OFFICE OF THE A7TORNEY GENERAL OF TAUSTIN 

Honorable John 8. Rudd, Jr., Acting Dlreotor 

Toaoher Ratiremant Syatam of Texas 

Austin, Toxaa 

ear Sir: 

: 

opinion NO. O-Q03 

Be: validity or resolution 

passed by Teaohrr Ratlrement 

Board 

IOU ham submitted for our oonsldrratlon the 

validity Of the fOll.Onlng regulation pasard by thr Board 

of Tru@tars of the Tasoher Retlrament Syateiu8 

wQeoause of the laok of general information possessed by the members in this firat 

year in .whIoh retlremsnt ,may. be afiaotire, 

any membsr between- the agea o? alxty and 

8rrenty who is ot~ias uallriad ror ratiremmt may hate his rclt f, rembnt allowanos 

rf?sotIra as“ct Augugt~31, 1941, upon making 

a wrlttein ap liaation to the Ratirsmant Syatern by Novaa fi or 10, 1941. tn 

The pertinent statutor 

.thr Tsaehrr Ratirament Aot, whio 3: 

provlalon is. Saotion 5 o? 

~sadr, In part as followrr 

“1. Ser?ioo Ratlrsmsnt Benefits. Any 

membar say ‘retire tigon written applloation to 

tha Statr 3oard ot~Trustass. BstIrempnt ehall 

be otfsotlrr as of the end oft the rrohool yaar 

then ourrsnt,~proridsd that the said member 

at the time 80 epealflrd for. his retirement 

ahall hats attained the age of elxt (60) yearn 

and shall have oomplatad twrnty (20 T or more 

yeare o? oraditebla sarvloa, and provided rurthar 

that no retirement &hall be, eifsotlva prior to 

Auguati 31, 194l. Any member in asrvloe who has 

attained the ags of asventp (70)’ year6 ehall be 

. 
Honorable John 8. Road, Jr., Pago 2 

ratlr4d forthwith, provided that with tha approval 

of hi4 amployar ha may ramain in 44rvlo4,~ 

Undar the atatuta, no ratlrament could hata bran 

arfaotlra until August 31, 1941, and the statute raeme to raqulrs a written applloatlon prior to tha data of ratlramant. 

Ii this 16 a mandatory raquiramant, thrn the regulation would 

ba lnaffaotiva. On the other hand, if it la merely dlraotary, 

than wa ballara that the Board was authorized to pa48 tha ragulatlon. 

In the 'care or City of Uvalda Y. Rurnay, 145 S.W. 311, 

tha atatuta under oonaldaratlon raqulrad the city oounoll to 

maat on or barora tha firat day or Sanuary and fix tha salary 

of tha mayor. Iiowarar,tha ralary was not firad until the aaoond 

day OS May. In parsing on whathar auoh salary waa lagally fixrd, 

tha oourt raid tha iollowlngt 

"(I) It ia tha rule that a daparturr from 

atatutory provlalonr a4 to tha tin4 or modr or 

doing a thing raqulrad or parmlttad by law will 

not usually lnvalldata tha prooaadfnga tharaundar, 

although thara la no unlvaraal, $nfalllbla rula 

by whloh dlraotory prorlslona m4y, undar all alroumatano44, be dlstlngulshad from thoaa whloh ara 

mandatory. 

“(2) Again, It la 8tatsd by a t&t-writar, 

and 4upportad by authority, that, -her4 thr prorl4lon 14 In arrlrme<a words, and It ralataa 

to tha tlma or 4uMkner of doing the sot8 whloh eonatltuts the chief urpoaa of tha law, or thora 

indldantel or auba ! diary tharato, by an oiilolal 

p3rsan, tha provision har bran urually treated a8 

dlr40toryi" Tha aama wrltar aay6t wWhar4 a atqtuta 

Is afflrmat1ra, it do44 not n4o44aarlly Imply that 

tha mods or tlma mantlonad in It ara axo1u41~4,. 

and that tha sot provided for, it dons at a dlrrerant tlma, or In 4 different manner, will not hava 

4fr4ct.n Suth. Stat. Cons. 1 447. Tha mm8 author 

cltaa a numbar of authorltlar to nuetaln the proposition that prorlelona regulating tha duties of 

public otfloare and epaolfylng tha time for thalr 

perforwnoa are, in that ragard, ganarslly dlreotory. 

Ssotlon 448." See al.60 Olbaon VI, Davis, 236 S.W. 

202. 

The Vaaoher Ratlramant Systam is et111 ralatitaly 
Eonorabla John 8, Rudd, Jr., Page 3 

new In Texas, and the teacher member6 ara not yet familiar 

with the tarn8 of the Ratlramant Aot. HO doubt there vmnra 

a number of teachers who wars allglbla for ratlramant aa of 

August 31, 1941, and who failed to apply for ratirrmant baoauaa they did not know the tern&v of the statute. It la for 

this raanon that the Board passed tha ragulatlon. 

we 8x-a of the opinion that the authorltias oltad 

abate govern tha statutory prorlalon under oonildaratlon, and 

that it la merely a dlraotorg provision. ft roilon, tharafore, that the Board had the authority to paea the regulation. 

Vary truly yours 

ATTORNEY OENERAL OF =S 

ows t llw