OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 
a&lni8tratlon of the Old AgO ASdStaQ6O CadSSlOn 

remIs, ln part, as follous: 

"cases are dlose4 on a ealeNar-lloath baas. 

This ma58 that au ceses re6elved UlMng the 

muthul.llbeclocredaadbecom6~l~tblst 

0rth fol&ndn6mo5th. roroxnuple: iill owm 

r6celve4 l5 the State Oftfoe dnrlng the lropth ot 

WcgPbe?rouldk~Oatti~J~~L lhisq@lh 

teusucams;orl&wldmUl8tggUlt,arants 

lowered, gtents rals66, ad relnatawts.* 

You lbrtsmr point out ln Joa letter that in 

ca5plla5ee with Seatlam W(a) of 

cl3 

M 4%. oemral IAwa 

O? t&S 4th b&B&ttU=., ThM seuio5, lsw, uhleh 

lte4u.tbol4A4pAsslsta5ae&u pu 

~~r-a0ti0tiprtitik~ 

list ar roll of those 05tltlM to assistance, 

with ths amoat to which each reoipleat ls 

p~tlmtXuuptmll~~beabL,to~lydrPr 

wouabrs or warraats for ol4 ege fmslsterme boneyour letter &talm the tolloulm~ addS.tlonal 

stotecmntst 

: 
.-. 

Eon. Tale Tlearry, by 29, 1939, Pag6 3 

%rt.lf~oetio5 of till plrsona 61’ ib3.6 to 

reoalve a6sl6tauue 1s made ou the firs 3 OS each 

th0 o&t &6 366-O -6iOn t0 
"The Ii@slatxre shall here the power by 

@nernl lcm to provldo, under such lkalitotkms 

and rei?.trlOtiOM Md r6@datiWS RS lnay be d66mod 

bgh~glila~8 axpedient, for old-age assist 

5" 

yrmnt or 6CilIB not tc exoed 

Plf'teen 2dl.ers ( W) patrm~ntheaah to aotual 

bona rid6 citizens of Texa8 Who are wt~r the 

or alxt 4 lY6 (03) years 1 proYld6d that M hab - 

Llf5e 

"f" 

ttlel cr 1 and no habitual drunkard while swh 

habitual drunkard, and no hmat-8 o? any State aupport&d lzu!titutian,while suohlnmate, 6hal1be 

eligfble for mob old-age auirt8noe; prmldsd 

further that th6 nqairrsof6 ior 10X&h Of tb@ 

0f adWl r66id61¶66 in T~XM ibdll5OVWr be 1088 

then rir, (5) p6rs auring the nine (9) yeem 

irwedMiely pm06ding the egq4iOati~ for old-ago 

a8sbitanoeendoo5tlnuouslyioro5e (11 par 

Jmttdlately preceding 6u6h ag@,loation. 

+he L6gl6latma shall tteve the euthorfty to 

aooept’irixa the G0VQnt ot the U&t04 Stat08 

suah flnenofal aid fo old-age aa6istmme as that 

cw6rn!eent 

"4; 

otternotin~ns~tanttiththe 

r6strhtfons eral5b6rora proYfdeQ." 

IBtiler the authorit CC swh axI6titutio55f proYl6105, the Legl6latur6 in CL pt6r496otth6G6n6ralml6 

of the Third Callod Session of the 44th hgislatwt, ha8 

oharged the St&e 3oard of Control cautftutw tho Texq 

Cld ;@ -.SSit3kClO6 kRZlhiiO5 W'd the &IQ Of t3dUlbbtOl'- 

* t&6 Ou :*6 ,LS6k3tr;act3,.& ~OtiOIl 3 Of SOid h?t PX'Ovldes : 

The C0ml~slonnttygraatflaanoiala1d to 

My rumdy person who la in neoessitous clrounstences provided such psmoa. . .” 

