprcm5Cesin Section17 subhead(a), that 8n AsnlstantAttorneyGeneralas&ned to the C&salon shallbe pai& out of the opprcpriationfund "as well as any other qusllfledattorneyswho are reEular4 eanploy- et?by 'theCcmrtis~ion.~Said seotionreads as follorasr ~*fnanyolvilautlcmtoenioroetba pso- .. .~ vlslms~ortbie aot the Qomndsrrlan and the state shall be representedby an Amistdnt At-, - Wmtlcm 14(b) der,ls with the repreaentatlaI of the Cmnlsslon ln bourtc It protidosthat in regard Eon. OrvilleS. Carpenter,Pebru-ry2, 1939, Pace 5 to the collectionof.contributlons Ymounts duo ahall be czLla3,edby civil action in the name of tileState 33 .4%kxneyGeneral+ *'*.* The Act thus stipuhtes that the Corm~sslon pay for legal servicesrec,ulre&fn the a&Z.nlstratlon of the Act. If ottorneyfee8 arc a log%oalexmse OS the Ccmuission,it would dollarthat other costs of neces- SW utitgath, ti0u~1iofE 0avt 003t~ aa 0rri010.ft36~, arealsootithintln oaParegs~ofthe*costofadralnim~ ~'( .+. fiaa". The fact t&& the uttomey of the Ccaxaloslon, iaoludfngt&~slstantAt~yDeaoral,isto bepaid by the Ocemlssiaafer his aerdees is l.nCloatlve thab all eoets of llt2gatla Sre to be pafd out of the a&&:~ ,,, lstrationalla* We ~buveullatlod to the iaot that thaw 1s ng. : oennary or sultrrble Ii@ that ,en&* * +The Ocmm.tsalon sha.ll tIetee it& owa cvgpslizatl~&al methods of proc eeflure.* ,Thel&titUdegliwntbs OemU&m U&W SW.8 sectloala.regarQto aeoessaryar suitableexpmdZturen ice properadm3nlstratltna qxpMns the abeewe of partioularfund for the payment02 court costs. It Y 8 our opinionthat the pow& and authorityeiven%e Cow missianin this sectianSUJQClTt8 the theory that thei tena "oostof administratian" as used In the Federaland State Acts is all lncl+&vqas to expenseitems and would oover oourt costs whleh In tpeanselvesare neoesaaryEd penae. We note in your letter referenceto the polluy of the Fe&era1Social Seatit Board prohibtting#ants to Statesfor adninlstratf ve p~rponos mFhere other ""g fun&s are availa la for au&k purpose. This policyis , : EIOO.01?&.llC S. C;-:rpenter, Pebrwry 3, 1939, Page 6 grouncad u?on actual aval3.~billtyof other funds. Mi- tcntion is callee to tho o;)proprlat;tion sots of the State of Tesas for the two years onairy:August 31, 1938, en& fhu~‘;"t 31, 1939 (1937hota, Chapter 504, Senate Iii11No. ; Particularlyto Item 13 in the approprintlonfor the ofrioe of the A%tcrney Ganoral providing for the a- tzountof $2500.00 in enoh of t!icyonrly periods ending Aqust 31, 19%. am? Awt 31, 1939, to be appropriated for "court col;tsIn OivLl CQS8f.t~. zheamualge~~miLapproprlatlaupledetoths AttormyGeaeral*s lkqwtmmtlsaot availablefortbe pa-t. of oosts la eases broughtto enfoms ths provl- mat Ccmpensationdatwereaat ooaalbcnradinoalmla~ iag the neae5ssrytuuntatof the aaau6lapp~tlua rar =oourt005t5 ia olvll wsea" or ,tboAttarxmy G@aer- Ql's fmpsmwtr, '~~~:Furth@uaux=& lii'the aase of fit&s &pa&mats whbrothe admla2str&mofthe lawlnmlve8 a t&sable ruma& of lltigatioa, notabw the To.xas,Bl&nmyDepax'& me& Tezas J.&quor Control&nrd and Texas RalpPall Cot% sdssfon,apeolsl funas hfwebeem proVlW the -ah latureout oi which it 1s ex,pressl.y stats&Y hat tb oosta or litigationare to be pai&, The AttorneyGsneral*s Dspsrtmsathas as a oonseqt~enue never aoughtor been giw en an appropriatlan sufflialent to taks aara of the oourt aosta or aivll oases incidentto admlnfstratioa 0r t3da atpmiie8. It has,moreover,rell&uponthe general pollcpof the Legislatursto inoludetim mart ooste ama the other itemsof adninistratlve oosts of the vaw loll5 large departmaate.As a result, no provisionwas nude ror aoveringthe court oosts of the Texas Unemploy- nest Cozimmsation Go:mi55lonlltfgatioa$31the gonsrsl fund of ths Attorrmiy General*sDepartmsnf, It la tnm that in the~absenoeof a break&m oi the administration fund under the Aot, there is no speolrlelrmlusloncU court costs within the CO.%~SS~O~ buQ.get,but the fast that said expense is a *ooet of o&minlstration* and that the Ccnmisslonhas uutlerSectha U(a) of the Aat tIm Iion.Orville S. Cur;ientcr, Y&rwJsJr 3, X39, ?qe 7 brox? hoax of Lmkklg such eznenaitures us our CsEcrl- tin1 to n ;;2per ddnis~trution of the Act convince UD t!kit. couit costs ize ga~.:Lloolliof the adiiistration fiun~rq;arCiessof express rwntion. FOG t?ieXBOUS gfven above, and upon the Cor~pen- bzis of the Acct?ons of the fez139Unei3.7loynent s&ion Act zu-16the Federal Social Seqwity Act, $o tkdoh we have referred we wish to advise you thet it 15 our decision(1) that the geqeralappropriation of the De- pertnod Is not availablefar paymentof ocurt oosts in- ourred in citi1 lltigatlanin caumotion with the enforoe- ~l~M~e rovlsl.onedth0 3tatotSneqloymentOompen- ; P2) that there is no other fund available thraughact of the Texas Legislatbra for swh moae; aa (3)thnt court 005ts resultlng~fmm lit&atA.oaoi the Texas Ukmploymeut&unpensationConua%eelen may beg legaUy~Ufrcuntheadmlnlatratlon fund setUpu.u&r theTeZastl&empln~~ConpensatlenUt as a~alldg~l ~pen.so or the ad+nl&ratlon of thq 4olir Trustingthat we have fully an~redthe IXW @,rSes oontnlned,inyour request,we are Yolirs very truly