! 
i 

*on ~tha 6rrect5ve date or the Mt, or within one er twra days thereafter, and t&ore talc&g 

any aet5an thb?bundbr, sbotion 6 of th0 &et Mar 

grb8eatet5 to the Cauuptrol~br~e ottfob for deterrinatbn OS the authorBy or this Department to 

probbb0.to~ inbus obl5gatioBlr thereunder abd we 

were rdr5eed that 

SWtt5ou 6,Wald he 

the..ap rbprietioa bon~einbd in 

tied Lo t,bly eMeot5re aud that 

tkm Dep6rtsun~ warn th*pby attthwiebd to erbeite 

obllgationa $h*reun&er, Bowever, we were further 

a4v58bd that'rrs-*Duld be l%m%teb in 00r aqmuiitures.to 0Iammts not ex8ebalug the tot& or the 

f9@S 00llectbd ?OF the 58manOb at titlw rr0m 

Andy a?tsr’thb prTbbMrb date or the not. Me haye 

,. Ben gotbpbd .by ,that sdv5bo* 

“on play, 29, 1941, pegroll a&Id voucher. ooyer- 

. in6 S&wiev. of the emplbybes or'the Cbrtiriah$e 

car Title DiPision was ,preabnteb to tab Cckptroxlei 

ror’ the usrrdL ha~dl.W but Pt wab returued to UII " 

with the a@Ue that the appr*r5atlon igalnst 

Jhioh.it was dram 4bW not bebbab avqllable uut51 

Septcgab*r 1, 19U. This rti5q bg the Comptroller 

plab& this DeyartntCmt in aa embarrnssing poaftfon, 

and at the san%Cimte; yill work a dbiini%b herdship upon a nuabbr ‘or th* bm~leyees ei the Nate 

whe were put to work.br bcmtinubd ia the sbr~%oe 

or the, State in good rafth, bellering, as do we, 

that the Legislature had made adequate prQv5efon 

rt3r the5r paymmt. 

lbur wly bonsidbration or end opfnion on 

the availab515fy or the,rebe oollbotbd by the Ii5&- 

way Depar&abntand bppropriated, by the legislatwb 

ror the payment or eueh ealaries and other expense8 

nbmea.wy to a proper adaxin5stration or the Cbrtir50at&0r Title Diri~ion rar 5ambd5ate bxpbnbiturb 

will b&greatly apprb85atbd.w 

Seot5cm 6 0r House Bill 205 0r the 47th Legislature 

amuds 3mtlon57 or HouaeB5ll407or the 46thLb&blaturb 

to read aa r0liora,t 

*~Sb6tion 87. Eaoh applioant ror a oertiiib&,b or title or re5asuanoe thereof shall pa to 

the dasignatbd agent the 8um or Fifty ($0.50 TCants, 
Hunorab%b Il. 0, #rber, Pb&e a 

ui whfoh Twenty-F&m (#O.ga) Cbnte shell be zstained 

by the. dbS~ie/DbtBd agent iaoat uhloh he shall be entitled to aiiirriafent Boaby to 

to .aliioiently pbrrorra the dut 31 

ay bxpbtwes necb5eary 

bb set rotih herein, 

and the ?6¶~18inSw ‘pwezlty-?iVb ($&a$) CbXktO shall 

be rorwmrded tt3 the Departmtnt for dewsit to The 

Stat0 xi-g i%llld, t. 

ror oeatfrioate 0r tit 2 

Other V&th the. bmlicrbt5On 

0 within twsntpr0ur (84) 

hour8 BitOr wne hi been received by said designated agent, from wh5oh roes the Departawmt shall 

.'bb entitled to and shall use suirisiant money to 

pey au 8X-SeS nbOWSary t0 brr~ci~t~ ,!uh&ni8- 

tbr and pbrrOX%U the dd%bS 8bt fO?th hbr&Ii, ak%d 

them is hereby appropriated to the Departtint a51 

er suoh fee0 rar srlartm, traveling bxpen6e, btaBZontwy, postage, oontiagbnt expbnse an8 all other 

expenses ~bOW3SaF~ to adm5nIntorthis Act ttitlgh 

thb k&balhiU~II ending AU&fbWt ail, f%h’” 