Ssdl.05 4 of the Act proride f 

“III detenaialag the e blltty of an ap liaent ror m6lstawe uml8r A&, it shall Lths 

duty Of th0 cOld66155 to OOMi&OP Md tab f5tO 

aoaouut all tsata axid O~FCUBU~AUSO~ ~UXTOUB ttul 

appllannt in01 his 6aralng cepeolty s 

opportunity to eupport mother souro~, 

and it fmn all the not.6 and ofrotsMtames th6 

applicant do66 no t l p p ee%O r b i?i s M OdY a x id 

56o666itotu 6omlltLo5, ad6tanoe 6hell b6 dale& 
Eon. Tom ikBerry, Nay 29, 1939, Page 5 

In oelculatlng inooma and resouroas of the 

applicant, the O0mi6slon shall take into 

aocount all money r6aeirad by girt, devise 

or u6soent.~ 

seotion 7 or the Aot, in part, provides as 

follows: 

?rh6ocmml8slm6hallhatorullQ6w6ralld 

aut$orlty to pro vide l aoh method of looal adrinlstratlon fm the.tarlous oountles and dirtrlots oi Ssxaa a8 lt doom6 #viaable * * ** 

8eotlon ll(b) of th6 Aat or6atee end eslabflsh68 

a apoolal fund of the Traamry off-%tm State of Taxas to be 

k6 

1 

t .%y th6 State Treaaur6r 8e*at6 and apart .frcm all 

ot or funds to b6.hlnm.a~ th6 .pxae' Old A@ 466j.6$ana6 

Fund*, for,$h6 pprpowe oi paylng,thq ala and~h66lafb6nue 

provided for I5 the Aob. 

S6OtlC5 U! Of the AOt 6uth0~1%66'th6 Comab~lon 

to woaml~ata and wtabllah 6uoh sg&w and ra&ulatioas 

.a& pay be n606Saarf imMdiate4 td i6ke grants of ,a66iatenoe 

ta auoh of there p 6r a o nl a cmay be,,eligible under tba pro- 

~1810~ of thi6 Aot. 

Semtlon W(a) of the Aot provldee as'follows: 

"All old age aMl6tenoo banailta provldsd'for 

-under fhs fsrms of thi6 Aot 6&11 b6 paid by vowh6r8 

or warrant6 drawn by %he Stak Oomptro&l.er cm the 

Texae Old Age Aaslwime Rut@ ior.,the .wpoae.oi 

permitting the Stat6 Oomptmllsr proptrr P ytg draw 

and lssw suoh roueh6rn or warrantl, the Texss.~Old 

Age Asslstanoe oommls~lon shall rtmm the camptroller with a list or roll of thoss entitled to 

assistanoe from tirae to t&ne, together with the 

amount to.whloh eaoh rselplsnt la entitled. When 

suoh vouohers or warrants have bsen dram, they 

shall be d6liV6r6d to the Exeoutive Direotor Of 

the Texas Old Age Asslsfanoe Oommlssion, who in 

turn shall supervise th6 dellmry of the smns $0. 

the psrsons entitled th6ret0." 
T% ~eriexl 2F~lYO?rl:;tiOr. .~.ct or tlii: .;.;;tki LC&:sLsturo, Ti6gular Session, prarldes, In part, 28 follows: 

"AU lncanm to the Term Old A@ ;aiist.ancs 

Fund, toðer rith any bolaees on hand at tk end 

of n pdOr ifsaal year, are hereby npprogriatod 

for eaab of the iisonl ymrs tuxU.tx &&ust 2.1, 

193& Gad iewt 31, 1939, to the Texas Old :A@ 

Assbtarme Coznlasion for aid and assistmoe, and 

rorsalGaB5, equipmeat,suppliee,trarel,ipEinte~ 

n5a80 and ooat~at eapansea aew68as-y la the 

ert%nstQa or Gla and in a-t8ru all the 

'duties requtredof said Camissianb tM Old&a 

Jlssmo IAWS, and r0r pilytmnt ob Lt crest bear- 

&.I& okllents, togpther WI* lnterast tbtrean, outstturdiag an iqwst 3l, 1937, that were lasuad 

