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OFFICK OF THE ATTORNKYQENKRAL OF TKXAB 

: 

AUSTIN 

C-C.- Axmmlsv omluu 
“par the puPpoov of 

intorort md vqualislng t E 

Pc4llotln~ pub110 crohool 

6 educatiaual opportmitios afforded by the Bttrto to all ahfldxn of 

echol&sMo age vithin the State, there $8 berGby 

appropriated out of the Qonoral Revenue Rnd 31x 

willim, Ei&t Hundred TvMty-five ‘i’housanb, Ri&ht 

Ilundrod and %mnty-seven Dollar8 (66,&5,627), or 

so wuoh thereof 80 my be noceseary for the who01 

year ending Au&uat 51, 1940, and Six IGillion, Eight 

Hmdred Twenty-five Phous3nd, Eight limdred Twenty-, 

woven Dollara ($6,825,&7), or 80 mob thereof 83 

my be neoossarg for tho ochool yonr or&n& A\cuat 

31, lg%l; to be allotted and expmdsl by ths State 

Superintendent of Public Tnstrmation th~ou$~ the 

Mrootor of Equaliestion In the Btate Dqsrtzent 

of Rducotlon a& under the eupamrSslan end advzice 

tf*t%espyial S#nt .S@olatlve Advisow Cotittee , 

, 

hd&n’l6 of the JLot reads Zn pwt ~3 fol1ow: 

~pportlcuw~t~ are nov trammltted. The aount 

of’ nomy wanted for each type of aid exoopt high 

school tuitior! ohall be set uz) CUJ aamarnto an.. 
tfOAOr4blO t , 8, Mmblv, P8@ ) 

Aoobrdlng to the oral tiforztatlon you he?v aven 

w, 8lsaoe rvoelY 

f&n is m iadopen L”8 

you* lottop, the 8Ohool district In quesent district end has mm thw ono but&& 

fifty (150) scholast~oe. 9hareSore, tbo depository for aaid 

,,,... sohool im beon aeleotetl under tho provlslms of Art&lo 

. H@2, Vemon’B Annotated Reviood Civil Statutes of Texas, 

yhlch made ln part as follovot 

o + *‘* Bsld bad shall bo payable to the 

pm&dent of the boa%%d aad hlo BUCCQBDO~O 9.n ofPloo coadltlonod for the faithful disohercs of 

the droatmwr~~ duties md tho payment of tho 

fwda roceivod by hLa upon the &aft of the proell dent of the school board &am upon ow.?er, duly 

entered, of’ the board of tmatooa, Soid bond 

ahall be furthor oonditiomd that tho treasurer 

shall safely keep end faithfully disburse cell 

had8 ocmbg i&o hi8 hmdo 03 frewure~, s?d 

shall feltiif%lly pay ova- to his suooesaor all 

balencos reM.nlng 2n hlo Muds, It shell bo 

approved by tho school board Aud the State I%= 

partmmt of Educrrt&n shall be notified of ths 

treasurer by the presldmt of the oohool bawd 

flllng 8 oopy of said bond In said deyartzxnt. 

Sf the oustodiau of the fmds of any Indqxmdont 

echool district to vhioh this Artlole applies hss 

heretofore been deslmated as 8 dmoalto. 

atead of a treasurer, the govorntig -4 o* y of such 

, indistrict my amtinuo to use the mm depository 

and this Artlole shall. covera to the 8aia3 extclrt 

a8 If the mm tI?efXWOP vas used.’ (UAdePScOr- 

.ln~0ur8) w 

As the aRw?Al Aid Appi*o-;lHatim Bill” provillas. that 

(L varrant for said money shall he trmmitted to the doposj.t,org, 

lttyon the ~uestlon aa to vhnt 1s noat by the tom VW- 

. In 34 kcc. SUP, 636, it seysa ‘. ’ 

“A state, mn%cip~l, eowty, dLatrZot or 

school- varrant is cm tlstruzent, &enorally In 

the form of a bill of ‘exohmge or OTder, drwn 

by on offlccv upon tha porson hW.nS charge of 

tha pllblio fundo, dlr*cot2n& hilt to pa3 cn mount 

of nomy spcclf~od to the porzon nawd, or hiu 

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order, or to bearor. In eubsttmoe vonents &no 

mere posdusu to piy the ataovnt 8pimiflod~ they 

mo not bonds, nor we thsy nogotiablo lmtruumats ; they 0%‘

~ only Dr- taoie wldanco of CQ 

tidobtedness, serving 8s 4 oonvonient nodo of 

oonduotw the DubliO buslneeooe e * ’ 

