GBRUD c. Au8rrus 11. -

Mr. Tan C. King StateAuditor Austin,Texas

Doar Sir: o&ion No. O-550 Ret Appropriation

Bill 45th Lsgisrati+, 1957, Sec. 2(a) - InstitutG~'Reoeipts -- Board of Con-km1 pruohaseo. ;* Ik~hns'your latterOiXovember 9, 1929, requesting aa opiaion upont;he

follorrlng~qu&i~mr~
"(1) Is fhe~'re&imnmt that supplies md equip- &t-f& &oh ltitittiti6ak 'be'w&aa6d througkthe Boardof Eontro~,equally applicable

fo saoh purohases .a8 ars @aid.for

out oft ~~tutlonal~moeipts, under the 

### l utbori* of~eaid~‘S&tion 2(a) ofths App?opriation bt? ,- : ~' '"(2) In the~~e&eptlon to .that

~Yequirameat,

mlating to-*@r$atly perishable gOode*;the only exaeption non-info~pe,

other Fan eat~++red of in the next qwstlon? *(S) Does %he la& aeatenoe of said Subseotion 15 in the appmprtitioaAot serve tot& suoh institutions out bf its operation totha ertent that they am thereby Qppowered~to

ooatraot

for pririting

and stationery

to be used for adminietratiw purposes,

and not to be used or prOOeSS8d In anyway by+leJir owa printing

p1ant?" .~.~. . . We lug to advise that gour firat.questioa rhould be ansmured -yes."
.,.

_ - Sootlon 2(h) of the Gelleral Apqropriation

4ot (46thLeg., Goa. 8,s. p. 94%) doolareaa'. .c.

~~"That~all~luian6e~ laths in6tifutional punds of ths sewral~Stato'institutions nPmod~ ln this 

### Aot,at the 'ObSii OT the fisoal y8W endiag~Au@,u& Sl, 1937, iaoludfag

balanoos

**in** their revolving funds at that time,and the entire inoometo said funds during each of the tw fisaalysars~ ending August 31, 1929, and August 51, 1929;which are not otherwise appropriated for eitheror both of said~fiscal years are herehJrHon. Tan C. ging, Page 2 (0450)

:‘.

c appropriated for the support,~maintwnanoo,peration,and improvsment of said &ate institutions during sash of the said fisoal years, respectively."
Article 624, R.C.S., declares:

"The Bard of Controlshall Rwohase all the supplies

used by each Department ofthe &ate Govornsmut, including

ths State Prison System, apd eaoh eleamosynary

institution,

Emsal sohool,

Agrioultural and Msohanioal

College,

University

of Texas,and each slid

all 

### otherState Sohooleor Deparbpents bfthe StateGo&meat heretofore orhereafteroreated. Suoh rrUpP1ieS

to dnoludo

furniture

and PMmes, teohnisalinstruments

aod.Imaks,

andall other things required

bythedifforent departments or institutions, exospt striotly

perishablo

goods."

Art1010 642 further providee:

. Vho Board shrllooafrpatf~r~1supplios,melc ohandise

and artiolos

of everyddesoription needed for the ~<e&noa and op&atioii of &oh institutions, oxoeptthose supplies designated

as $srishaUe, and supplies

of a specialoharaotor, a8 books for libraries and supplies

for tho labsratoriee and laboratory

nork and inati%mtioa,

and rqg spso3alsupplies for iaetruotion, damon8tratioa nd rosoaroh

for oduoatioaal~instltutioas,

to'bj desd.@iated

a's"Speoial

6upplies

for Edu~ati&al Institutions.* The Board shallbabe its soatraats

upon estbnatos

to bs f%rnished

the RoaH by the superintendents, by the firstof AprU of oaoh year, for the entire

year.?
Those and other gone& statutes make clear the statepolioy that the Board of Coxitrol shall oontraot

for the purohase



### of supplies

for our Statedopartmoats and institutions

whore spesialexeoeptioa is not othersbe made,.

__

So that, if Seotion2(a) of the la& appropriation 4ot oould reasonably

reosire

the interpr&ationthat it nas soatemplated suoh balances should bs expendedin puroha808 by institutiona,

it muld not require that oonstFwtL&, for~ltmuld put the Appropriatida Aot in ooafliot

with the general

rtatutos

~above quotod,

and it is well settledthat an appropriation bill ssnnot

repeal or impairthe foroe of a generalstatute.Bon. Tm C. King, Pags S (o-550)

Your second

questionshouldlikswise bs answered

*yss,"for exoeptsd

from the provisions of Artiole "strictly

perishable

goods"ars 654 above quoted.

Subsection

(13) of Section2 of ths Appropriation &at referred to in your question NoJo. 3 is as followsr

"All printing

and stationery

shall be purohased through

the Boardof Controlaad shallbs confilled to such articles

and quantities

6s seleoted

and oontraoted for by said Board,except said printing provided

by lawto bs dolle

bp several

of the State iastitutlon6. Ho ss0msaod

or eagrsxed

printing

or stationery

shall be purchased. This subsostion shall not be applioaU6 to q in6titutioawhi6h operate6its 01111

printing plant.'
The obvious

purpose

of this subssstion

isto exssptthose State institutions

that ars authorized b generallaw tu print suohthiags, from ths requimmoatthat all printing and stationery

for the Statedspartmonts and institution6

shallbe puPohased~thronghth6 hoard of Csntrol. Itnas not tiaPnt~theieby‘to'aut&riso those institutions

emponsrsd

to dosuoh printing

to make'smtraotfor purchase of printing

and 6tatioasryto

be usod'for

administration

purposss

and not to bs used or prooossod in any iiay * their own ~prtiing plant. In other lards,theexoeption oontained in'the last sentence of Subseotioc(lS)

was meant to authoriso suoh institutions

to do printing (as by gsnsrallaw they haw been authorised) **I& not**  to **contract** for the purohase of printing

and stationerg

- this IsIng for ths Board.

very trulyyours

**0S:UR:egw**
APPRQVBD

mv 17, 1939 /s/ GERAiD C. ldA?TB &TTORNBY

GEXEUL OF TExhs ATT.OREEYGEEER4LOFlEUS

_ OoiS Spear

Assistant

OpinionComittoe

z::