. a.&nst ttie Terns 2ld .Qe ~~sistanoe Fund under 

tlve experums for35 yearsLllnew3reixceed tire 

-par con: of tbs tot aI amcat expended ror Old *e 

waistmae .* 

Stamarixinpthe at+o~% oonstltutlonnl prcnisions and 

statutes, w3 rlatlthat the ~ml6titution 6 ressly OIapowers 

t-ha lis&lctura to pxmlde for old w ass 75 tanoe uader smh 

lludtationm restrictions and rwtitions zs tho Le&lature 

deem modetent. In 00nr0dty w:tli such constitutioiml 

grant or power, the Uglslnture hzs heretofore provided by 

the Statute above quoted fmz?~, for the crants ot old e@ assl5tance to T%rwns en unmated by the kc%. TIie Lt@lature, 

axmg other things, has expressly cuthorlzed ulna eqmvered 

the 3tate %oard of Cantrol aatln& .M the cld &e i.~sistm%.zo 

Cammission to adnlntater the Old .;es Adstance Act. In odral.niotering such .;ot, the Coanisslon in ex;lressly nuthorized 

to m&e lmestlg&kns und flndln@~ m to the el iblllty of 

appllacutta for ;)6nsions, ati the ,ct aets up deta Yl ed standards andre@iraPan~s~sti~s~eotto personswho shall 

qmllfy for old 

Tf! 

Suohstandardsa~~d~~~e- 

-ta beiw fulf ed b3 thrs a&eaZt’t, tit3 ~UW oXp88Sly 

author&we the Codsion to craat finanaial aid to any such 

applicant, and ap-roprlations are xade iron ths I.naons of 

the mate for ouch purpoe. 
Hon. Tan zmerly, my 29, 1939, r-age 7 

Iaordar teeuldethe Cmptrolle~ lalssulag' 

wilrrRnt5 to puytbggrt~~&S midebythe C0?88i8610xi, th 

~egiet~ prcniw tht the C~~SS~OE rro* tw to 

tbis ehould fuinlahthe bxoptroller with a list or,roll 

oftl7oae ef&itled to aaaistanoe toe&her wfth tlm amount 

to rhioh saoh reoipient is u&led. 

the dat* OS 8aoh oertlflaatloa. 

. 

Ian opinion, lt5.a olearthattheoalydiseretlonary @iiar &mated by the hnstltutlaa or the Statutes 

is the parer @sated b the utatuta to the Ccmlssloato 

detsmbe the e 

blllty has bsen % S 

lb& of spplloaats. *man such ell& 

4 detienlned by the comission, in 

the mna8r proVld@i f8r b~thestatuta,ead such detornlantlon ctf 61 

% 

the ikmmis#foa to 

the Coxptro 

iblllty has b8ea eertlllsd b 

er, ao dlsaretlon ro6tr in l hs Cmptroller to 

refuse to fasuo varruU to the spocIff%U nei lent8 prorlded the amounts granted do not violate the raLlu&a WCpress4 pmMed for in t&e Statute arrd the Gon8tltutloa. 

3s mLalsterful act of lsoufag and de3.l~~ tb warreats 

is allthatremalas to be dane by auy aiflolal of the State 

after suoh Qetemiaatlon and oertifloetloa. A# to the 

ccnaptraller~s infmdstary duty to perform a ndalrrtsria% aot, 

we I&htfoot Y. tans, 140 3. x’. 89. 

72&s bolw arue, the cmolusion SJB laesoapable 

that an arnendnienttothe pesentlavrwhiohdose notbecam 

eiteatlre untllsl'ter June 1, 1934, ssndrhi~haavrndnnatsim- 

&e to receive assltanos dll ziot atfeat gpnta d old age 

oh~cm tbr, ~uallficatloao und standards c# persona elfur~tanoe to ponoaa rho have been fouui end sartlflo4 by 

flu Caaaissfonto be entitled to peasloaa oaadate prior 

to the etieotfrs date of 6uoh .iusen&wnt. 
.