: 

9he questdon nw before us is vhot euthoxit dooo 

the depooitory bank hwe with referenoe to these rura f aid 

vwranta. Ho thJnk that authority 50 deteanod by Article 

2832, Y,A.O.S., quoted ln pert abow, A c-t. ~;r th8t queatuu in 37 TOX, Jur.m6, qrut 

%hen the Dohool tids bavo bbsen tiwmd over 

to rmd acooptod by tiio deyoaltory ho booones 1iSble for their Dai’ekecptig, propor dieburamat 

kwd roturn SneoSsar es they hwe not bzm exbcnded. 

l?o must DOl?fOXZl tho dUt?ei 

required of hi& and hs lo 

lav for my mieepplloatlon 

It la ohm? mdeP t!;!le 

pxl8t5on Dill” th3t the W3~zwt; 

tcmm Of the ‘Rural Aid App~omust be sat to the dopositorjr, 

The dqxsitorg aots 00 cuch uzxlor the coi~dlt~ons of its bond, 

and tho bmd is conditlo~sd for “the pqnent of the f’unds POc&rod by hip (the dopoaitory) up the draft of the president 

of the school bawd,” and It lr .:fwther conditioned th8t the 

treaswez, (the dapooitory) shall safely keep and faithfully 

dlsbwse all funds ccmlz~g into hia hamls OS trewmrer, end 

ahall faithfully pay over to hie succos9oru ol.lbalancos xirsinin~ 3.n his hnnds.” Ife are .uuablo to fiad any authority, 

statutory or othorviao, for the d9posltoPy to dispose of%wal 

aid vwrants . The dcposltoi+y is a:uthoPized to p3y out tha t 

funds received by it upo!r the proper autho2iwtim of the 

Uchool bosxd, but thwo lo no pXoViDiOn fOP doing mythinS 

ill th the wrr~t . They wo only nevldenoeD of tidobtcjneae* 

that must be hold by tho depository unt%l acrid vcwants -8 

prrld by the State. 

He have been wnble to find any Teas a&ellatD 

oowt c&30 OesUn~ vith thiD p%i’ticulc.r quootim. He find 

an mnlo~ous oituation In the co30 of ut8tO vnrrmts issued 

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z -- ma 

?hor8ble 9, II, orlrablo, Potjo 3 

toa 

32 

nt the offhem’ utia&!y fd &a V8rms OOZEIt~O8 8S 

lu 8ootbn 68, Artiolo 39120, Vernon’s hnnotatod 

f$%d Ofvil 8tatUte8 of l'oxasj and in Attme Oemral:s 

. . . Opluion no. O-lO!$ (Oonfaronoo Oginlon No. 3093 3 , 

Li 

doted July 

, ZC,40, thl8 dopartmnt held that those ?#axxsnts Could not 

oold at a dl8OOuiat by the CCmrl8oloaers’ Oowt, and In 

th8t OpMcm St vas said1 

519. faU to fFnd any author$ty, ezpresssd OF 

implied, SUthOxiZla(: the COmty to tiso~~mt it8 

ovn varawkts 3.n paymat of oomty obli@tion, and 

. vltbout le@olative suthority it my not discount 

8tbto v8xrants La pqment of its obligation.' 

St ia 0~3 ooslc~u8lon thst the depository ba.+ oaniiot 

be reqtirod to relo3so the wrrant In questian ias Ioag 8s ft 

FeWlno the ~0~~1 dopositoi'y for the dJ.8ta'iot.J ft i0 0180 O\LF 

ocmolwica thilt t&o school bard doer, not have authority to 

duoount oaid vammts, ad thorofore neither the depository 

bmk no&- any othm bank or pemon hm suthoritp to pzmhnm 

SCld varxant at a ti8COWlt. B&d depoaltoiy bml:, and its OWL 

0083OZ',.&lly hove outho~$t$ to keep said S%mt8 %n their 

ouotody \t?til the State ~ya thea the a&o&t of amtwo ro?rmmted bp the varrPr)t, cad tbon tho dopooitoi*y nwt aocouot for ell 

of 8aid smog, tO-Vit, an mOMt OS non9p OquiV'alent t0 the 

f8oe value of the varrant. If St SC%118 to 00 aooynt fox said 

yggy Sn Nl, it would be liable to the aah dr8tFiOt on lto 

. 

Yaws wry ta!iuy - ; 

ATTOFSfEY G??iBRAL 03' FiXAS 

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