We am?& dbtenrfnb ii this appropriation eoB&rammJs 

Seetim 6 br Artisle VIIf 0r the Coabtftution or !hxas whiah 

r8adz3 a8 r0u0w t 

%jo Isonb~ ahaL1 be drawn rrarn thb trbaswy 

but in ~~treUiTULt30 0r JJpbOfiiO appropriations made 

by law; nor shall any ap oprlatioon of money be 

lnede ror Q longer tsna t r an two years+ * *w 

In Pfoklb vs. Finley, 91 Tsr. 41u. 4SS, it was dealarbd by the Supreme Court or 'hxaat 

*‘ft is slbar, that an appropriation need not 

be made in the general appropriation Mll. ft 5s 

also true, that no tipbOiri0 .WOrd8 Wb M-OSSarJ’ in 

order to make an apprQQribtiong and it may be amoedsd, as contended, that an appropriation map bb . 

mada by fmplioatlen when tbs langaags anploysd 

leads to the bellsi that suoh was the intent Or 

the Laglslaturs.* 

We regard flP0 ap 

s~loientl 

f 

spboir~@.‘@dld e 

roprriation in ~Ousb Bill ,206 as 

Wit t0 the m-0 SbFfOUS WbSti’=s 

0.f w&&her t ws made;r'~fOr BI lollgO= t8rJB than tW0 yaars, and 

Whbthbr it may be uphal& ror a period 0r tw Ybbfb, although 

'in0pbrbtivb therbarter. See National Biscuit Co. v. State, 

1s s. w, (2d) 687, 693 (Supreme Court). 

mfoarawble Pi c. w5er, P,fe@ 5 

ior longer than two yebfal, it is aur opinion that it wwld 

nonethal$?sb be valid for a two year term, although Invalid‘ 

themaaitez, 

9!b$eoonslueions @empost with the dootrfnes snnounoed 

by ~the Buppre~+Couzt in the QISW of Piakle te. Finley, supra, 

and Dallae COUtktp VS, Yooaptbs, 140 Se W. (8d) UN, 

Re ,'qaote tram the Plikle ease agoin as SollarBt 

r* * *. 

*Zt is a well settled rule in the oonstruotb& 

et statutes, that ii en 8Ot of the ~irrlature be 

euapable of two cronmtrurtions, one ai which oonfliok 

with the Oonstitutian and the other whioh does not, 

the latter.must pxkvail~. It is the duty tif the 

eomts *so to, oonetrue every aet,of the Legielature 

aa to nmks.it consistent if possible with the proviaions of the Constitution*. I)or v. Blorris, 4 

18. H., 16; Xewland T. Marsh, 19 Ill,, 376. _ 

-he members of the,Legislature are awow to 

mapport the Constitution and theaourta will not presume that they have intended to violate it when the 

zgt;tgnth8 law will reasonably admit of another 

seoti0n 6 or ~~rtiel9 8 0r the constitution (p&iousl~ quoted) not only requires (~a 

appropriation berore any money ten be paid oat of 

the treasury, but also Un$iy*emry apgropriatlon 

to a term 0X .two yeara. Xi they had made 

an appropriation in uriutistakable terma whioh we8 

to oontinue for all time, it sight be held vi$.$d*W 

ror two yeers, and inoperative thereafter. 

Xn the YoComba’ ease, the Yuprente COurt speaking. 

thrdiyh Mr. Justfoe Critz, declared: 

u* * * 

*Plaintiff in error contends that even if 

this a propriation running for five years is in 

violat f on of the two,year5' provision 0r Yeotlon 

6 of article VIII of our Constitution as applied 

to the five year period taken 35 8 whole, still 
EPDnorable D. C. mar,'?egie 6 

it ia not in vlokation ei suoh oonstitutional pryrkrbta a% applied te the first two year8 of the 

rim9 aear period. It 8.o~ to be the lawtha$ 

whes!e the Legislature has made 'aa aporoDrlation ia 

* ) whiah ooat iaues for a loa$w 

X8 -8uOh appropriation may be 

UDhNdd iOr tb ifrsb 4~0 year8, and muld ba inopaativa theseafter. PiOkle v. linley, 91 Tea 

4%+ 44 8. W. 439, 43%. Itwill be noted that 

the rule or law. annoanoed ia Piok3e V. Pinley, 

Jtt mmlntakable terma'. We ln%erpret 

thin to maam that i? aa appropriation io aade ra 

more Wan tm ymtm, it oan be eniorosd ror the 

fir8t iiWo yeax if it e~peor8 that the &&alatuxe Woubtodly Intendad suoh appropriation to 

operate ?or tvm years, regardlees cb whether or 

not, it ootttd $0 so thoreaiter. W think t&a% t&to 

rule oannot, aid this appropriation, beoauile w&en 

6ll of the pto'viaioaa of this Aat are eo~idere&~ 

together, we manot say that the Lefgislature would 

uadoabtedly hate paassd it to operate for two years 

only, ihsteed o? fin, yeare as provided by bhe Aat, 

~-.‘:.<~gjp 0 +* 

,. &u&r? BUI 808 tran8ferred the adatnistration ot 

the Cewtifimite G? Title dot fzom the Dspartatent of Publip 

Safety to the State 5iighuag DepaHmat. Heoeaaarily this 

required lmmdiate admInistration and enfor8ement or the 

.Certliioate or Title Abt by the State Highway Departate&. 

The Legi6latuxs reoogntsed that the State Highway Depaxtmeat wonld be oompelled to iouur obligations at onaeI 

Tb& was.the reemn ror the ixmedlate appropriatian of tho 

Ii the appropriation is ineffeotive, the enforoement 

0i t$ GartiilOate of Title Aot vzmld be peralyzod a8 a re- 

'rult of the aotion of the 47th bgialature in tramerring 

tI~,adPrtnistration,framthe Department or Publio .Sfifoty to 

the %tata,Zighway Deiartaaut. 

The purpose ~2 the CertifiOate Or Title Ast IS 

erpreeeed a8 r6uovn in Bouae 3ll.l 6051 

"'8eotion 1. -1s AOt shall be referred to, 

oited end known as ths wCertifloste or Title Aot*, 
end in the snar4tmeat hereof it is hereby declared 

to be the legislative intent and publie pcliiy of 

this state to lmse~,~and prevent the theft of 

motor.veh$olgs and the importation jmto this etate 

ei and:txafSi~ la stoba mator veh$Olef~, and the 

sele'oS,enbumbe~d -too11 vehioles w$thcut the enror~d &$BO~C~UN to the purehaaer oi auy Emd SU 

lien& forwhich any euoh nctcr oeh.%cletands as 

awwruity.; an+ the prmisions hereof W@ul~rly 

and cclleiitivo~y, areto be l$bere&+&trued 

to that S@di, The fcSlowin& terms:$lx Jmrein dsrip&a ~hau. 0Mtr0i 'in .th0~ t9nior0843e btd ?~astrufei loa .cf. thh Aot* ** . 

~8eetion ii1oi mlse'B$lL 205'asoitesr 

"4%-a. Le. Th6 feet that imtor veh$cles w$th 

liens tharecn erd~~being purohased by innccezat purahaaers due tq the prarent mfinner and method of 

iss~ certliioates of title; the Iaot that registration 0r motor Y4hi4le4-fs now undez the jurisdiction and control of the h.$ghway Department of 

the.State or Texas and the issuing OS certificates 

of title to n&or rehiale~ is under the juxisdicticn and ccntrol of the Department of Public safety 

of the State of Texss, laaringt the Yighway Department withcut mans of retaini* a ccmplete file 

on the cwnership of motor vehioles, regiotered fn. 

this State throughout the year; * * ** 

Clearly there I4 "an appmixlatlon in umistanksble 

tex4tP in Eouse B$ll 805. And, paraphrasfng the language of 

Hr. Justice &its in the McCombe aase, when all of the prc- 

~$s$cns and purposes of House Bill 205 are considered tcgether, we cannot but say that the LtgislatWe intended tc 

make the appropriation operative for txc yeam, regardless 

OS uhether or not it could do 40 thereafter, wherefore the 

Stats Hi&way Depertaent oauld b e enabled to assume the adm$n$strat$cn of the Csrtifioata of Title Act innned$stelP 

upon the effective date of Hcu~e Bill DOS. 

It $s therefore the ecnsidered opinion of this 

depertmeht that the fees uolleoted by the Sate highway Deparwent and appropriated by the Le&slattme for the GaFnent 
macrable D. C. Drimx, Page 8 

of salazies end Other expen444 neobisearilp laoident to a 

proper adtainistration of the Certitioate of Title Aat, bemxao available to the State Highway Bepartamnt immediately 

apon the efieuti~4 bate or B~UW IAu;L m5. St is our rurtka oplni4s that runh appropri4ticn $4 cpsrativ4 only far 

a texm of tur~yfmrs thereafter. 

TEXAS